Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Stevens.
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Our soap business, Love That Soap!, actually started in 2011. My father, Dave Pety, a salesman to his core, managed a local phone book company. He started out there selling advertising to local businesses to be featured within the phone book. When the company that he was employed by was purchased, they brought on their own people. Despite efforts on his part to stay in his current position, the company let him go.
After trying out some other occupations that didn’t fill the void, he decided to dive into researching something that had always interested him–soapmaking. After some trial and error (and months of research) he came up with a wonderful, moisturizing bar of soap that he was eager for family and friends to try out. Fast forward a year or so, and he started taking his soap to local Farmer’s Markets and craft shows. He gained quite the following and found great joy talking with, and getting to know his customers at the markets and shows.
Dad had some health issues in 2017 and, unfortunately, was diagnosed with lung cancer. During that year, he did his best to continue to make soap and attend markets and shows. Sometimes he was able to, but often times, the chemo made him too weak. After a courageous battle, he passed away in 2018. He was only 67 years old.
In the last year or so of his life, it had become very clear that he wanted to see Love That Soap! continue on. At the time, I was an elementary school teacher, a wife, and mother to three children. I couldn’t imagine where I was going to find the time to make soap and run a business, on the side. After some conversations with my husband, we decided that if we did this, it was going to take everyone pitching in–a family effort. In the last weeks of his life, Dad and I spent lots of time together talking about the different aspects of the business–where he ordered oils from, which essential oils and fragrance oils were sometimes difficult to make soap with, and most importantly, all the minute details of making a batch of soap. About a week before my Dad’s passing, Sophia, our oldest daughter, and I made a batch of soap in his presence. He was unable to be upright, but he walked us through the entire process from his recliner. It was the first of many batches that Sophia and I would make together.
Our family took over for my Dad in July of 2018. Sophia and I make the soap; our middle daughter, Grace, and son, Jake, help out with several aspects of running the business, from trimming and labeling the soap, to helping staff events; my husband, Verne, is largely responsible for the financials of the business. We really are a family-owned and family-run business.
Today, we attend three farmers’ markets and several craft shows in the area. We wholesale our soap to 15+ Michigan businesses and also run a successful e-commerce website. We are still pretty small (around 1,800 followers on Facebook), but we make quality handmade soap that people really do love. And homemade soap is one of those things—if you are making it correctly (the science of it is important)—you almost can’t go wrong. Every different oil and/or fat that you use to produce your soap will change your bar ever so slightly, from the creaminess of the lather to the hardness of the bar. Homemade soap is so good for your skin, which is important, since it’s the biggest organ in our body! We will probably never be as big as a company like Dr. Squatch, but I’m not sure that’s the goal, anyway.
Running this business has taught me about balance. Today, in addition to running Love That Soap!, I am a faculty member at Central Michigan University, where I instruct future teachers. I make soap throughout the year, and then, in the late spring/summer months, the farmers’ markets pick back up. Our kids have learned about hard work—setting goals and working toward them. All three of them were able to purchase their first vehicle with money that they made from Love That Soap!. I’d like to think that when my Dad handed over the business to me—aside from seeing something he had worked so hard to create, continue on—it was those embedded lessons that he ultimately hoped to share with all of us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say that owning a small business is never a smooth road. There will always be struggles. One of the struggles for me has always been being able to balance it all. I’m guessing that will always be the case. When you own a business, there is no real “end to the day”. It all comes down to you and how much time and effort you choose to put in to it.
Another struggle has been learning everything there is to know about the science of making soap. My dad shared a basic understanding of the science behind soapmaking, but as we have grown and changed, as a company, I have needed to educate myself on many aspects of it. I am always learning new things, which is great!
As you know, we’re big fans of Love That Soap!. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Love That Soap! makes cold-processed, handcrafted bar soap in small batches. We use all plant-based oils in our soap: Olive, Coconut, sustainably-sourced Palm, Sweet Almond, Sunflower Oils, and Shea Butter. In addition, we make shampoo bars, also using only plant-based oils: Olive, Coconut, Sunflower, Castor, and Jojoba Oils. For soaps, we make 54+ fragrances and 5 different shampoo bars. All of the soaps and shampoos that we make are made by myself and daughter, Sophia!
Our soaps and shampoos are scented with essential oils, fragrance oils, or a combination of both. We also make specialty bars with beneficial additives like activated charcoal, turmeric, oatmeal, and sweetgrass. Our soaps and shampoos all cure for at least 5 weeks, to ensure a hard, long-lasting bar of soap for our customers!
In addition to selling our soaps and shampoos at local farmer’s markets and craft shows, we have an online store. We have customers all over the United States!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
You can find us at the Mt. Pleasant Farmer’s Market or Midland Area Farmer’s Market, both in Michigan, during the months of May-October. Outside of the market season, you can find a list of our retailers and an option to peruse and purchase our products on our website, at: lovethatsoap.com.
Sarah can also be reached at lovethatsoap@gmail.com.
Pricing:
- Farmer’s Market Price: $6/bar or 4 bars/$20
- Online Pricing: $6/bar; Shipping $8 flat or free shipping with purchase of 7 bars.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lovethatsoap.com
- Instagram: @lovethatsoap
- Facebook: Love That Soap LLC
