Living On Liquid Soap

Bosede line of liquide soap products.

Bosede line of liquide soap products.

Liquid soap making can ensure more than mere sustenance

BY FUNSHO BALOGUN

Before 2009, Nigeria’s Bosede Samuel’s means of livelihood was a modest recharge cards sales business. Although she was into wholesale, the profit margin, according to her, was thin. She simply needed to invest her zeal and the capital she had on a more viable venture. After attending a week-long training on the making of household cleaning products, including liquid soap, Bosede switched from selling recharge card to making liquid soap.

Bosede line of liquide soap products.
Bosede line of liquide soap products.

The liquid soap business she started four years ago with an initial capital of N20,000, after undergoing training which cost her N7,500, has been worthwhile. Bosede says liquid soap making is not a difficult task; it requires only the knowledge of how to mix some chemicals in the right proportions.

“There is a method of mixing the raw materials we buy for making liquid soap to get a high quality product,” she said. “And when the soap is of good quality, it sells itself, as satisfied customers will always come back as well as spread the word to others.”

Start-up capital for the business could be as low as N3,500; to purchase necessary raw materials or chemicals. At the initial stage, these materials can be bought in small quantities. For instance, N3,500 worth of chemicals can produce liquid soap that would fill a 25-litre container. And with the product selling for about N1,000 per five litres, Bosede says, that translates into a profit of about N1,500.

For those just starting, a lot of legwork is necessary to advertise the product. Since many people may not want to buy in large quantity, it is advisable to sell in small containers, at prices commensurate with the quantity. The soap can also be made in various colours.

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Bosede emphasises that with many people venturing into liquid soap making, it is necessary for any entrepreneur that wants to succeed to make a quality product. The first step to achieving this is maintaining a reasonable level of dilution. She says that doing otherwise, with a view to increasing profits, is usually counterproductive as buyers of low quality products are not likely to patronise the seller in future.

“Quality is key for those that intend to keep their customers and even increase their customer base,” she says.

Bosede supplies liquid soap in 25- and 50-litre containers to laundry outfits, hotels, restaurants, offices and households on a monthly basis. And since she maintains a high quality, her customers are loyal, she says.

Once a soap maker has established a steady clientele, the consequent profits can be channeled into increasing production and seeking a wider market base.

Liquid soap can be produced inside any living quarters, although Bosede recently took her business a notch higher by renting a small shop from where she now intends to operate. The next level, she says, is to seek NAFDAC approval, which would remove any barrier to her aspiration to sell her product at the highest level, even exporting it.

Part of the allure of the business, apart from the minimal initial capital required, is that the product, if properly made, has a long shelf life. “Although the stock does not stay that long on the shelves before being sold, the expiry date could be up to one year,” Bosede assures.

Enthusing that her vocation offers better monetary reward than salaried jobs, which are hard to get, the soap maker says it also allows her to work at her own pace. “Apart from the regular supply contracts I maintain with several outfits, sometimes I may decide to go a-selling for four days in a week and rest for two or three days,” Bosede says.

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