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Last week, I featured a member who recently purchased her business from a former member. If you missed that story, you can enjoy it here. A few days later, I received a media inquiry from a journalist looking to write a story on people who buy and sell businesses without the help of a broker. He told me that it's a hot topic since organizations like IBN are helping people do business without hefty middle man fees. His query confirmed my own experience that buying an existing business is a great way to start a business without having to actually begin everything from nothing. Including last week's featured member, 3 current IBN members that I know of started their businesses that way. I recently talked to one of those members, Jane Kern Brooks from Beau Savon in Illinois.

Tell me how you started your business and came up with that great business name.

I bought the business from the "soap lady" in Wheaton, Illinois, the town where I lived a few years back. At that time, it was called Wheaton SoapWorks and I used to sell her soap at home shows that I hosted for some of my designer friends. I married soon after I purchased the company and moved to another town in Illinois. It became a little confusing when the name didn't match my new community so I changed it to Beau Savon, which means beautiful soap in French. I really like the upscale name and think it reflects the future growth of my business.

Can you offer any tips for people who are looking to buy a business from someone else?

Love the company and products. Ask to apprentice alongside the owner if you can for a while before you let them cut you loose on your own. You can learn so much by working right beside the person. Also ask for a time of about one year to be able to call them and ask questions regarding the process. I saved myself a lot of frustration and grief by doing those things. The lady I purchased the company from was a dear and helped me tremendously so I didn't make costly errors.

We can see two of your soaps -- Limoncello and St. Pete Beach -- on the cover of our latest magazine. What's So Special About Your Soap?

I make all the different soaps myself from the same original recipe that I fell in love with many years ago. Of course I add new fragrances from time to time, and delete some as well. Over the years, I have enhanced the original soap recipe by adding new ingredients to make the soaps a little kinder to the skin. I try to upgrade the soap recipe as I find new ingredients that make it even better.

I like to wow! my customers. The way my soaps are displayed at my website entices visitors to purchase them. I have always loved making things beautiful and I tell a little story about each soap with its photo. I think the best way to "smell" my soaps over the Internet is to paint a picture so people could almost smell the individual bars that I sell. Together with great marketing copy, I get the job done. It is a fun process and I love going into my photographer's studio to meet with him and take pictures with props that help tell the soaps' stories. Another thing that makes my soaps stand out is the quality ingredients they contain -- top notch food grade oils and quality essential oils. I always try to purchase the finest ingredients, and am always looking at new ingredients to experiment with. 

In addition to the photographer, who helps you run your business?

A terrific accountant and a new website developer. My mother, daughter-in-law and good friends assist me in wrapping, cutting ribbon, working all the shows that I do, etc. I think they love it as much as I love having them join me. As my mother says, Iit is a clean business!"

I understand that spirituality plays a role in the success of your business. How so?

I do all things through Christ. I am a positive thinker, pray a lot, ask for prayer from others and do my devotions every morning when I am at my very best, and continue to study the Bible. My life hasn't been easy, but it has been very fruitful and I've learned a lot and been humbled to my knees. I thank God for everything, the good and not so good; it is all a blessing. I have to be careful I don't grow the business too big too quickly so that I take time away from my family. It is all a balancing act and I have to keep my priorities straight at all times, which is a challenge in and of itself.

Is your business mostly wholesale or retail?

I am slowing down the wholesale side of the business to focus on retail. I have about 4-5 wholesale stores that I still sell to, just because they continue to buy and I would feel badly just pulling the line. My growth for where I want to be is going to be on retail. I can sell half as much at retail and still make the same as if I were selling wholesale, and the soap is paid for in full with no terms of sale. Wholesale doesn't work for my little cottage industry because I am trying to grow the business as a rate that works for me and my family.

What tips do you have for other people who might want to start a business?

I say do it. Just do it. Be organized, focused, have passion for your business and start small and work your way into the business by getting your products out there and then asking for brutally honest feedback. Some of the things that I sell I took a gamble with and really hit the mark, other things I tried weren't received too well. But if you don't try something new, your product line and website become very tired and old looking. Stay within your monetary limits and don't be too quick to grow faster than your pocketbook can handle.

As a mother, what advice do you have for moms in business?

I will be 52 in November, and I have two children, a 28-year old son and a 24-year old daughter. I also have a 3-year old grand daughter. I was single mom for almost 18 years. I worked in sales at the time and it wasn't until my kids were out of the house that I ventured into buying this business. The best advice I have for working moms is to put your family first, hold God's hand and pray a lot. When your family is in "order," your job and finances seem to follow beautifully. It is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I think if I did it, you can too! Keep your family and friends close since they can be your inspiration and lifeline when no one else has anything good to say. 

