The HSCG California Local Chapter is helmed by President Cindy Christ, Vice President John Mikrut, Treasurer Heidi Jaynes, and Secretary Mandy Gough. Recently, we asked the California Local Chapter leaders to share a collaborative view of their experiences and inspiration in forming and running their chapter. What inspired you to form a Local Chapter? The founding board of the HSCG … Read More
5 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Customer Service
Not every person is a natural-born salesperson. Some people have a special talent for conveying value, and reading a customer that makes them great at selling! Even if you weren’t born with this natural gift, there are some ways you can easily upgrade your customer service skills to grab those sales and some things you can avoid to keep them … Read More
Meet the HSCG Board!
The time has come again to welcome new and returning HSCG Board Members for another year. We’re fortunate at the HSCG to have a board filled with incredibly knowledgable soap and cosmetic makers with business and formulation experience that spans a variety of different topics. To get you better acquainted with the board, we asked them a few questions about … Read More
The Magic of the HSCG: Why Community Matters
What do you think of when you hear the word Guild? If you’re anything like me, you probably weren’t quite sure what a guild was when you first heard of it. Furthermore, you might not have really understood the importance of actually joining one; after all, you wear all the hats in your business, do you really need to be … Read More
How-To: Lavender Orange Foaming Scrub
Warmer weather is just around the corner, and that means light, clean scents are too! The smell of orange is clean, zesty and bright, just in time for longer, sunnier days and more outside fun. Lavender is a mellow scent, the perfect yang to the orange yin. Combined, these two fabulous fragrances make a sunny product that will help your … Read More
Scams: How to Keep Your Business Safe
If there is one thing you can count on, it’s that there will always be someone trying to make a quick buck off of the success of others. In the ever-changing consumer universe, this is something that will remain constant. Now, we could write a book about the reasons why scammers do what they do, but that’s not what we’re … Read More
Vegan, Fair Trade & Organic: Learning the Terminology
Now more than ever, consumers are concerned with what they’re putting in and on their bodies. Consumers are beginning to pay attention to where their products are made, whether or not their products are sustainable, and if they recognize and can pronounce the names of the ingredients the products contain. For the handcrafted soap and cosmetic industry, this is great! … Read More
5 Ways to Shake Things Up and Get Motivated
You know that energy when you first start your business? You feel like you have enough motivation to conquer the world! It’s not uncommon for this energy to subside a little for some people. The busy nature of life and the fact that you’re playing about a thousand different roles in your business can be draining! In turn, sometimes it’s … Read More
Let’s Talk About Glitter!
There’s been a lot of noise lately about one of the craft world’s love-to-hate embellishments: glitter! When we say glitter, you’re no doubt thinking about the tiny, sparkling particles of magic that never seem to go away. You may even be thinking about the fact that glitter is made up of tiny little plastic pieces, and that might make you … Read More
Samples: To Give or Not to Give?
Today’s consumer is an interesting creature. They don’t want a product to be expensive, but scoff at products that are cheaply made. They expect coupons, deals and discounts on everything; even if you are already offering it at the lowest price possible. Coupons, deals and discounts can cost you quite a bit if you don’t plan carefully, and so can … Read More