Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Faith Strother. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Faith, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

I’m shy by nature, so being a business owner has often been a challenge. Seeing how much others loved my products gave me confidence in speaking to others about my brand.

I promote my brand every single day and everywhere I go. I’ve even put business cards in the card readers at gas stations, I leave flyers on windshields.. anything to grow continuously and organically .. I think the key part left out is building rapport with people … people need to be able to trust you as a business owner. My customers are my family, no question about it. I really try to get to know as many customers as I can, for me.. it’s made all the difference in my success. After all, your customers are the ones really carrying you through.. you can have an amazing product or an amazing invention but if you have no people to stand with you, your business can not stand. Take the time to build friendships and make sure to return the support given when possible. Be genuine to your brand and yourself while building your dreams.
To me every moment is meaningful, twist and turns are necessary.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started making soap with my oldest daughter during the pandemic. While it was a fun hobby, it quickly turned business as many inquiring minds wondered what the talk was of “The Real Tea”

I started out making soap, tons and tons of soap .. I had people getting soap from their friends, family.. and then emailing me and finding me on social media to place an order. I honestly couldn’t believe it was happening but after praying about it I really decided to make it a brand, not just a hobby. I invested in educating myself on business and got registered with the State of Ohio. I eventually started an online website and expanded my business by adding other goodies like body scrubs, body oils and whipped body butters. I have long time customers who suffer from eczema, psoriasis, sensitive skin, I even have the pleasure of having customers who purchase my soap for their children and significant others as well, making TRT Soap a household brand.

I’m most proud of my determination. I’m three years in and sometimes I’m like “dag, why can’t I go viral already” (jokingly) but I know God planted this seed in my heart for a reason. I want any potential followers, future customers to know, without you, each of you… I can not succeed. Everyone needs someone and I need you.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Resilience and class… being genuine and genuinely learning from mistakes I made along the way to better myself as a person and a business owner. Transparency is also important, don’t try to be a perfect business owner, just be yourself and your people will be right there.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has honestly been social media. It can be a harsh place as a business owner but it can also be very beneficial for building a community of supportive new friends and potential customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://trtsoap.com/
• Instagram: @THEREALTEASOAPCO
• Facebook: THE REAL TEA SOAP COMPANY

Image Credits
Beautiful photos by Amber Johnson