We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Molly Lee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Molly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
As a side hustle, Optimistic Soap’s biggest limiting factor is time. This is a tiny business that has grown in the slivers of hours found in between a demanding day job and caring for home and family. After years of working hard making soap at odd hours on weekends, I came understand the African proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”
I’d always stubbornly declined all offers of help in the past, but after a challenging holiday season, I posted a message asking if any of my friends were willing to assist me as unpaid soap laborers. To my surprise, 35 people eagerly signed up.
I could only accommodate seven friends to my first session but, in the span of a few hours, they had helped chop 12 pounds of soap for a giant batch of mosaic soap and beveled and labeled hundreds of cured soap… work that would have taken me many hours working alone.
But the best part? We all had a wonderful time. One participant likened it to work parties, like quilting bees, of past generations. It felt good to come together for a common purpose (the mosaic soap would be donated to a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse) and it ended up being a very enjoyable social event.
Molly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My soapy side hustle was born out of my kitchen in Portland, Oregon and fueled by a fascination of the magical alchemy that turns humble ingredients into a tactile product that not only cleans but delights the senses.
As Optimistic Soap, I believe that soap has the power to fix the world. By making modest donations to organizations that give back to communities, I’m proud to demonstrate that one person can make a difference. I’ve always felt those who are able should pay it forward and take great joy that my little business allows me to donate generously.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
I was taught in school (a few decades ago!) that you kept your business image clean of any controversy, so I very carefully kept my activist and soap personas separate.
But, over time, I came to realize that “coming out” as my true authentic self not only felt honest, but also resonated with my audience.
I have no doubt that I’ve lost followers and sales because I’ve been unabashedly pro-choice, pro-lgbtq+, pro-voting rights, pro-BIPOC rights and more… but I know that these messages have also knit my community closer together. Their messages and support have given me the courage to continue to speak my truth!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Instagram has been my most effective tool for finding customers (with Facebook a close second). This was a channel that I felt very unsure of for a long time, but, over time and with a lot of experimentation (many failed tries!) I’ve found a voice.
But having said that, I know it’s important to keep on trying new things and evolving! Social media craves innovation and I find it exhilarating to find new ways to be creative!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.optimisticsoap.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optimisticsoap/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OptimisticSoap/
Image Credits
Tad Craig