We were lucky to catch up with Schelli Collins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Schelli thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

I love to give my customers free sample soaps with their orders. One day a customer contacted me after opening their box and said thank you for sending my order so quickly but you sent me a couple of bars that I did not order. I said those are free samples that I’m hoping you will like and it’s my way of saying thank you and I appreciate you.

Schelli, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I make pretty and functional soaps, bath and body products, and candles in unique vessels. I started making cold-process soaps back in 2019 when I was looking for a unique thank you gift for my 50th birthday. I looked through Pinterest for ideas and stumbled across videos and pictures of handmade soaps as wedding favors. The ingredients were items that I had in my kitchen such as olive oil and coconut oil. Those video clips sent me to YouTube where I studied dozens of soap making videos.

I purchased some of the basic ingredients to get started and my first loaf of soap was a disaster! Needless to say I had to pivot to a different thank you gift. But I did not stop making soap. I had so much fun like a mad scientist and found it very relaxing especially. Soaping became my happy place and my business was born.

I wanted to learn as much as I could about making soap and other skincare products. So I enrolled in Formula Botanica’s online classes and received my diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation in 2024 as well as a couple of other certificates.

My tagline is “pretty and functional” because I want my customers to have products that while they are pretty, they are also very functional. Seeing a pretty soap in your shower or bath provides a nice kickstart to your day.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

Marketing your business can take many forms and has been something that I’ve been learning along the way. One thing that I have learned is that you can pay for marking but the return on investment is not guaranteed. Early on I spent probably too much money on marketing that while there was label and social media appeal, it did not generate sales. I learned some hard lessons but that is what life is about.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I believe that my most effective strategy for growing my clientele is that I have shown that I am authentic and a real person behind my social media handle and website.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.4ubyschells.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4ubyschells
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4ubyschells
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@schellsc