The Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild is proud to announce that we have reached and surpassed the 2000 member mark! (Cue wild cheering!)
Since 2011, we’ve grown 40%. How did we get there, you ask? September 2011 marked the establishment of an official HSCG headquarters (in lovely Saratoga Springs, New York) along with the hire of our first full time employee, Leigh O’Donnell, as Executive Director. Prior to that time, the HSCG was run out of homes, basements, and temporary spaces, with multiple contractors and volunteers cobbling together coverage of the various and sundry day to day operations of the Guild. Having a corporate office staffed full time has allowed the Guild to provide better support than ever before.
In late February, we became the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild. Our change was more than a simple name modification; we were also expanding to bring cosmetic handcrafters into the guild. Since then, membership has spiked – jumping another 10% and netting us another 200 members at the close of the first half of the year. We are excited about this expansion of our mission and can’t wait to bring in even more benefits for cosmetic manufacturers.
Our 2013 Annual Conference in Raleigh was the most successful yet. Three and a half days of learning, networking, and having fun energized us for the year ahead. Ten months out from next year’s conference, we have already filled half of our 400 available slots and are well on our way to selling out the 2014 conference in Tucson (if you’ve signed up, by the way, book your hotel stay now – you may have to call as rooms are filling quickly. We will be filling this venue!)
These days, we are seeing larger numbers of new members, a good indication of the strength of the industry and our stature within it. Members have been busy spreading the word about the Guild as well. We are receiving many referrals and handing out boatloads of golden soap bubbles (don’t know about golden soap bubbles? Where have you been? Read up on them here and get yourself a tidy little discount to the HSCG store.) Our next membership milestone is 2500 members. With today’s benefits, learning opportunities and support, we are well on our way to reaching that landmark by the time next year’s Board takes office.
We want to do something fun to celebrate reaching 2000 members. Send us photos of your products spelling out 2000 (post them to our wall, tweet them to @thesoapguild, or email them to socialmedia@soapguild.org). We’ll post the best ones in our Facebook page header through mid-month and give you a little shout out (and the satisfaction of being awesome!)
Submit a 2000 cosmetic/soap photo today to compete for Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest bragging rights!
One Comment on “2000 and Counting!”
Kudos are definitely in order for the accomplishment of such a milestone. I knew we could do it. Spread the word…tell your soap and cosmetic making friends today and garner yourself some of those golden soap bubbles!!