AGH Business News | Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps

Archive for the ‘AGH Business News’ Category

Progress

Posted in AGH Business News, Goat Care (and General Farm), tagged new soap shop, pouring concrete on March 29, 2011| 6 Comments »

You here us say often that we are busy. So, perhaps once more you will not mind this announcement, we really are busy!

Between the spring season on our goat farm, the husband’s occupation – a business that we both run, everything has picked up (it looks like the economy is coming around).

The weather is breaking…hence the work has once again moved forward on our new farm.

Free time hovers between precious and obsolete.

Our contractors have been busy pouring the floor in the new soap shop.

Soon the prior owner’s cabinets and work shelves will be removed. Then we will add insulation, wiring, walls…and will move in the stainless steel sinks and counter tops that we found in a wonderful school auction a month or so ago.

Progress! It is a blessing!

Thank you to Mick and Mark for your great work and expertise! You sloughed through a lot of mud for us this winter!

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The Busy Season Has Arrived

Posted in AGH Business News, All In A Day's Time, Goat Care (and General Farm), tagged goat kids, Goat Milk Soap, kidding season, managing farm, small business business news on March 17, 2011| 10 Comments »

It is that time again on our farm.

The geese are nesting, the goats are having kids, and spring clean up (along with the mud) begins.

We, the ones that tend to the animals, become a bit sleep deprived.

We look for calm waters, smooth sailing seas (God bless those that are suffering right now, Japan is on our minds), knowing that we are to enjoy the spring, as kids are not born year round, and spring is so very welcome! Such a blessing it all is!

We are running on a 1-3 day turnaround in fulfilling retail orders, with the premise that everything falls into place, and it does!

Thank you to our recent new wholesale customers, store locations, soon to be posted to our website. We are happy to have products available this spring in wonderful locations where folks will be out and about, leaving winter’s cabin fever behind!

Please let us know if you need anything…and do not hesitate to email us as anniesgoathill@gmail.com . We treasure chatting one-on-one with you!

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Price Changes in 2011

Posted in AGH Business News, Products, tagged economical impact on pricing, increase in product prices, product pricing on February 24, 2011| 8 Comments »

We have been working on several activities this year to ensure we keep our product prices as low as possible.

We have conciously focused on purchasing supplies in as much bulk as possible, truly short of needing a fork-lift. By buying in bulk, we keep the bottom-line cost of base butters and oils, fragrance and essential oils, and even caps and bottles, to a minimum.

The cost of shipping fees, ingredients, utilities, and even fuel costs have increased rapidly over the past 2 – 3 years. We shielded our customers from the increased costs by running bulk promotions such as The Brown Bag Special, The 5-Bar Special, and Soap Logs. We did not increase the retail price of most of our products.

There comes a time when a company needs to increase product prices to stay afloat. With that in mind, Annie’s Goat Hill Handrafted Soaps plans to head back off of the slippery slope by scrutinizing the manufacturing cost of each of our products.

Our pricing will no longer be based on an average cost of ingredients, instead, each product price will be based on what it costs to produce the actual item.

So, to bundle this up, some of our prices will decrease, such as the 4 oz goat milk lotions, and some of the unscented goat milk soaps. Some of our prices will increase, such as our pure Patchouli Goat Milk soap. If the cost of patchouli essential oil suddenly drops in the future, so will our pricing.

Our promise to our customers is to continue providing quality, good-for-your-skin products. Our quality will not, and has not, changed. A bar of our soap weighs just as much, if not more, than it did in past years. You can count on it!

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Order Lead Time

Posted in AGH Business News, tagged order lead time, shipment turnaround on February 19, 2011| 5 Comments »

Sometimes it just happens…

Our company policy is to fill an order the next business day, with shipment the following business day.

Please forgive us as we transition into the new year (still – Wow!), and as we fill all obligations (such as preparing for the big move – moving both the business, farm, and ourselves).

At this time we are at a 1-3 day order fulfillment time for retail orders. Wholesale fulfillment will be individually announced.

If you need an immediate or rush shipment, please let us know via email, anniesgoathill@gmail.com .

Thank you for being here with us as we not only plan our future, we pursue it and make it happen!

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Selling Products Online Without Product Images

Posted in AGH Business News, In The Soap Shop, Products, tagged business integrity, goat milk soaps, trust on January 4, 2011| 3 Comments »

Recently we experienced the disappearance of all of our product images from our online store.

All of the images have since been restored. The job was made easier by the fact that we have less soaps to display until we rebuild our soap stock, following a wonderful holiday season.

As orders began to trickle in, despite the absence of photographs, it became obvious to us that our “regular” customers do trust our integrity. They know we are going to deliver the same quality soaps and lotions, pictures provided or not.

