We recently connected with Julia Evans and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Julia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Buff City Soap stands out from its competitors through its strong emphasis on handmade, plant-based products and its connection with the local community. Through Buff City Soap’s unique franchised structure, each location in the system makes their product collection inside their local Soap Makery. This differentiator allows full transparency on the prouction process and ingredients used in each product. A guest can visit our local stores at any time to watch the soap makers create beautifully handmade product, with some items designed soley by the in-store team, giving them a personalized touch.

Buff City Soap also focuses on supporting the local community through non-profit partnerships, school sponsorships, and other forms of fundraising through their Buff Gives Back in-store programs. This program can make a huge difference in each city because it gives non-profits and schools a platform to raise funds for their organizations each month.

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

In early 2020, I was hired as the Regional Director for Buff City Soap. Buff City Soap is a handmade, plant-based soap and scent product company that specializes in local creations and customization. At the time of my hire, we had 22 locations across the country, some corporate and some franchise locations, and were working towards opening more stores.

Within a week of me starting my new position, COVID-19 hit the United States and we had to quickly pivot our business model and adjust to this new norm. Our e-commerce business exploded overnight and our brick and mortar locations were forced to close down to the public. Despite all of the negatives that came from COVID, I was lucky that I had started working for a soap company right before this sudden shift. Suddenly, everyone in the country needed soap – and we were here to provide what we could. Due to all of our products being handmade, we had to scramble to find the best systems and processes for mass production when it was clear that everyone was in need. The challenge was huge, but I truly believe that our company learned from this experience and it expedited our system growth through the next 2 years.

We continued to open new locations at a rapid rate, and by mid-2023, we have over 265+ locations across the U.S. with plans to continue expansion. I was blessed to have the opportunity to relocate to Dallas, TX in a new role as Franchise Support Manager. I was able to assist franchisees with the store opening process and visit over 100 of our locations during that year. I currently reside in Austin, TX as the Director of Marketing and Brand Awareness for a large Texas Franchisee. Our franchise group owns 15 of the TX locations in the Austin, Houston, San Antonio, West Texas, and Bryan-College Station regions.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My education and career path has been a fun journey of self-discovery. I have never been known to take the “easy” route and I would consider myself the curious type. I am always looking to try new things, which has created some twists and turns in my career, but ultimately has gotten me to a feeling of fulfilment – which I believe everyone is searching for!

I was homeschooled through high school because I was determined to graduate early and begin working immediately. After tons of pushback, my parents caved and allowed me to go into Cosmetology school vs. the standard college path. I worked full-time in the retail space while completing my 1500 hour Cosmetology license in Tennessee. While in school, I realized that I was more focused on the beauty and skincare side of the courses and took a strong interest in business and entreprenuership. I graduated, received my license, and immediately signed up for my Associates Degree in Business Management.

I told myself that was all the college that I needed, and was very anti-school. I just wanted to focus on work. After obtaining my Associates Degree, I found myself still striving for more. In the retail world, degrees are not always as vital for growth, so by this time I had a great title and was continuing to move up. I was working in the operations side of retail as an Area Manager when I recognized my strengths in local marketing and grass roots initiatives. I found a passion for eventing and building community relationships which led me to enrolling for a degree in Marketing.

Eventually, I received my Marketing degree – but that wasn’t enough! I am now working towards my Masters in Business Administration so I can combine my knowledge of business with my passion for marketing to help lead brands into profitability. So much for not being the school type, huh?

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Buff City Soap does a fantastic job at connecting with guests through various platforms and methods. We have an incredible loyalty program which allows us to communicate our sales and local offers via text message and email. We also utilize social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more! We are continuously working with local influencers to create fun and engaging content to target their follower base and grow brand awareness in our communities, too!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.buffcitysoap.xom
• Instagram: @buffcitysoap.atx
• Facebook: @BuffCitySoapATX
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/julialaineevans