Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Smith.
Hi Charlotte, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Valencia, California. Science and math have always been my favorite subjects in school. In fact, my dad bought me a periodic table of elements placemat when I was 3 years old and he started teaching me the chemical formulas of everyday molecules such as table salt, NaCl, and glucose, C6H12O6. I took 8th grade science which had a heavy focus on chemistry as well as chemistry my senior year in high school and fell in love. I decided to major in chemistry when I applied to colleges and never looked back. After graduating top of my class in chemistry at Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2015, I decided to pursue a masters degree in analytical chemistry at BYU. My first daughter was born during my masters degree and thankfully she was a good napper because I finished my thesis writing during nap times and bedtime.
I knew I didn’t want to put my kids in daycare to do a “regular” chemistry job in someone else’s lab so I embraced the full time mom life and began the balancing act of motherhood, personal hobbies and earning some income to support my family. While working on my masters after my daughter was born, some unforeseen circumstances led me to embrace life as a single mother as I moved back into my parents’ home. I tutored in all science and math subjects as well as taught a year of biology at a charter school to keep my credentials up and to earn some income as I was finding my place in life again. I also designed and ran some chemistry summer camps for kids ages 4-11 to share my passion of chemistry.
I remarried a little while later and on one random day I saw a friend share on social media that she made her own soap and I just had to look into it. I realized that it was a chemical reaction of NaOH (lye) and oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, and sweet almond oil, and had to learn more. I made my first batch of soap in November of 2018 and have made hundreds of batches since.
Covid-19 in the beginning of 2020 forced me to rethink how to sell my soap so I started my own website. Soapsbyachemist.com! My business has grown so much since then and I am ever so grateful. I now live in San Diego, CA with my husband and kids.
P.S. I also love swimming, playing basketball, hiking, cooking, baking, sewing, playing with my kids, gardening, and teaching my kids new chemistry experiments at home! Thanks for reading more about me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest struggle was having craft fairs shut down due to the Covid-19 virus. I quickly learned to pivot and designed and built my own website. I also learned how to use social media to connect with fellow small business owners to host virtual craft fairs to build up new clientele across the country.
Another struggle has been balancing motherhood and a business. Since the start of my business, I have added 3 more children to my family so we are now a family of 7, with 5 little ones that need me constantly. So my business has changed month to month as I no longer can put my business as the priority. But I strive to keep soap in stock since I know my customers love my products.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My company goal is to create hand-crafted products with luxury ingredients that you can understand when reading the ingredients label. I am dedicated to offering a superior product at an affordable price, concentrating on quality and consistency.
I want you to know that products at Soaps by a Chemist are made with ingredients you can understand by a chemist you can trust. I promise to continue instilling the love of chemistry that I have into the soaps I make for my customers. In case you didn’t know, soap is a saponification reaction of lye and oils.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Focus on your strengths and share what you love. There will always be setbacks but it’s what you do about them that will determine your business success. Be willing to pivot and be open to criticism. Do your research and always be willing to learn about your business field. There’s always room for more businesses.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Soapsbyachemist.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/soapsbyachemist
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/soapsbyachemist
