Candace Alarie of SOAK Bath Co.
SOAK Bath Co is a Canadian luxury, handcrafted bath and body brand based in Niverville, Manitoba, makers of bath bombs and soap bars using all natural, vegan friendly ingredients and packaging that are sustainable and locally sourced. SOAK Bath Co’s signature soap bars are wrapped with biodegradable, plantable seed paper labels that grow into wildflowers when planted. SOAK Bath Co products can be found in over 200 retail shops across Canada and the USA.
As Founder & CEO of SOAK Bath Co, Candace Alarie strives to create a positive and welcoming brand where customers can feel amazing using her products. Not only does she create products that make your skin sing, she gives her audience a glimpse of the day-to-day behind the scenes of building and running a business, sharing the true challenges of what it means to pursue a dream while allowing everyone to come along for the ride.
CKSOAKBATHCO.COM // @CKSOAKBATHCO
The Journey to Entrepreneurship
Was there a time in your life you knew you were destined for more?
I started to really feel this calling in the last year of working my corporate job. A few things shifted that year, including a new boss who created a toxic work environment amongst our colleagues and our peers. I was no longer lit up by the work I was doing and yet I still spent so many hours working to build someone else’s dream. Through that last year I began to allow myself to wonder what would happen if I left my oh-so-cushy corporate job. What would happen if I took the leap and tried to build something for myself? It was truly terrifying to consider letting go of the comforts of a six-figure salary with a company car that was paid for. I was financially independent, so why would I throw that away for something that wasn’t guaranteed?
The last 3 months in my corporate role I really knew it was time to leave. I was ready to sacrifice the comforts of the life I was living and build the dream I envisioned since I was young. You see, while building my corporate career I always had the nagging voice in the back of my head, reminding me that this wasn’t exactly what I was supposed to be doing, reminding me that I should be building and working for my own dream. In March 2019, I finally walked away from my corporate role to see what I could do with the SOAK Bath Co brand.
What challenges have you overcome, and what have you learned about yourself in the process?
I am straight up still living in the challenge. Starting a business was more challenging than I ever imagined. Cut to a pandemic with a business that’s a few months old and continuing to navigate everything this pandemic brings with it. Sigh. I have to say the most challenging part of the business thus far was the first 6 months. What I didn’t expect was the number of roadblocks that would come up. Roadblocks that were put up by other people saying, “What makes you think you can do this?”, as well as potential suppliers looking down their nose at me when sourcing quotes and product applications. Even family, no doubt looking out for what they thought was my best interest, would question why I’d thrown away a great job to start all over again and take on the hours and expenses of a startup. I didn’t expect to receive so much adversity from other people for the vision I’d cast for this business.
Now, I better understand why I received this type of criticism. I learned it’s not a natural course that most people will choose to take. It’s a small percentage of us that can cast a vision, build something from nothing and weather the storm that it brings. To me, it wasn’t even a question that I could build this or what this business would be. The more adversity I received, the harder I pushed to get the result I wanted. The more creative I got in order to achieve a desired outcome. What I learned in the first 6 months is how resilient I can be, how strong (and very stubborn) I can be to truly create a vision. This skillset, this muscle that was flexed so many times in the beginning, laid the foundation for the next phase of scaling the business.
What is your why? How do you ensure you are living your life “on purpose” as much as possible?
My why is to be an example of what’s possible to other women. In my ten years in corporate I had the opportunity to manage and mentor many bright women that were ascending the ranks. I remember being so shocked at how many of them struggled with confidence in their abilities. Now being in the business community and being surrounded by a lot of women entrepreneurs, I see the same issue is all too common. I want to be just one more example of a woman that had a dream and had the guts and confidence to go for it. I don’t have it all figured out, and many days can be messy and a bit of a blur, but I have no question that I’ll figure out the path that will lead me to my goal. I no longer question my worth, even as a small brand in a big sea of competition, I know I’ll get to where I’m headed.
I want that knowing for every woman. Whether it’s someone that just wants to feel more confident in their job, in their home life, their business, their wellness journey, anything! I want to be an example that we are worthy just the way we are. Imagine what a better place the world might be if we transferred the energy we give to wondering what others think about us and we channeled that into creating positive change.
Where do you see yourself and/or your life in the next year? What do you hope to see in the world and/or hope to accomplish?
This next year of our business is going to be focused on scaling further and creating systems to set the business up to be self-sustaining. For me that means another little sprint in the hopes of building something that I can walk away from when I want to – like take a vacay for example!
I’m carving out more time to be able to connect with new communities on new platforms and amazing memberships like this one at RevolutionHer. It’s so important to build a network around us that is supportive and is a safe space to share common struggles in the hopes of moving each other forward.
I’ve been pitching what some may consider some “lofty” brand collaborations for the next year or two, so fingers crossed we’ve got some fun announcements coming in the next few months!
Candace’s Top Tips for Other Women
You can do anything, but not all at once.
My mom has told me this more times than I can count in the last 3 years. My tendency is to do all the things and to do them all right now! I believe a common symptom of high achieving women is we want to do all the things. Not only to prove that we can, but it’s in our nature to take on more than we probably should. Review your goals and prioritize the steps and strategies it will take to get there. Then schedule those steps out with the intention of giving yourself the space you need.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
It takes an entire village to build a business and to bring a dream to life. When you’re building your dream, there is so much crossover from work life to family life it’s nearly impossible to keep the two worlds separate. Many of us have networks we’re a part of that we can ask for help. Digital networks like Facebook groups, local networks you can lean on – neighbours, family and friends. Many times we can get caught up in thinking we have to do everything all by ourselves, but we haven’t even made the effort to reach out for help. Ask for help, for even the smallest things that might make a huge difference in your life. The worst anyone can say is no, which you’ll get anyways if you don’t ask.
Don’t be afraid to accept help.
This one is different from what’s mentioned above. Many times we go through life and we’re offered help but we’re either too stubborn, too proud or too used to blocking everyone out and doing everything ourselves to accept help. When someone offers to help make your life a little easier, and you’re panicking that you just don’t have enough time in the day, accept the help! It will lighten your load and probably make your day a little brighter.
Set boundaries early on.
This is especially important with customers and employees. It’s easier for customers and employees to understand your boundaries if you set them from the get go. It’s much harder to re-establish boundaries if you’ve started these relationships by having none. Setting boundaries will impact your mental health, which impacts your ability to make clear and well thought out decisions for your life and business.
Understand there are seasons where you need to sprint and seasons where you need to slow down.
This can be a tough one to identify because everything always seems important. Building a business as a whole is a marathon, if you are in constant sprint mode your body will eventually force you into slowing down. And it may choose to do that when your business needs you to be in sprint mode. This doesn’t make for a happy business owner (you) and can often affect your customers and employees negatively. When there are lulls or times you know, deep down, that you don’t need to be running at full speed, take the time to slow down, rest and recharge for that next sprint surely coming ahead.
Many times when I am in circles of women entrepreneurs I hear things like, “when do you know to do this” and “when do you know to do that.” It’s so common for us to second guess every single step we take. Trust that you know what you’re doing. We all need to give ourselves a lot more credit than we do. You know your business more than anyone else. Often we look outside for answers on what to do next or we take steps to build a business we don’t even want. Stop and learn to listen and trust yourself. You’re the one building this business, this dream and your reason for building it is different from the next person. So trust yourself and make the decision that’s right for you.
If you’d like to say hello and follow along on our journey, follow us over on instagram @cksoakbathco or shop our product line at cksoakbathco.com
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