The Soap Making Business Diploma Course is specifically designed to help develop both your creative talents and your business skills. The aim of the course is to lay a foundation in these two primary functions, necessary for succeeding in a craft-centred enterprise.
The first five modules concentrate on how to make soap products - looking at the different soap-making processes, the various design techniques used and what additives are generally included in soap.
The next five modules focus on the business aspect of your company. Here you will learn how to set up your business, create a brand and market and sell your products.
The course starts with an introduction to what soap is, giving you a practical definition and a little history of soap. You’ll learn the most common processes in soap making and be provided with a useful glossary of terms.
Ingredients! You need to know the specific ingredients used in making good soap. The Soap Making Business Diploma Course covers the materials you’ll be using and how to work with them safely, before going on to explaining the four most popular soap making methods among serious handmade soap-makers: the cold process, the hot process, the melt and pour method and rebatching.
You’ll learn how to get creative with the kinds of additives you can add to your soaps, including natural and synthetic scents, botanicals (such as herbs and flowers), therapeutic ingredients, and more. You will learn the different fragrance notes and how to use them in your soap creations; you will also be advised on the best botanicals to include. There are also a couple of related soap recipes for you to try out.
You’ll be guided through various techniques for adding colour – creating layers, swirls and stripes in your soap bars. You will also learn the difference between pigments, micas and natural colourants that can be found in the foods that you eat and the flowers that you grow.
With your soap making skills honed, now is the time to match your creativity with business acumen. The Soap Making Business Diploma Course guides you through creating your own feasibility study so that you can determine exactly what to expect from building and running your business and what you need to do to ensure that it grows and succeeds.
With the foundations laid, you will go on to learn how to set up your business - deciding on its structure, obtaining insurance, choosing a name, and joining industry groups and associations that will provide support as you build your business up. You’ll also learn about trademark and copyright protection and the best ways to source suppliers.
When selling a product such as soap, there are legal considerations that must be met. We take the worry out of this by guiding you step-by-step through what must be done to comply with EU cosmetic legislation, particularly when it comes to labelling your products. You’ll also learn how to follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), in relation to production processes and procedures, all of which is crucial in ensuring an efficient and effective business.
Branding and marketing your soap correctly is incredibly important to the success of your business. The Soap Making Business Diploma Course explains why, before guiding you through what should go into your marketing plan and the different tactics you can use.
Finally, you will learn how to price your products, find the various places that you can sell your soaps, and discover how to go about raising your profits and expanding your business.
By the end of the course you will:
- Have been introduced to the history of soap
- Be familiar with the four most popular ways to make handmade soap
- Understand how to use additives in soap making
- Have an in-depth appreciation and knowledge of how to blend scent
- Know how to use exciting layer and swirl design techniques in your soap creations
- Have a number of recipes to start you off on your soap making journey
- Have a comprehensive overview of the legal aspects of selling soaps in the UK and EU
- Understand the importance of creating a brand and know how to do it
- Know how and why to write a feasibility study about your business
- Have the tools to market your products effectively
- Be able to price your products confidently and accurately
