Hey there! My name is Ronilee Small, co-founder of GoodLife Goods, LLC – a handmade soap company located just outside of Richmond, Virginia. I have learned a lot about the soap making industry – especially how to take a soap-making hobby and transform it into a profitable soap business. I would like to share those tips with you.
Even more, I want to invite you to interact on this site by sharing your experiences and even guest blogging if you’d like. It’s all about community so the more, the merrier!
We started GoodLife in 2018 after we realized how well our homemade soap products were working for family members who suffered from skin sensitivities that were often worsened by big brand detergent-based soaps. You know the ones… Those that say “bath and beauty bar” or “cleansing lotion” because the deep-cleaning, skin nourishing glycerin was swapped out for chemical detergent.
No, I’m NOT kidding! Don’t even get me started. Every time my husband and I bought a bar of their supposed soap, it was making him sick. Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now. Suffice it to say there was strong motivation behind making our all-natural deep cleaning soap available to others.
Anyway, last Christmas I was catching up with my friend Christine, who I rarely see because we live so far apart. We were swapping our best stories and laughing in that high-pitched, tear-inducing squeal that leaves your smile muscles hurting. My last story was a retelling of a misadventure that occurred while turning Kim’s and my soap making hobby into a soap selling business. After a particularly eye-opening tidbit, he said, “I should write this down. My friend Jennifer wants to start selling her homemade soap.”
I didn’t think much more about it until I reviewed my business expenses a few weeks later and kept saying to my husband, Mike, “I wish I had known then what I know now. I could have saved…” You fill in the blank. For me it was many things, with time and frustration among the top. I realized that sharing my own experiences and hosting a place where others can tell their stories, might help a few folks reach a common goal.
Kim agreed and had been thinking along the same lines – possibly writing a book (which we are working on right now.)
Please stay as long as you like and feel free to use any recipes you find on this site. Email me anytime at rl@soapstartup.com or fill out the contact forms throughout the site. Take your time and browse. There’s nothing to buy so just enjoy yourself 😊
Here’s the physical address if you ever need it.
- Good Life Goods, LLC
- Co/ Ronilee Small or Kim Carson
- 3129 Chartwood Drive
- Sandston, VA 23150
- rl@soapstartup.com