The Marketer's Apprentice

For the past week and a half I've been enrolled in an online apprentice program learning all about online marketing. And I tell ya, this has been the most exciting type of learning that I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of! For the first time in years I finally feel like I understand this marketing thing. I've got my joy back, and I have hope for the future of my business again. But it's more that.

As an apprentice, you are put into teams. Each team is given challenges to accomplish. And these challenges revolve around building a marketing campaign for a real non-profit organization. So in the process of learning how to market your own business, you are doing a great service for someone else. Making a difference. Changing the world!!

This is marketing the right way! By learning to market this way, though helping others become successful, it has helped to take the focus off of myself and instead place it on others. And in doing so, my stress has melted away, I have faith that my business will indeed be successful, and my joy has returned! I no longer lay awake at night and worry. I feel good about myself and business because I feel like I'm making a difference in the world. It just doesn't get any better.

If you have a business and you would like to learn more about this please let me know and I will send you an invititation. I promise you will be glad you did :)

Oh, and by the way, the program is FREE!

One Ends & Another Begins

It has been a long time since I've bounced over here and updated this blog. Too long!

Allot has happened in the soap shop over the past year. Some good, some bad. But mostly good. Loosing Mary to another employer was sad. But she needed a full time job and we are happy for her that she got a great one!

We have opened a new very targeted bath & body biz. It's lots of fun, and I'll revel more about that later in another article.

One Ends

We are presently in the process of closing Valhalla Soap Company. We have always had a love for herbs and herbal products. When I started out making soaps 10 years ago, they were made with herb infused oils and scented with essential oils.  Over the years we gave in to the demands for the "bath & body" shop type of scents by adding a multitude of synthetic fragrances to our line of products. It has pleased us beyond words to see the recent move towards living a "greener" lifestyle. Finally we can listen to the call of our own hearts and go back to our roots without compromising our customers wants & needs.  Sadly, Valhalla Soap Company's image will not blend with our "re-birth" into the new "greener" world. So, it's must be laid to rest. At list time we are liquidating all remaining inventory. Now is your chance to scoop up some great deals on Hand Made Luxury Soaps, Hand Poured Soy Candles, and a few remaining Body Care Products at prices as low as 45% Off!

Another Begins

We are very excited about the new  "greener" division of MADCO Enterprises.

Fertile Valley Botanicals is targeted towards a more natural, earthy, botanical market. The majority of the products are scented with only high end aroma therapy quality essential oils. Soaps are infused with herbs that we grow right here at the premises, some are infused with teas, or are made with skin nourishing milks. Lotions have the benefits of added botanical extracts, some are vegan and all are paraben and formaldehyde free. We offer green, environmentally friendly, or recyclable packaging whenever possible, and reuse all of our shipping materials. FVB accepts retail and wholesale orders. We are currently in the process of re-designing our website for FVB and will update here as soon as it is ready.

Risen From the Dead

For the past month it has been deader than a doornail in the soap shop. We were so stocked up on soap that were couldn't make anymore because we simply had no room to store it. So, I went about catching up on marketing, networking and general office stuff that had been neglected. And Mary prepared for and went on her trip to see her best friend Chris. All was quiet and peaceful.

Until this week that is. We just took on two new wholesale accounts and have moved well ove 100 bars of soap and a case of candles. Needless to say, we have been cleaned out! And just a week before the Farmer's Market is to start too! Yikes!! So someplace in between building a chicken coop for my babies, and building a lean to and fencing a pasture for Mary's new baby. And putting in the garden, and the new pond, we have to get the soap shop shelves (say that 10 times fast) restocked.

Oh and we are gladly accepting volunteers to help get all of this done. *wink* Anyone game??

Clean Money

UPDATE: 8/31/08

Just wanted to post an update to this article. Since posting it here and on our Valhalla Soap Company Blog we have had a HUGE influx of requests for these soaps. Everyting from orders for just a few for Christmas gifts to 1500 for event giveaways!! And organizations wanting them for free as a fundraiser. So, let me clarify a few things.

1) We originally did this for a local group at wholesale so that they could in turn sell them at a pre-determined retail price as a fund-raising project. It is not a product that we normally offer.

2) It is a very tedious process to manufacture these. New, clean, crisp bills must be used. The FDIC only allows banks to order new bills twice a year. Several banks informed us of this information this past holiday season when we were frantically trying to get our hands on new bills. As a result of this rule, we missed the deadline for ordering bills for the 2008 season. 

