What first inspired you to begin Valencia Bath Treats?
I have always loved bath and body products! I remember being 6 years old and sneaking into my mum’s bathroom to play with her lotions and mixing creams to experiment with new fragrances. After graduating, I began a career in IT but I found I wasn’t being challenged creatively so I started making soap after hours, more as a hobby to begin with. I was getting really great feedback on my products so I turned it into a business and I have never been happier! My business is truly my passion.
What has your experience been creating your product and getting it on the market?
Watching my business grow has been such a rewarding experience for me. It was a big step taking it from a hobby to a business and definitely a little scary! From our first market stall, to launching our Etsy store and website to stocking in our first boutique, each milestone has been exciting and provided me with valuable insight into customer demands and the world of retail.
Paulina shares the ups and downs of starting her own business.
Valencia Bath Treats
Do you have any questions or comments for Paulina? Ask her in the comments.
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What were the biggest challenges you faced?
My experience with Valencia Bath Treats has been such a pleasant ride so far so I guess I’m pretty lucky. I would have to say the biggest challenge that I’ve come across is in regards wearing every hat in the business from pouring every candle to marketing and finance. I have a fantastic support team of family and friends that always help out during extremely busy periods.
Is there anything you wish you had known before you started?
I wish I had appreciated sleep more! There have definitely been some long, late nights in the Valencia Bath Treats HQ with rush orders!
What’s the most important thing you have learnt along the way?
I have learnt so much along the way and I’m still always learning new things. I truly believe that hard work and passion pay off when you find your calling because, as cheesy as it sounds, it doesn’t feel like work when you are doing something you love.
I’ve also learnt just how powerful social media is as most of my marketing is done via Instagram and Facebook. Social medial allows me to visually display snippets of the Valencia Bath Treats world – from behind the scenes, to new products to giveaways and promotions. It also provides me with an outlet for feedback as I love hearing customer thoughts on our products.
If one of our readers had a product they wanted to take to market, how would you recommend they go about it?
I would definitely recommend Etsy to anyone who makes handmade products they would like to sell. The community on Etsy is amazing and it is so easy to communicate with like-minded sellers who genuinely help each other succeed.
I would also encourage new businesses find out who their target demographic is so they can hold stalls at the most appropriate market or contact the most appropriate boutiques and stores about wholesale opportunities to get their products on the shelves.
We discovered you on Etsy, where are you planning to take the business from there?
We’re so excited about the direction the business is heading in! Earlier this year we launched our own online store (valenciabathtreats.com) and we have also started stocking our products in different boutiques Australia wide. We hope to one day have very own retail store where our customers can smell all of our amazing scents and sample our products.
We interviewed creator of Valencia Bath Treats, Paulina Valencia, to find out all about what inspired her to start her own business and where she plans to go from here.
You can check out the full range of Valencia Bath Treats producs at their website.
