Mohammed M. Mahdi,
Mohammed A. Mahdi, and Anthony Duncan are the Soapy Soap Guys, the
entrepreneurs behind the artisanal soap business: the Soapy Soap Company. Their brand came about through a desire to
create a more natural, functional bar of soap.
They have recently launched their new website: DesignMySoap.com, the
world’s first online soap-making studio where anyone can design their own
handcrafted, halal soaps.
As an introduction, can you please tell us
about yourself, your background, and what lead you to create DesignMySoap.com?
We (Mohammed M.
Mahdi, Mohammed A. Mahdi, and Anthony Duncan) are roommates who have always
been fascinated with DIY projects, how things work, and how things are made.
One day, we realized we were out of bar soap, so we “Googled” soap-making.
We had heard about all-natural soap, and, upon investigation, realized that many commercially available soaps were made with sodium tallowate, derived from animal fats. This didn’t square with our Muslim values, so we decided to try to make halal soap with all-natural base oils like olive oil, palm oil, and canola oil.
We became increasingly intrigued and obsessed, staying up all night making batch after batch of soap. It didn’t take long before our kitchen was filled with enough soap to last 100 years or more. We shared the end product with friends and family who loved the product and we would soon launch Soapy Soap Company (April 2012), as a result. We started doing farmer’s markets and got our soaps into retail locations. After bar soaps, we expanded into lip balms, body sprays with essential oils, body balm stick lotions, and bath soaks.
Early on, we also had the idea to offer small batches of custom soap, but the need for soap to “cure” for 30 days or more made this idea commercially unviable at that time. It wouldn’t be until we perfected our volcano soap-making technique that this concept would be back on the table, and DesignMySoap.com would finally become a reality in 2017.
We had heard about all-natural soap, and, upon investigation, realized that many commercially available soaps were made with sodium tallowate, derived from animal fats. This didn’t square with our Muslim values, so we decided to try to make halal soap with all-natural base oils like olive oil, palm oil, and canola oil.
We became increasingly intrigued and obsessed, staying up all night making batch after batch of soap. It didn’t take long before our kitchen was filled with enough soap to last 100 years or more. We shared the end product with friends and family who loved the product and we would soon launch Soapy Soap Company (April 2012), as a result. We started doing farmer’s markets and got our soaps into retail locations. After bar soaps, we expanded into lip balms, body sprays with essential oils, body balm stick lotions, and bath soaks.
Early on, we also had the idea to offer small batches of custom soap, but the need for soap to “cure” for 30 days or more made this idea commercially unviable at that time. It wouldn’t be until we perfected our volcano soap-making technique that this concept would be back on the table, and DesignMySoap.com would finally become a reality in 2017.
What made you choose to become an
entrepreneur?
We honestly just
stumbled into it. I don't think any of us set out to be entrepreneurs, but we
are entrepreneurs at heart! Plus, we needed our kitchen back, so we could
actually make dinners at home again--instead of batches of soap!
What is the overall aim
of the Soapy Soap Company/DesignMySoap.com?
People increasingly
care about what they put IN their bodies, but they seldom think about what they
put ON their bodies. We want to help them start thinking about that--and we
want to provide people with the very best, high-quality, cruelty-free, vegan,
and halal soaps that we can through Soapy Soap Company.
As far as DesignMySoap goes, we wanted that to
be all about empowerment and fun. It isn't just about using or having access to
all-natural soap, but also actually getting to actively choose what goes into
their soap. From the skin type base to the scents and exfoliates and even the
label and what they name their soap, it's like a "selfie" made out of
soap.
What problem are you setting out to solve and
how?
We wanted to create
vegan, halal, and hypoallergenic products that we would want to use ourselves.
And we wanted to use simple ingredients that we could actually pronounce! ;-)
What were some of the biggest challenges for
you when you were starting your business?
One of the biggest
challenges (both then and now) is competing with other body care
product companies that make claims that they legally aren't supposed to
make. We carefully follow all of the cosmetic product labelling laws, but,
unfortunately, not everyone else does. As a result, the playing field isn't
quite level.
What do you wish you had known before you had
started your business?
We believed strongly
in the idea that "If you build it, they will come." We put all of our
energy into creating the best possible products, and we did very little in the
way of marketing. We now understand that you can have the best product in the
world, but, if no one knows about it, it doesn't really matter so much. So,
with that said, we wish we had paid closer attention to marketing back then.
What is the most satisfying aspect of running
your own business?
We love obsessing
over every little detail--from sourcing Rainforest Alliance Certified palm oil
for our soap to drop-testing the glass bottles that our body sprays are
packaged in. All of our products are made with food-grade quality ingredients
and are all-natural, vegan, halal, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO and
we feel really good about that.
Also, we try to run
our business by these specific core principles:
*We value being
truthful in all things.
*We value the
well-being and happiness of others.
*We value
continuously improving ourselves, what we produce, and how we produce it
*We value being
compassionate towards all things.
Where do you see your business in the future?
We have had regional
success in area stores and at farmers' markets with our Soapy Soap line of
products, but we want our products to become nationally known in the U.S.A.,
with a bigger focus on online retail sales. One way we think we can accomplish
that is through DesignMySoap.com since there is nothing else like it around!
What words of wisdom would you give to
aspiring entrepreneurs who may be hesitant about taking the first steps towards
starting their own business?
Be passionate about
what you're doing, be honest with yourself and those around you, and have fun
along the way.
I really enjoyed the interview and the
sense of fun the guys bring to their work. They have also been featured
in the latest edition of Oprah's O Magazine (September 2017), which is an impressive
achievement, if you happen to come across an issue, do check it out.
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