3) We may decide to offer them in 2009 for the holidays at retail. We are as yet still undecided on this.

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Our latest project is 100+ bars of money soap for a local organization that is doing a fund raiser. Of the 100 bars, four will have a $5, $10, $20, and a $50 dollar bill embedded inside. The remaining 96 bars will have $1 dollar bills embedded inside. Pictured are some of the Sea Island Grapefruit, and Waterfalls scented bars. We've also poured 20 unscented (at client's request), 16 Almond, Milk & Honey, and have Lavender, and Cucumber Melon yet to pour. Never did we think that we would find ourselves spending an afternoon rolling hundreds of dollar bills into tiny, tight tubes hoping they would not spring loose before we could tape the little beasts :) But this has been a fun project and we hope that it is a great success for our clients.

Bubble Bash

Two weeks ago Mary, Natalie & I did our first Bubble Bash. With 7 women and 2 men in attendance, the Hostess earned 20% off her order plus a $25 Gift Basket. I'd say it was a huge success.

What is a Bubble Bash? It is program that we have been developing for quite some time now. Think Tupperware, Home Interiors, and many other popular Hostess/Catalog type parties. Hostesses receive a percentage off their order according to how many party/catalog sales they have. Plus when they reach a certain amount in sales they start earning Free Product. Here are the details:

Host a VSC Bubble Bash and Earn Free Products

I'm sure you are familiar with how these parties work. You've probably attended most of the popular catalog parties and filled your cabinets with air tight dishes, your book shelves with snazzy memory filled photo albums, and your mantels with enchanting candles. So, why not fill your bath with BUBBLES!!!?? Your shower with soothing AROMATHERAPY!!!??

Here's how it works:

You host a VSC Bubble Bash at your house/chosen location. Invite your friends, refer them to our website ahead of time so they can Pre-Shop** Make it an inviting event, serve some simple snacks and drinks or make it a "finger-food pot-luck". Provide an "Ice Breaker" game or two and we will provide the prizes. It doesn't have to be expensive, just warm, inviting, relaxed and FUN. Key word here is FUN! Encourage your guests to bring a friend. If they do, your guest AND their friend will get a FREE gift.

What does a Hostess earn?

~Party Sales Chart~

$50 - $100 = 10% Off Your Order
$101- $150 = 15% Off Your Order
$151 - $250 = 20% Off Your Order + Gift Bag Valued at $25
$251 & Up = 25% Off Your Order + Gift Bag Valued at $35


All orders received from your Bubble Bash event will be delivered to you the Hostess. It is then your responsibility to call your guests and make arrangements with them for pick-up. A Valhalla Soap Company Representative will follow-up with you in a few weeks to make sure that your Bubble Bash was a success for you and your guests.


NOTE: Some Body Care Products are made to order so that we may assure that you and your guests receive the freshest products possible.

**A printable order form can be downloaded from our website at www.valhallasoap.com. You will find it in the top right hand corner.


That's it, simple as can be and lots of fun :) At this time Bubble Bash event's are only available in the greater Spokane, WA (Deer Park & Newport) and Priest River, ID areas. However, we are working on a program that will allow anyone in the U.S. to host a Bubble Bash Catalog Party. So stay tuned for more details :)

New Soaps

We have been busy in the Soap Shop! With 6 new soaps on the drying racks. We've run out of drying space and have been clearing off shelves of other non-important stuff to make room.

New Old World Soaps

• Lemongrass Ginger
• Pirates Bounty
• Waterblossom Ivy (reformulated)

New Silk & Shea Soaps

• Amber Myrrh
• Lacey's Garden with French Clay

New Hemp Soaps

• Bergamot
• Dragon's Blood

These still have another week or so drying time, but will be on the website soon. We are now working on Valentine's Day Gift Bags. they will be on site within the next two days. I'll post pics soon.

Goddess of Spreadsheets?

We got a brief rest during the holidays and now we are back to work. But now it is Inventory and Tax time. Uhg!! In years past it has been a nightmare for me. Everything done on paper and countless hours spent at the dinning room table with Cambridge 12 Column Pads and an adding machine. At the 11th hour (the night before the appt. w/accountant) you would find me bleary eyed, grouchy, buried in adding machine tape trying to figure out why the end of month column didn't add up right for July.
Enter Mary......the Goddess of Spreadsheets !!!! Thanks to her brilliant talent we have been getting our Inventory, Sales, Expenses, EVERYTHING!!! on Spreadsheets. It's almost all done. And the appointment with the accountant isn't until Feb. 21st. Hooray!