Thank you to everyone!

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As The New Year Starts

Posted in AGH Business News, All In A Day's Time, tagged Blessings, New Year on January 1, 2011| 12 Comments »

Comical…busy…not so relaxing. Humor was definitely a must.

How about your start to the new year?

Over Christmas weekend my husband was ill. He asked me, “Why does it seem I am always sick at Christmas?” I don’t know. One time we spent Christmas Eve in the emergency room. He looked like something from a movie, like a swollen thing that had risen from the dead. It was nice.

The Christmas ailment was passed on to me. The night before last I was miserable with a fever. Mind you, I don’t get sick often. I sent a one line email to my sister, told her that I wasn’t feeling well, that I loved her. I proceeded to tell my husband, “In case I don’t live through the night, I love you.” He chuckled, “I think you will live.” I did. Amazing.

The next day I noticed product images missing from our website. I was too sick to try to fix the problem. My husband, not the one that keeps the site going (he helps in many other ways), was speechless. I opened a help ticket.

All of the product images in our online store had been deleted. Not one or two. Each and every one, gone.

I made a phone call on New Year’s Eve. All advanced support staff had left the building. Lucky souls.

Today I sat down at the computer, thinking to self, “This is what a small business owner does…the fix-it-all person…even on a holiday,” After several mis-haps I began to see a number of images load to the website. Yes! The correction will take a few days.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I can say this, bring on the challenges. If 2011 is any better than 2010, we are blessed. After a few years of wondering where our lives were turning to, 2010 brought work and busyness our way. Bring it on!

I hope you and your loved ones are also blessed with whatever you need in 2011, that is, everything you need!

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The Choice Is What We Are About

Posted in AGH Business News, Products on December 14, 2010| 2 Comments »

At Annie’s Goat Hill we offer a choice in products – from natural to nearly natural (products made from a natural base with man-made ingredients added).

When we started our soap business in 2003 we focused on 100% natural products. Since that time our customers have requested products that contain fragrance oils, such as our very popular Cherries and Berries goat milk soap and lotion.

What you can be sure of is, when we describe a product to you on our website, or in a discussion, we are going to tell you the product contains either an essential oil (100% natural) or a fragrance (man-made). We tell it like it is. If you prefer 100% natural, you can choose a soap that has no fragrance added or essential oils only.

We like it that way – your choice!

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Musings – Christmas Soap and Lotion Business

Posted in AGH Business News, All In A Day's Time, Products, tagged Goat Milk Lotion, Goat Milk Soap, holiday handcrafted soap, small business musings on December 5, 2010| 5 Comments »

My husband and I have been tag-teaming in the soap shop. He has taken over many animal duties to ensure we are able to stick with our one to two-day turnaround with retail orders. He has also done an excellent job of boxing soaps and labeling lotions and packages. I am blessed to have a wonderful partner, my best friend, who brings the extra gift of a lot of laughter to the soap studio!

Despite the busyness, I have done a lot of thinking. The big broom came out and swept away my idea that we should never run out of any particular type of soap. My new philosophy, the early bird gets the worm. I had to beat it into myself, seriously! But…the fact is, if I were to shop at a big-name department store very late in the season, I may not find everything that I want, but if I shop early enough, I will find full shelves, with a huge selection!

With that being said, and without sounding like a running advertisement, we do still have a bounty of holiday soaps available. Also fully stocked are the favorites, such as Cherries and Berries goat milk soap.

My parting words (also derived from the big sweep that I did on myself), remember to take a break and enjoy the season! I strongly believe a person accomplishes much more by resting appropriately. Nobody can enjoy life itself while feeling stretched and stressed!

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Looking Into Business Dreams

Posted in AGH Business News, Goat Care (and General Farm), tagged growing business, new soap shop on November 29, 2010| 7 Comments »

Yes, it is a window. It could fit in just about anywhere. But there is no place like a fresh new window sitting inside your to-be soap shop.

A window to look into and through, to see hope, dreams, and new small business plans.

My husband and I have been showered with a lot of work the past several months. We are working in unison, without a lot of breaks, to make sure our i’s are dotted and our t’s are crossed. Busy isn’t enough of a description. Blessed is a good word for it.

Busy with our businesses, busy with preparing a new home, shop and farm.

The shop needs a concrete floor, insulation, wiring, and interior walls. The house is sitting on a lot, ready to move to its new permanent foundation. A barn must be built. We are running against the clock. The hands are moving fast towards winter and kidding season.

So, what can we do best? Work…and ponder, be thankful, and remember – as we sit in the area that will the porch front of our new soap shop. It is all beautiful, and we will continue to build (our lives, our businesses, and the room to enjoy life itself).