The Complete How-to on Hiring Employees

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The Complete How-to on hiring and keeping good employees. So, your business is off the ground running and you are getting to that point where you are asking that very tough question: “Am I ready to hire my first employee?” For the sake of this article, we will discuss the logistics and practice of hiring your first employee. However, you … Read More

Member Spotlight: Master Certification Recipients

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Are you exited? Because WE’RE excited! I must say that I do love the fresh smell of ambition in the morning… For those who may not know, one of the many Member Benefits of the HSCG is the opportunity to partake in the Certification Program.  Long story short,  there are  3 levels of certification: Basic, Advanced, and Master.  Each available … Read More

Member Spotlight: A+ Soapmaking Studio

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A+ Soapmaking Studio, currently teaching soapmaking, business classes and more to students in the local southern California area and beyond, had an unexpected start. Owner Kerri Mixon had just joined the HSCG as the owner of Pallas Athene Soap and attended her very first conference that same year in Tucson, Arizona. Inspired by the incredible meeting of the minds that … Read More

Vendor Spotlight: Certified Lye

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Southern California-based Certified Lye, supplier of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and the necessary personal protective equipment, has been an HSCG supporter from its inception. It is a company that was years in the making, driven by market need and a soapmaker’s ingenuity. It all started in California’s central valley, where owners Kerri Mixon and David Perez made their home in … Read More

Vendor Spotlight: The Lebermuth Company

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The Lebermuth Company has been part of the HSMG for over a decade and in business for over ten decades.  Lebermuth, which stocks a wide array of both fragrant and essential oils, is based in Mishawaka, Indiana, an area in the midwestern US commonly referred to as Michiana.  Current President Rob Brown’s great grandfather started the company while trading produce … Read More

Member Spotlight: Alabu Skin Care

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Recently, we caught up with Alabu Skin Care founder Maryclaire Mayes.  Alabu, a soapmaking and natural products company based in Mechanicville, NY, has been an HSMG member since 2001. Says Maryclaire, “I wanted to be part of a professional group that supported handcrafted soapmakers”. Making soap fits so well into Maryclaire’s lifestyle that it’s hard to believe it took a … Read More

Vendor Spotlight: Bramble Berry

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If you live in the US and have been crafting soap for any length of time, chances are you’ve heard of Bramble Berry.  Bramble Berry, based out of the western US city of Bellingham, Washington, has been a vendor member of the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild for six years.  “HSMG helps to further soapmakers in all of their endeavors, wherever they … Read More