More Than WE Know

NiÉriu - the online shop for Handmade Soaps, Body Butters, Body Oils, Shea Butters, and more! has developed a product line that appeals to today’s conscious consumers.

According to the recently released BBMG study of Conscious Consumers:

90% of Americans consider themselves “conscious consumers“

This means that price and quality being equal, they are more likely to buy from companies that:

• manufacture energy efficient products(90%)
• promote health and safety benefits (88%)
• support fair labor and trade practices (87%)
• commit to environmentally friendly trade practices (87%)

Claudia’s business, NiÉriu , fits these characteristics by handmaking luxurious soaps using the cold process method.  The soaps are cut by hand and left to cure for two months.

The ingredients in her soaps sound almost good enough to eat: cocoa butter, honey, goatsmilk, olive oil, oatmeal and poppyseeds.  She uses only vegetable oils and no mineral oils. So all of her soaps are made from renewable sources and are biodegradeable. There are no synthetic colors or scents.  Every ingredient has been selected to make her soaps as gentle and nourishing as soap can get.

Her recipes are not tested on animals and the packaging is all 100% recyclable.

In addition, Claudia contracts with women in a village in Africa to produce all of the Shea butter for her soaps.  She promotes fair trade practices with these women and provides an opportunity for them to earn more than they would on the open market. 

Sound too good to be true?  Take a look at Claudia’s story.

Claudia, tell me about your business.

NiÉriu is an Irish skincare company specializing in natural handmade skincare products. Its main focus is using what nature has given as is and keeping it simple. All ingredients even though from nature are thoroughly researched before being used.

What is your best holiday item?

Being that the holiday season is during the winter it is always a good time for the body butters and shea butters. The handmade soaps are good all year round. Gift sets, which are a mix of products are usually good for people who are buying presents.

What inspired or motivated you to start your business?

My skin rebelled against the environmental conditions in the Irish winter, and I have had eczema for most of my life. Developing psoriasis after the birth of my son, made me start to question my lifestyle and investigate what I was putting in and on my body. I decided I wanted products that were kind to my skin, unlikely to trigger allergic reactions and would leave my skin looking it’s best. 

After I had been making products for myself for a while family and friends started to make requests, and soon enough word traveled around and I was being asked to make for friends of friends, and that kind of thing. While I was not selling, I found I was spending time making products with my own ingredients at cost and as time went on and I was getting more requests I had to start saying no, and I didn’t like that.

Ultimately, I decided if I had products people were asking to buy, it was plain crazy and almost selfish to keep it to myself! Plus of course my daughter kept encouraging me to “sell my soaps!”

What keeps you motivated?

The fact that I really believe in what I do. I believe that nature has provided us with what we need to take care of ourselves routinely - from day to day, including skincare. 

I am providing products that help people in their quest for more natural alternatives and by working to provide these alternatives, I am able to give something back to the community I grew up in by purchasing some of my ingredients from them.

How did you fund your business?

My business has  so far has been funded using savings and my credit card with help from my significant other.

Who is your target market?

My target market is simply anyone who cares about themselves and their environment.

  

Where do you get most of your customers?

Up till now, most of my customers have been gotten through word of mouth; I am working on press releases.

What is the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge I have faced would be trying to source suppliers and certain services locally. I really wanted to source as much as possible locally as part of keeping an eye on my carbon footprint. I now use alternatives as close to local as I can get and do more buying in bulk.

Tell me about your suppliers in Africa.

The work done in Africa- i.e the processing of the sheabutter,  was arranged through my mum. She visits the village where we get the sheabutter on a “as needed” basis and when she does, the women can rest assured that whatever they make will be bought…rather than facing the uncertainty of the open market.

I hope that with time, I can buy from them more regularly as the demand increases. I would really like to do this at a level where these women are guaranteed decent sales every month,  as they work so hard.

What do you wish you had known when you started?

At the moment nothing I can think of. I spent a long time doing my homework and preparing for this. Even though up till this year, I had thought I would not put my products on the general market ever, I still wanted to know what would go into running it as a business-just in case, so I kept researching

Do you have kids?

I have 2 kids-one nearly six and the other is about three and half. I run my business from home but also work fulltime in the day.

How have your kids helped you be a better entrepreneur?

My daughter is my best saleswoman! She recommends my soaps to everyone! They make me realize just what’s important and what is fluff. I don’t sweat the small stuff…at least I try not to!

How has being an entrepreneur helped you be a better mom?

Being an entrepreneur means I have even less disposable time, so every second counts. I now really understand the concept of time being priceless.

What advice do you have for other Women Entrepreneurs, or Entrepreneur-wannabe’s?

You will get a lot of practical advice about many aspects of your business, and some will almost discourage you but always believe in yourself. Before you start the ball rolling, reflect within yourself  or write down why you are going into business.

Once you have convinced yourself and I mean truly done so, you’ll be able to cope with whatever gets thrown your way. ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

To learn more about Claudia’s luxurious hand-made soaps, visit NiÉriu.

To get my special report on 7 Steps to Sustainable Success for Women Entrepreneurs -> Click Here.

If you would like your business profiled on More Than WE Know  please contact me at Liz (at) Morethanweknow (dot) com.  

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