What are the best things about doing what you do?

I create a beautiful, wonderful product that people love, in a calm environment and the stress I have is what I allow. I feel I have many balls in the air but they are manageable because I have chosen to grow in increments and not too quickly so that I let customers and myself down. I am in another growth mode this year but am growing methodically, not frenetically. 

What are the biggest challenges and how do you overcome them?

Staying focused and organized in my daily chores so that everything comes together at the right time to be successful. That means I have to create new soaps, make labels, have them cut, wrap the soaps, get props and photos taken, get them up on the Internet and make contact with the right people who run the right shows for me. I am very selective about what shows I do. If I don't feel it is the right mix of vendors or environment, I graciously decline. I have learned to say "this just doesn't seem to be a good fit for me" and decline the invitation. I always have a list of "to do's" and I work it every day.

Why do you love being Indie?

I think IBN is a great organization of like souls. All of us trying to come to market with our creations and all wanting to be successful and enriched. There are always things you can do to reach out and learn. The phone call conferences, the articles and all the perks of membership with products liability insurance, etc., that we can take advantage of. I feel dM is very approachable and if I need to email her regarding something, I do and get a response quickly. That is really great!

When you're not working Beau Savon, what sorts of fun things are you doing with yourself?

I belong to a women's Bible study, play platform tennis, work out regularly, get together with my friends and travel with my husband. He scuba dives, so when we go on dive vacations I join him, even though it is not my favorite thing to do. He also has a motorcycle which I enjoy hopping onto the back of when the weather is beautiful. It is a wonderful way to view the country. Of course I go to Florida whenever I can to see my grand daughter and the family travels up here to visit us too. My son and daughter-in-law, mother, sister and brother and their families are in the area too, so we have fun getting together whenever we can. I am also in line for a puppy this spring, so my precious little addition will add joy and commotion to our home. I can't wait!

What business book have you enjoyed lately that has helped you in business and why?

Winning by Jack and Suzy Welch. It is such a good book on candor that it inspires me to just be true and honest in everything I do. It inspires me to be transparent and authentic and contains lots of good common sense business practice advice -- which unfortunately is not so common anymore.

What's on the horizon for Beau Savon?

The sky is the limit. Growth in new ways. Some new ideas I have brewing will take some face to face contacts with some major players in retail. We shall see if this is where my business should go or not. I have great faith and know that things will work out the way they are supposed to.

What is your best selling product, and why do you think it's so popular?

Happy Endings! The array of "endings" are from discontinued bars of soap, left over seasonal soaps and the actual ends and tops from the cutting process of the block of soap. It is unique, they get to try a lot of different kinds of soaps and it smells delicious. People take the pieces with on trips so they don't have to take a big bar if they are going away for a short time. I can't keep them in stock either....so I occasionally have to mark them SOLD OUT on my web site. If I bring 40 to a show, I sell 40, if I bring 50, I sell 50! It is so funny -- they actually could be seen as "waste" by many soapmakers. Yet they are my best sellers! Who would have thought?

This is Indie Candy, so if you were a candy bar, what would you be?

Mounds Bar. I adore the taste of chocolate and coconut together.

I haven't had a Mounds Bar in years. I am going grocery shopping this afternoon ... Jane, thank you for sharing part of your story.

Jane's Business Works Because ...

1. Jane does not waste time or money. As a wife and mother, even though her children are grown, Jane makes sure she does not stretch herself beyond what she can realistically do. She also makes sure that her enthusiasm for growing and expanding the businesses keeps pace with the reality of her pocketbook.

2. Jane chooses business alliances carefully. Jane doesn't just do a show because it's inexpensive or convenient. Instead, she selects them carefully according to a variety of things, including who the other vendors are. She does this because she knows that regardless of the entry fee or location, who the other vendors are can make or break a show's success. Imagine selling spa soaps next to someone who is selling crochet toilet paper holders. (Ask me how I know about that ...)

3. Jane steps out on faith. Jane knows that the success of her business depends not only on her own efforts, but also on things she cannot control. Instead of sweating about things she cannot change, she makes the best decisions she can with the knowledge she has and confidently leaves the rest to God.

You can learn more about Beau Savon soaps at Jane's website.

Best & Success!!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Indie Experience
The Indie Business Network | www.indiebeauty.com

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