3 Soap Guys Outwit National Brands Online [video]
When starting their business, Bloomington’s Soapy Soap guys created the “volcano method” of making soap. Four years later, they realized that same method would allow people to create their own customized soap — a process not offered by any other soap maker, not even national brands. Seth Teeters int
The most unusual aspect of Soapy Soap Company isn’t that a company making body-care products is run by three men (who, yes, make the soap themselves); rather, it’s that they’ve launched an online DIY soap-making platform before anyone else — even national brands. It’s how they’ve learned to compete.
The guys at Soapy Soap — Mohammed M. Mahdi, Mohammed A. Mahdi, and Anthony Duncan — have brought hygiene into the digital age. Founded in 2012, the local company’s product line has grown to include lip balm, body sprays, and home and pet-care products, but expanding into the online market last year has really set them apart. With the launch of DesignMySoap.com, shoppers can customize their own bar of all-natural, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and halal soap. (Even the palm oil is “Rainforest Alliance Certified.”) With the development of their “volcano method,” Soapy Soap discovered a way to create soap that is ready for use — there’s no additional curing period necessary.
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They describe the brand’s innovative strategy as “disruptive technology meets artisanal soapmaking.”
Many small businesses find it hard to compete against national brands, but instead of letting corporate giants get the upper hand, the soapsmiths have proven more innovative. “In terms of a recommendation for other businesses,” says Mohammed M. Mahdi, “it would be to just get your business online — to have that online presence. Because it takes time.”
