Hello, my name is Polly and I live in Ayrshire with my husband and son Matthew. I started making soaps as a hobby and gave myself 3 years to start a business. Once I mastered soaps, I then turned to body butters and I will be launching body scrubs, bath salts, bath oils, and Cold Process soaps all before the end of the year.
I had no idea how much I would enjoy making bath products, or how much I would want other people to enjoy Miss Polly soaps, so it has been a wonderful suprise that the business has taken off so much quicker and more successfully than I ever imagined. And with so much more products than I ever dreamed of making.
2. What do you love most about having your own business?
My business is just that, my business. I thought it, dreamed it, cried over it, have handmade every single product and that is a huge boost for me. I'm not quite my own boss, as the big decisions (e.g. the big financial outlays) are made jointly with my husband, but being the owner of my own business has forced me to find skills and confidence I never knew I had, to get out there, to networking events, to shop owners, and put me and Miss Polly into the public eye. The success of Miss Polly rests on my shoulders, which might sound daunting, but is actually quite empowering and is a great motivator!
3. What would you like to change?
The usual - time and money. I work 3 days a week in an office, and it's hard to craft the other 2 weekdays with a very inquisitive toddler on the loose, so I do most things in the evenings and weekends. It's tiring but worth it as I get a huge feeling of satisfaction when I see all those pretty tins lined up on the shelf. And all the practising, the abandoned projects, just getting to this stage has been costly, so more time and money would help take the business forward and allow me to work on the ideas I have spinning around in my head.
4. What do you love most about Blogging?
For me, blogging isn't just about selling my products, though that is important too, but it is a way of getting to know the people behing the brand, the individuals who are creating all these lovely products. I am interested to read about their thoughts and their lives, as we are all in similar positions and the community spirit among bloggers means that we all help and support each other, which is fantastic. I would not have been anywhere near this stage without fantastic feedback from networking sites.
5. What is your most favourite thing you have made?
My favourite has to be my body butters because they work! I love that people will buy a Miss Polly body butter and within a week or 2 they will have lovely soft skin. I take enormous satisfaction from the knowledge that I've created something that has a direct beneficial effect on their skin.
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