We recently connected with Reiko Ratcliffe and have shared our conversation below.
Reiko , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.
In 2017, I had a laminectomy and the complications of the surgery led me to quadriplegia. Since then, my mobility has limited and the neuropathy has been so difficult to deal with every day. I was devastated. I was a junior at San Diego State ;pUniversity at the time, but I had to take a medical leave for one year so I could focus on rehabilitation. The neuropathy on my hands made it very difficult to perform my daily activities like tying, writing, and even washing my hands. I also lost some strength and fine motor skills. When you are in such agony 24/7, you could easily go into dark places, but I didn’t. If I’d have to live with the pain for the rest of my life, I’d need to find something that I could enjoy even with my nerve pain. I simply picked soap making because it seemed easy to start. Not even thinking about starting a soap business but to have a hobby.
Started off easy “pour and melt” soap blocks from the craft stores, added essential oils and color. It was fun and therapeutic, so I started giving people my soaps. Then, my mother in law wanted to give 100 soaps to her clients. Many compliments from her clients made me think… “Aromatherapy of soap making benefits myself and other people. What if I do this to other people? Should I start selling?” I started researching soap making and learned about cold process soap making. I read books about soap making and watched many Youtube videos that other soap makers did. I learned that there were so many creative ways to make soaps. I felt that I finally found something to keep me going.
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?
My name is Reiko. I am originally from Tokyo, Japan. I make soaps and other bath products such as bath bombs, bath salts, lotion bars, lip balms, and dog shampoo bars. My soaps are made with high quality natural ingredients. Most of my products are vegan friendly and I avoid using harsh chemicals. I don’t use Palm oil, nor animal oils like lard. My basic soap recipes include shea butter, cocoa butter, and mango butter, so they are very gentle and moisturizing. Soap making is like baking. I have to be precise with ingredients and temperature. The tricky part of knowing your materials. Oils and buetters can react differently with temperature and fragrances. For instance,I love soaps with pure essential oils, but some can accelerate the thickness of the batter so quick to work on. However, I learned how to handle each ingredients and manage the timings carefully, so that I can anticipate the results. I still make mistakes sometimes and the results cannot reach my expectations for sale; however, I can always rebatch those not-qualify-for-the-sale soaps to donate to local charity organizations or give my family and friends. My goal is to provide high quality products at reasonable prices. I have returning customers who have psoriasis and eczema. One of my friends uses my lavender scent products before the bedtime to relax. It’s so nice to hear that I am part of their healing and relaxations. I’m very proud of my creativity that I can express with my soaps.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
My mother in law, Pam Ratcliffe is the major part of my business. She is one of the top real estate agents in San Diego county and she likes to send my products to her clients. She supports my business from the beginning, and she always tell people about my soaps. She even took my soaps to Australia where she is originally from, and gave out my soaps and lotion bars when she visits her family and friends. I also have large orders from other real estate agents, loan officers, and owners of Airbnb.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
I volunteered to have my booth for a Christmas shopping event at a small Christian school in Oceanside. I had no intention of making a profit from the event; therefore, I priced all my products under $5. I just wanted to help kids to buy Christmas gifts for their family and friends. It turned out to be one of the best market experiences I ever had. It was not about making money, and I had a great time with kids. Plus, I sold everything I had.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reikossoapkitchen.com
- Instagram: reikossoapkitchen
Image Credits
Michael Ratcliffe