In life, pain and struggle can birth the most successful business ideas and this was the case for Troy, Michigan resident Camilla Rice.
Rice, a manufacturing systems engineer at the Ford Motor Company, did everything in her power to relieve her young son of his eczema issues, the Detroit Free Press reports.
She tried over-the-counter remedies, doctor-prescribed medications and in-store soaps and creams. In the aftermath, she was left with increasing expenses instead of a solution for her son’s sensitive skin.
After inquiring with her support system, one of her co-workers recommended that she try her hand at making her own soaps. Rice would utilize her local library to get familiar with the soap making process. When she saw that the organic and vegan soap that she made was effective in treating her son’s skin condition she launched the Green Olive Soap online business in 2016. The brick-and-mortar would open in 2019.
“My son’s eczema was the primary reason I started making soap. As a baby, his eczema was very viral,” Rice said. “The creams and things I was receiving from the dermatologist just wasn’t working. The handmade soap I found for exfoliating was very expensive. It was $15 for 3 ounces. My friend ended up buying me my first soap making kit. And I fell in love with it.”
Rice’s store would feature skincare remedies for dry skin, those with allergies, and to combat harsh weather conditions. The business started booming. Yet, Rice, 42, continued to work at Ford Motors.
“I have quite a few customers at Ford but when I’m on Ford’s time, I don’t talk about my soap business,” Rice said. “I don’t. I’m an engineer. I’m a very specific personality. But if it’s my lunch break, and if I have orders, I’ll hand them out off campus.”
Now, orders are being made as far as the west coast and deep south. Rice says that the business grew out of word of mouth. She would tell people she worked with about her son and the business birthed from his condition and they would tell more people. She also would post on social media. One customer Cheryl Miller discovered the company on Facebook.
“I like to take nice bubble baths, and her soaps are so soft and smell good and look pretty,” the 55-year-old repeat customer said. ” I love anything peppermint and bought peppermint soap. Then lavender, raspberry vanilla, coconut. When you store these under the cabinet, they smell pretty without even using them.”
Customers like the fact that they can purchase chemical-free skincare products and also get advice from Rice. Apparently, Rice makes it a habit to respond to all emails and inquiries, adding a personal touch to the buying experience.
Rice fell into entrepreneurism, but finds a way to balance her full-time job at Ford with running her own business. Her strategy is to block out Saturdays to make products in her home studio. Then, she opens the store on Fridays and Saturdays. If customers can’t make it during that time, she arranges appointments for customers to do their shopping.
The only employee in the shop, Rice will occasionally hire an extra hand. Not bad for a full-time working mother of two.
