Today we’d like to introduce you to Steffen Cook (aka “Cookie).
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I wanted to break from what had become the norm for me. All I did was train, hike, study martial arts, lift weights, etc. It had become monotonous and I needed something to break up the drone of everything being the same. I picked up a book at random about soap making and dipped my toe in that particular pool.
I played with it on and off for a while and when I was made redundant out of the blue without warning from a job that I had dedicated myself to for the previous seven years, I needed to do something that would enable me to continue paying my way through life and to also let me be able to carry on caring for the dogs I’d rescued, plus all the other animals that somehow always end up in my life asking for help (turtles, seagulls, parrots, cats, gophers, rabbits, whatever the case may be).
Along the way, I discovered different techniques and also how to make bath bombs and something I make called “Fizzy Dust” – for impatient souls like me that want the instant gratification of what immediate fizz and scent in the bath. My hobby became my job and now I’m able to continue doing what I do: loving animals and earning a living. It also explains why, when you follow my channels online – Facebook, Instagram, etc. – you will see not just videos and pictures of the soaps and bath bombs I make, but also updates about the animals I’m fostering or rescuing.
That dipping of my toe in that water of something new became a pool party where everyone is invited – bonus points if you bring your dogs because dogs are perfect. We as people can learn much from dogs.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth journey at all.
After losing the job I loved and for whom I had gone above and beyond, for all those years, I fell into a deep depression and struggled with my own mental health for the longest time. I would suffer from insomnia and if I did get some sleep, I would be plagued with nightmares and dark thoughts.
Making a solid go of my small business – as anyone that has tried it will tell you – is hard work. You pour your heart and soul into what you do only to be met with bills, the headache of getting your name out there, balancing work/life and even theft. I’ve even had to deal with theft of stock, “porch pirates” stealing my orders from my doorstep, only to find that what they’d stolen from me was of no use to them and to then find my purchases dumped along the LA cycle path. I had a time struggling with advice from other entrepreneurs who have conflicting ideals. One guy who made a success of his situation swore up and down to go without sleep, food, rest, etc., and be all “go-go-go”, whereas another would tell me that rest, “away time” and chances to catch your breath are of paramount importance. Naturally, I’ve tasted that pill of having to figure out how to divide the last of my saving between eating, gas for the car or buying more stock/ingredients. Not a fun situation to find yourself in, but you become stronger for it.
I come from a background of construction and oil rigging, so I’m not a stranger to hard work or endurance. Marry that up with the fact that I’m a poor loser and you have someone who will dig his heels in and refuse to be beaten until he got his first sale. Then his second. Two became ten became 20 became fifty and the drip-drip-drip persistence of time and getting the word out there finally paid dividends.
I guess it’s a case of planting as many seeds as you can and reaping what you sow. Be lethargic about what you do and you’ll have a similarly limp harvest. Have a passion and a drive while setting yourself goals at different levels, and you have a solid foundation upon which you can grow. At least, that’s what I did and it worked for me.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Soapy Paw story. Tell us more about the business.
The Soapy Paw produces bars of soap, bath bombs and something I call “Fizzy Dust”. It’s similar to bath bombs, but you can determine how much or little you wish to sprinkle in your bath. I’ve been known to dabble with scent sprays for laundry, bed linen, etc., too.
What is different about what I do is that the core of what I produce is based on the principle of rescuing and caring for dogs and other animals. Hence the name, “Soapy Paw”. I often get asked if the soap is for dogs and that’s a fair question. No, the soap is for people, it’s just that dogs will benefit heavily from the sale of them. Yes, of course, I pay my bills with what I earn, but it also affords me the luxury of helping rescuing dogs and continuing to care for the ones that live with me.
I’m most proud of the fact that I started at absolute zero. I didn’t have the faintest clue how to make a bar of soap, let alone how to run a business. I jumped into this particular ocean feet first with one hand over my eyes and once under the surface, I had to work out if I could swim or not. It turns out doggy paddling – no pun intended there – gradually evolves into a crawl or breaststroke.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There seems to be a shift, albeit slowly, to go back to the ways of the old school in certain sectors. People are becoming wary of the way some companies make their products and not everyone is down with questionable practices or ingredients they use. That’s not just with soap, but with life as a whole. People want to know what they are putting on their skin, in their food and so on.
As such, more and more people are reverting to home cooking, making their own items and yes, even going back to bar soap.
My customer base feels a lot happier knowing that care is put into every bar – I literally cut every single bar by hand – and knowing that their purchase also helps me help animals gives them a warm, fuzzy feeling. I can’t thank them enough in helping me be able to continue giving scritches and belly rubs to dogs that are lost or unloved.
Pricing:
- Most of my bars are $6 online
- At farmers markets, they are almost all $5 (due to the lack of online fees)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSoapyPawShop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapy.paw.soap/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSoapyPawShop/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapyPaw
- Youtube: http://bit.ly/2sRxNUB
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