We recently connected with Katherine Goolsby and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Katherine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

The name “Little House of Soap” was inspired by the “Little House on the Prairie” books and TV show. When I first started soap making, my daughter, “Bear”, and I were visiting Savannah, Georgia. We happened to stumble upon a natural body care store. Bear has eczema, and I was looking for a natural way to help her that didn’t involve steroid creams and ointments because those products are chemical based and can thin the skin. Plus, it turned out that Bear also enjoys the Little House on the Prairie books and TV show, just like her mom.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! I’m Katherine and I own Little House of Soap. I make soap the old fashioned way which involves combining fats and an alkali. This method of soap making is called cold processed soap making and I use natural butters and oils and combine them with sodium hydroxide to make soap. I am not from the business field whatsoever, but simply found something that I love to do. I became interested in soap making as I was trying to find a way to help my daughter with her eczema. She has struggled with eczema since she was an infant and I was always taking her to the dermatologist. Once I started making soap, friends and family encouraged me to sell it as they loved the product. I was so nervous when I started making cold process soap because of the use of sodium hydroxide, however I read up on proper safety protocols and soon became confident that I could do it! I am most proud of myself for how quickly my brand and products started selling. I have used social media to my benefit and enjoy interacting with viewers during a LIVE, where I cut soap and discuss cold process soap making. I am always happy to answer questions and help beginning soap makers because I got my start watching social media videos watching others make soap.

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

Social media has been the best source of new clients for me. 99% of my business comes from social media. In addition to that, I do local markets and shows a few times a year and love it when repeat customers return!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built my audience on social media by initially posting about my soap making journey. I posted each time I made soap. sometimes they were what we call “soap fails” and sometimes the soap turned out better than I expected. I think that my honesty and transparency resonates with viewers. I don’t sugar coat anything and I am my authentic self. There are times when I have cut into a soap live and things have not gone the way I have expected and although I’m a little embarrassed, I think “hey this is real life” and I’m not faking anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thelittlehouseofsoap.com
• Instagram: Little House of Soap
• Facebook: Little House of Soap
• Other: TIkTok- LittleHouseofSoap