What if getting bigger isn't actually the goal?
After two episodes of talking about massive production, scaling, private label, and what it takes to build a huge soap business, we're ending our three-part conversation with Joanna Couch—the Soap Gal—with a question that might surprise you:
Do you actually need to scale?
In the final episode of our conversation with Joanna Couch of The Soap Gal and Makers Haven, we're talking about something that doesn't get discussed nearly enough in the handmade business world: what success actually means—and whether bigger is always better.
Joanna has built an enormous soap manufacturing business, worked with major brands, taught makers how to scale, and spent years learning what it takes to turn a handmade business into something much bigger.
But her advice might surprise you.
She tells us about the person who watched her videos because they wanted to scale bigger and bigger… only to realize they were actually happy exactly where they were.
And Joanna says that's okay.
We talk about:
🧼 Makers Haven and why Joanna created it 🤝 Why collaboration matters more than competition 💰 Group buying and making supplies more accessible 🏭 How preparation and systems help makers avoid burnout 📦 Soap kits, bases, master batching and cash flow 📱 Social media, consistency and the future of handmade businesses ❤️ Why community is so important to makers 🚫 Why beginners should stop worrying about competition 💻 What every soap maker should automate 💸 Joanna's biggest business mistakes and wastes of money 🏖️ How she actually takes a vacation with 40+ employees 👩💼 Why hiring employees can be a gift—not just an expense 🎯 Why entrepreneurs need to think five and ten years ahead 🙏 Joanna's philosophy on goals, faith and purpose ✨ Why not everyone needs to scale 🎨 Why the tiny, incredibly detailed soap can be just as valuable as millions of bars 🚀 And the advice Joanna gives to anyone who has a dream but doesn't think they're big enough to make it happen
There is also a very important conversation about burnout.
Joanna talks about how easy it is to get caught up in the pressure to constantly grow—and why makers need to stop, breathe, and ask themselves what they actually want.
And then there's one of my favorite moments of the entire three-part interview:
“Just do it.”
Not because everyone needs to build a million-dollar company.
Not because everyone needs a 40,000-square-foot facility.
But because you are allowed to pursue the version of success that actually makes you happy.
Whether you're a brand-new soap maker trying to figure out where to start, an established maker wondering whether it's time to scale, or a small-business owner who's completely exhausted from trying to do everything…
this one is for you.
And if you've watched all three parts of our conversation with Joanna, THANK YOU for hanging out with us through the whole thing. We could genuinely have talked to her for another six hours. 😂
🐄 Join the Heifer Herd!
If this episode helped you, subscribe to The Dirty Heifers, give the episode a thumbs-up, and share it with another maker who needs to hear it.
And tell us in the comments:
Do you want to scale your soap business—or are you actually happy keeping it small?
Because there is no wrong answer.
Stay Dirty Heifers.
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