Mom Entrepreneur : Natural Wonders Soap N' More

I think it is a fair assumption to make that most stay at home moms would love to start their own home-based business. And of course, so many women are doing just that. If you are in this category, but need some ideas on what business to start, take a peek at this mom's story. She was able to take a need in her family, and from that, start her own business to fill that need.

Jenny Reynolds young daughter developed eczema, and in finding a soap that would help her daughter's skin,  a new business idea was born.

After first trying the non- steroid cream her daughter's doctor prescribed, Jenny researched the ingredients and found that some of them may not actually be safe. So the Lafayette mom decided to try natural soaps that she found on a site for natural mother. And she was hooked.

Reynolds continued to research natural soaps and found hat she could make these at home with ingredients she chose.. Chamomile tea, tea tree oil, organic avocado oil, and cosmetic grade olive oil were the ingredients used in making the first soaps, and Reynolds credits her natural soaps for curing  problem skin for the entire family.

Reynolds has now turned her hobby into a business called Natural Wonders Soaps 'N More. It takes her about an hour to make 100 bars.

After  her two kids go to bed, Reynolds and her husband get to work, mixing and pouring.

"We had a lot of laundry soap to start out with because it didn't work so well the first time. When we first started it took us hours and hours, but we've got it down pretty good now," she said.

"You just take water and lye together, and then you take your mixture of oils and blend them together," explains the mom entrepreneur. After pouring them into molds, next comes the waiting game. The bars take up to six weeks to firm up completely.

And  Reynolds has found a market for the products. She is a regular at the Lafayette Farmers' Market where her bars of soap, foot scrub, lip balm, and lotions sell quickly.

"We have the essential oils for the people who like people who like things that are more natural. We do a lot of tea tree oil, peppermint and we have our fragrance oils that are more highly scented but they aren't as natural," she said.

Reynolds says lemon and almond are very popular. People also like the coffee soap that can be used in the kitchen to get rid of strong odors like garlic. She said she enjoys helping other families go green and more natural.

Read more about Jenny and her business, and get inspired to create your own home business!

Check out: Women-Owned Businesses - Changing the Face of the Workplace
and also: 12 ways to make money from home

Source: 18 WLFI.com

5 Business Ideas: Some Food For Thought

Forbes has an interesting list of  Break Out Businesses for 2009.  Browse through the partial list I have here, while you enjoy Sunday brunch (or Sunday lunch. or Sunday Bloody Mary. or whatever,) and maybe you'll come across a business idea that you had once thought of yourself (hey--it happens, right?)

1. Moobella: Ice Cream vending machines. Oh yeah! I personally love this idea. Not frozen ice cream bars or popsicles. Oh no. These vending machines pump out scoops, in 96 flavors, on-demand, in about 45 seconds. But this was not a get rich quick business idea. This patented technique for churning and freezing ice cream from a room-temperature dairy mix has been 17 years in the making. If you haven't seen the prototypes running at Northeastern University in Boston and Worcester Polytechnic University, you may see them soon as Pinnacle Food Services will market the machines to cafeterias in universities, parks and zoos soon.

2. IdeaPaint: A kid's dream come true--go ahead, and write on the walls, consequence-free! Three recent Babson College graduates created a paint that turns every wall into a whiteboard. Kids can write with dry erase markers, like on any white board. After six years of trying, one lab finally came up with the right formula. The paint sells for $3.50 to $4.00 per square foot of coating.

3. eJamming:  At eJamming's site, you can hook up with other musicians and "jam out."  This company's software lets anyone, anywhere, jam in real-time over the Web with up to three other musicians. Subscription fee: $10 per month, $25 for three months and $90 for the year.

 4. Activeion: This invention turns ordinary tap water into instant sudsy detergent-strength water. Just fill up a bottle with plain old tap water and spray it on the stain. When you press the trigger, Activeion’s bottles move tap water through a small electrical charge that separates the molecules into positive and negative charges and creates bubbles. This bubbly water lifts dirt and bacteria from any surface like a magnet, making it easy to wipe away dirt and grease. Though first aimed at professional cleaning companies, Activeion recently released a home version, retailing for $169 for a 12-oz. bottle. (pricey maybe...but think how convenient and 'green' this sounds.)

5. APOPO: Imagine spending 10 years learning how to train giant African rats (three feet in length) to detect landmines. Uh....this takes some true dedication and a non-squeamish personality. But that is what Bart Weetjens did. His training methods include clicking noises and food rewards over an eight-month period. While huge by rat standards, the animals are too light to set off the charges and can cover 1,200 square feet in 20 minutes, double the area swept via a metal detector in a day. He's also figured out how to teach rats to sniff tuberculosis in blood samples. APOPO works with governments in Colombia and Thailand, and with mining companies in Mozambique. Ewwww. Very ingenious, but oh so ewwww!!

You can read more Break Out Businesses of 2009 at Forbes.

 Happy Sunday. See you Monday!

Seven Risky Businesses To Start?

Interesting article on yahoo today about risky businesses to start these days. While there are some valid points made, I still think if a person has a strong enough desire, passion and well thought out business plan, why not give your business idea a try. Especially if you can do so while still maintaining your current form of income.
So take a look at the article and see what you think.

Happy Monday...hope all are safe from the fires!! We have a fire nearby us.....hopefully will not make its' way any closer!

Brainstorming Business Ideas---10 Home Busines Ideas

So it is FRIDAY! Time for brainstorming home business ideas (and a new TGIF DRINK RECIPE!!)

I thought I would link up to a couple of articles I found this week on the Internet, that offer home business ideas and resources.

So go grab that TGIF drink...and get comfy, do some reading and get inspired this weekend!

First up is an article on Yahoo that offers 10 ideas for home businesses you can run part time (The article's words...not mine!). From Baker to T-Shirt Vendor, there are a ideas that may inspire your creativity.

Next is an article on a mom that became a sole distributor in the United States of a baby bath tub manufactured in Germany. I will say that the baby bath tub itself does not appeal to me (but apparently it does to lots of other moms), but the idea of finding a product with a strong market appeal and becoming a distributor of it is an interesting one. So I thought I'd link to the article here for inspiration.

And here is a video from the Today Show that features women who have turned their passion into money making businesses.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Finally, here is an article that provides 10 tips for starting your own home business.


Enjoy your weekend, and don't forget to check out this week's TGIF Drink Recipe!