We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cathy Graham. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cathy below.

Cathy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have always had very sensitive skin – couldn’t use scented soaps or laundry detergent. Having to rely on others for non-scented, all natural, color free soap was a challenge. Whenever I would find a crafter who made soaps that I could use without a reaction (mainly through Etsy) they would disappear and then I would have to start the search again, I knew that the process couldn’t be that difficult since so many people were making soap to sell. After a lot of research, I realized that this was something I could do, and felt like this was something others needed also, so I started making my own all natural, unscented soap.

Cathy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After starting to make my own soap, I enjoyed the process of creating soap and creating new recipes with different kinds of oils and butters. Since I had such a struggle to find the products I needed I felt like there had to be others, like me, who wanted a natural soap, but struggled to find the right vendor also. That’s when the idea of Two Little Blackbirds was born.

Initially, there was a large learning curve for my target audience. This was prior to all natural products being in the spotlight for consumers. Most people didn’t understand that their skin is the largest organ in their body and what they put on their skin eventually ends up in their bodies. I remember the first couple if years in business, everyone would immediately pick up a bar of soap and smell it. It was amusing to see their reaction to the unscented natural smell of soap. It just smells clean! I gave out a ton of samples to begin with. Once people tried the soap they loved it. Unlike today, when most people understand the advantage of using natural ingredients, I was a creator and an educator.

I knew right away that to reach the largest audience, I needed to partner with businesses who could sell and promote my soap. My first commercial clients were natural health providers, chiropractors, yoga studios, etc. Those who understood that natural is better and it doesn’t have to be loaded with artificial scents and ingredients to be a great bar of soap. These types of businesses are the cornerstone of my client base.

I joined the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetics Guild, and through their forums, realized that a lot of soap makers were adding candles to their product line up. I thought this would be a great way to incorporate scent into my product line, while keeping with all natural products. So, Two Little Blackbirds’ candles was born, boasting all natural soy wax, all cotton wicks, essential oils, and clean fragrances.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The biggest advice I can give a business just starting out to to find a networking group in your area and work the system.

For me, initially that was Business Network International (BNI). I joined BNI when I started my first business as a graphic designer and when I stayed when I started Two Little Blackbirds, LLC. BNI is a tried and tested, world wide networking organization whose members are focused on finding business for each other. How much do I believe in BNI? I was a member for 23 years. It 100% helped me be successful in my graphic design business. When I retired from graphic design to concentrate solely on Two Little Blackbirds, LLC, I found that other networking groups fit my clientele better and focused my networking 100% into eWomen Network.

To be successful in networking you must find a networking group who shares your vision, goals, and aesthetic. You must be willing to give any networking group the necessary time for it to become effective for you. It takes time to get to know members and for them to get to know you, to teach the members who you are looking for as clients, and lastly for them to trust you and your business, None of that comes overnight – you must give it time.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I handcraft all of my candles and soap. It was a learning process that took time and effort. Not every recipe I created worked. Not every new product I created was a success.

To begin with I was making soap just for me. I have tried and tested every soap formulation I sell. I learned through a lot of trial and error, eduction thought the Handcraft Soap and Cosmetics Guild, and from others who make soap. It’s an ongoing education – ingredients change, information changes, and what your customers want changes. I can make those changes in products, the I still remain true to my company philosophy of Pure. Simple. Luxurious.

When I started, I had over 15 standard soaps that I manufactured. I came to realize that I had just a few that were my best sellers and starting focusing just on those soaps. It made inventory management much easier and I was able to focus my time on my most profitable items. Similarly, I started out with a whole line of various bath and body products – soap, lotion, body spray, bath salts…you name it! Again, I realized which items were my best sellers and most profitable and ended up ditching the bath and body products completely! Soap is what customers wanted.

I followed this lesson when I started creating candles – keep everything pure and simple and find those scents that sold best and get rid of the rest. Today, I product sample new candle scents by creating a few smaller, less expensive candles for sale and gauge the interest in the scents and how fact they sell.

The biggest pieces of advice I can give to anyone who manufactures their products is, 1) make sure you have good product liability insurance, 2) that you work with reputable and ethical suppliers, 3) you make no claims about your products that have not been scientifically tested and proven, and 4) always follow legal labeling guidelines.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TwoLittleBlackirds.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoLittleBlackbirds