Making a good living

There's another relatively recent thread in which this matter was discussed quite extensively, although perhaps from a slightly different angle:
https://damnfineshave.com/thread-don’t-s...ney-around

Thanks, hawns, for offering a valuable artisan’s perspective in this matter. And hats off to you and all others who have persevered in the business!

From what I have read, it seems that many artisans make shaving products on the side (as a hobby or a second source of income). Some may eventually end up doing it full-time, many won’t.

In the thread I linked above, there is some discussion about the effect that “hobbyist artisans” might have on those who are in the business full-time. Obviously, the risks are greater for those for whom making shaving products is their sole income, as opposed to those who have another income source. On the other hand, everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s smarter to avoid putting all eggs in one basket until knowing that the basket can actually hold all the eggs…

Some excellent points made in all of the above.  Creating a sustainable "brand" on the small/micro business level is tough!  The costs of doing business are much higher than even we realized--until we sat down at looked at them closely.  

To share some history:  when we were  scoping-out how to make brush handles for Morris & Forndran and to market completed brushes on a global scale, we thought we were doing OK from a profitability standpoint.  We'd been making brushes for a few years and thought we knew what we were doing.  How wrong we were!  Our brushes were priced in line with those of many artisan makers.  But when we sat down and did a comprehensive cost study, we discovered we were earning less than $2.00/hour--about minimum wage in 1960!  

Now, earning $1.00-$2.00/hour might be okay for the person looking to "cover his costs." But for a going concern???  Fuggedaboudit! (as a Brooklyn friend never tires of saying.) So we took a deep breath and raised our prices to the point where we would be compensated at the low-end of skilled labor.  Our reasoning was that if it worked, fine.  If not, we'd close up shop, sell our materials, and find another way to pay the bills.

Fortunately, our bet has paid-off (at least to this point.)  The challenge though is never to rest on our laurels.  We know we're competing with the Simpson's and Shavemac's of the world (along with a few others.)  None of them are sitting still; so we know that every aspect of our work--not just our products, but our website, our customer service, (and, oh yes: marketing!), along with the myriad other "things" that go on behind the scenes that nobody ever sees (until they break!)--must be the very best we can make it.  It's brutal, frustrating, exhilarating work!

But what's really great is that we get to see what competition's all about--first hand!  We make an improvement and the next thing we know, the competition's right there.  They introduce something new--and we counter with something else.  And so on....

What's even greater is that the same things are happening across the board.  We have more and better soaps today than we had just a couple years ago.  On the hardware front, Koraat now offers a re-introduced (and perhaps better?) Fili 14.  Revisor quietly makes amazing blades.  And both companies do so at competitive prices while some artisan makers in this country (we all know who they are) produce outstanding work.  The examples go on.

So who benefits?  The consumer!  That's who.

Are things challenging for makers?  You bet they are!  The marketplace is brutally Darwinian.  That's the way the market's supposed to work.

And we wouldn't have it any other way.

There's another relatively recent thread in which this matter was discussed quite extensively, although perhaps from a slightly different angle:
https://damnfineshave.com/thread-don’t-s...ney-around

Thanks, hawns, for offering a valuable artisan’s perspective in this matter. And hats off to you and all others who have persevered in the business!

From what I have read, it seems that many artisans make shaving products on the side (as a hobby or a second source of income). Some may eventually end up doing it full-time, many won’t.

In the thread I linked above, there is some discussion about the effect that “hobbyist artisans” might have on those who are in the business full-time. Obviously, the risks are greater for those for whom making shaving products is their sole income, as opposed to those who have another income source. On the other hand, everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s smarter to avoid putting all eggs in one basket until knowing that the basket can actually hold all the eggs…

Some excellent points made in all of the above.  Creating a sustainable "brand" on the small/micro business level is tough!  The costs of doing business are much higher than even we realized--until we sat down at looked at them closely.  

To share some history:  when we were  scoping-out how to make brush handles for Morris & Forndran and to market completed brushes on a global scale, we thought we were doing OK from a profitability standpoint.  We'd been making brushes for a few years and thought we knew what we were doing.  How wrong we were!  Our brushes were priced in line with those of many artisan makers.  But when we sat down and did a comprehensive cost study, we discovered we were earning less than $2.00/hour--about minimum wage in 1960!  

Now, earning $1.00-$2.00/hour might be okay for the person looking to "cover his costs." But for a going concern???  Fuggedaboudit! (as a Brooklyn friend never tires of saying.) So we took a deep breath and raised our prices to the point where we would be compensated at the low-end of skilled labor.  Our reasoning was that if it worked, fine.  If not, we'd close up shop, sell our materials, and find another way to pay the bills.

Fortunately, our bet has paid-off (at least to this point.)  The challenge though is never to rest on our laurels.  We know we're competing with the Simpson's and Shavemac's of the world (along with a few others.)  None of them are sitting still; so we know that every aspect of our work--not just our products, but our website, our customer service, (and, oh yes: marketing!), along with the myriad other "things" that go on behind the scenes that nobody ever sees (until they break!)--must be the very best we can make it.  It's brutal, frustrating, exhilarating work!

But what's really great is that we get to see what competition's all about--first hand!  We make an improvement and the next thing we know, the competition's right there.  They introduce something new--and we counter with something else.  And so on....

What's even greater is that the same things are happening across the board.  We have more and better soaps today than we had just a couple years ago.  On the hardware front, Koraat now offers a re-introduced (and perhaps better?) Fili 14.  Revisor quietly makes amazing blades.  And both companies do so at competitive prices while some artisan makers in this country (we all know who they are) produce outstanding work.  The examples go on.

So who benefits?  The consumer!  That's who.

Are things challenging for makers?  You bet they are!  The marketplace is brutally Darwinian.  That's the way the market's supposed to work.

And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Great post.


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Thank you Shawn(hawns) and Brad(ESBrushmaker) for your personal insight!  This interaction with "our" artisans doesn't happen pretty much anywhere else, so it is greatly appreciated.  It says a lot about you two gentlemen that you are willing to share these thoughts with us!  

And, keep up the good work!  

Soaps are hard to make cash, one tub/puck last a long time, so unless you get very popular and are rotating scents it will probably just be a hobby, but like anything if you put in the time and investment anything is possible. I also think when starting out its good to have regular soap also, anything to get your name and product out there. If you look at some of the other popular soap makers most have online shops that sell a wide variety of shaving gear, including some competitors products.