Today, we’d like to introduce you to Laurisa Spears.
Hi Laurisa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I am a lifelong Nashvillian born and raised. I have been fortunate enough to raise my family here as well. I have three amazing children and a wonderful husband. I love sharing and exploring with my family and friends everything this beautiful city and state has to offer.
I graduated from MTSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry. Having sensitive skin for many years limited my use of most commercial soap and bath products. So, I decided to put my education and desire for pampering bath products to good use. I started making my soap in 2012 and quickly fell in love with it as a folk art. Over the years, I began to add more products and experiment with more formulations. I then decided to concentrate on the products I love to make and perfect those creations. In 2018, I realized a demand for handcrafted bath products, and Hen House Bath Co. was born.
My original recipe included tallow, which is not vegan. My daughter, a vegetarian, really wanted to use my soaps but was disappointed about the animal content. I went back to the drawing board. I reformulated everything. I didn’t want the products to just be vegan. I wanted to go further and ensure the materials were also cruelty-free and sustainably sourced. I also confirm that the suppliers I use hold these values at their core.
As I worked to continue to narrow my brand focus, I kept coming back to how much I love Tennessee. I then decided to focus all my products on a local theme. You can find soaps, candles, and bath products that draw inspiration from The Ryman, The Great Smoky Mountains, Beale Street, and more. They are all unique blends that capture the essence of our local and state beauty.
In 2023, my soap-making business had to take a sudden pause. I had been diagnosed with breast cancer requiring surgery. In December, at the height of my busiest time of year, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy. My family continued to ship orders, and customers continued to support my business. Recovery hasn’t always been easy, but I decided I would share my journey via social media so that others could see that you can overcome cancer.
As I went through the process of mastectomy, pathology, learning if I would need chemo (thankfully, I didn’t!), and reconstructive surgery, it became increasingly obvious I needed to do more than just share my story with everyone. I needed to do something that could be even more impactful. On World Cancer Day, I decided to begin donating part of my profits to the Sarah Cannon Cancer Fund of Tennessee.
They help fund research in the US and UK and provide patient support programs for those battling the disease here in Middle Tennessee. Partnering with Sarah Cannon is just natural. She’s an icon from Tennessee, and she happens to be from my grandad’s hometown. I’m so incredibly proud to feature the beauty of Nashville in my products and to be able to use my business and platform to help my fellow Tennesseeans.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been plenty of challenges over the years. As a solo entrepreneur, learning all aspects of the business can be challenging. Formulating products is easy for me, but learning all of the soft side skills, including marketing and finance, were the aspects where I initially struggled. Aside from those items and my personal health issue, the obstacles that were really prevalent during 2020 and 2021 were related to the supply chain.
While there was a huge increase in support for small and online businesses, it created new challenges from a combination of a sudden increase of other creators entering the same spaces mixed with extremely limited raw materials. We all found ourselves looking to source anything from multiple distributors, from soap ingredients to candle jars, with exponentially increasing costs. Unfortunately, while the supply chain has returned to normal, makers are still dealing with ever-rising raw material costs.
At the end of 2023, soap makers were hit with another hurdle when it was revealed that there was a worldwide olive oil shortage, causing the cost of one of our most common ingredients to continue to rise without an end in sight. I am constantly evaluating COGs and trying to balance providing an affordable product in the midst of rising costs.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I specialize in creating vegan and sustainably sourced soaps, candles, and bath products. I hope that my love of Tennessee and commitment to creating environmentally conscious products continue to set me apart in the market. I think soap will always be my proudest creation because it’s where I started. There’s so much science that goes into making soap, and it can be a little bit of a mystery as to what the final product will look like at the end.
Overall, I love the chemistry behind all of the products I offer. I love researching ingredients and learning everything I can about them. It really helps to be able to formulate a beautiful soap, a well-performing candle, or our popular shower melts. I don’t just research the raw ingredients; I’m always on the hunt for better, more sustainable packaging, opting for biodegradable wherever possible, and even our shrink wrap is eco-friendly.
What does success mean to you?
I think it’s easy to use conventional measurements to determine success, for example, gross profit, cost of goods, average sales, and so on, and I keep track of those KPIs. However, real success comes from creating products that people love to use and share with family and friends.
The bonus is to continue to showcase the beauty of our area. As long as I can do that in a responsible way, I’m happy. Creating a business that is fulfilling brings me joy, and that’s my measure of success.
Contact Info:
- Website: HenHouseBathCo.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/henhousebathco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/henhousebathco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@henhousebathco
Image Credits
Hen House Bath
