Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Bramble Berry Soapmaking Supplies. In their words:
"Bramble Berry sells ingredients to make soaps and toiletries from scratch. Everything from natural herbs for color to pure essential oils, fixed oils, soap molds and more. We also have starter kits for almost every bodycare project imaginable.
SoapQueen.com is my blog and Soap Queen TV is our YouTube channel with over 50 free instructional videos."
SouleMama: What inspires you?
Anne-Marie: My family, first and foremost, inspires me every day. In addition to a supportive entrepreneur husband, I have an adorable little bundle of baby boy energy at home who keeps me on my toes and always keeps me creating new and better products that I know he can use with no fear of allergies or skin irritants. I love formulating products using the best ingredients out there and the fact that I get to teach people how to make those products is a big thrill. Our customers inspire me. Our Facebok page (facebook.com/brambleberry) gets at least 5 to 10 photo submissions from customers daily that are making amazing products and supporting themselves and their families selling handcrafted goods. I’m also a bit of an information hound. I have over 30 magazine subscriptions and see a lot of color palette ideas, trends, and crafty projects that often spark fun SoapQueen.com tutorials.
Anne-Marie: The favorite part of my job is definitely the people involved. Our customers are the most interesting, most kind and most driven group of entrepreneurs in America. It is awe-inspiring to hear of their business successes and delightful to see the positive outcomes from their hard work. I also love working with home crafters that have no desire to start a business but are just looking for a creative outlet or to create products that are more customized than the mass market stuff on the shelves of the supermarket. The hours can be challenging. I have a 16 month old at home and it’s difficult to be away from him and try to juggle being a good wife and partner, being an active and engaged mother and steer the creative direction for our company. But, it’s all worth it. Knowing that our team has a hand in helping families all across the United States is always enough motivation to push through even the toughest of challenges.
SouleMama: How do you avoid burnout and keep yourself motivated?
Anne-Marie: I believe that business is a marathon, not a sprint. I treat my body like an athlete. I eat the right foods. I work out daily. I schedule in time with friends 3-4 times per month. I’m a bit militaristic about making sure that those areas get taken care of so that I do have the stamina to keep going and be self-employed. At work, I surround myself with people that are better and smarter than me. And, then I trust them to do their jobs. Delegation is key to surviving those long months when everyone is working extremely hard and firing on all cylinders. If there is one piece of advice I could ever give to entrepreneurs, it’s to treat your body well. Stay fit. Stay active. Fuel it right. You’ve got to have the energy to do the tough work that comes with being an entrepreneur.
For today's giveaway, Bramble Berry is generously offering the following to ONE winner:
(With this kit, you can quickly and easily infuse Sweet Almond oil with Calendula petals. Then use this nourishing oil in a simple, from-scratch lip balm recipe featuring Shea Butter and Natural Beeswax. There’s an instructional video that you can watch that guides you step by step through the process.)
In addition, Bramble Berry is offering SouleMama readers $5 off any order of $40 or more (not including shipping). Offer expires September 30, 2012. Use coupon code SOULEMAMA5 at checkout.
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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winner is....
Thanks for the chance to win!
Posted by: Liz Horton
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