Etsy Featured Shop: Dr. K Soap Company

Congratulations to our Etsy Ireland team member, Rob Karreman. His shop, Dr. K Soap Company was featured on the Etsy blog last week. Well done Dr. K!

Here is the original post as taken from the Etsy blog: https://blog.etsy.com/en/2014/featured-shop-dr-k-soap-company/.

Photo by Dr. K Soap Company

Story by Rob Karreman

Published on May 23, 2014 in Shop

My name is Rob Karreman, or “Dr. K” of Dr. K Soap Company. I was born in Cape Town, South Africa and moved to Ireland in 2007. I’m now an Irish citizen, and currently live in County Cork, Ireland.

I started my business in 2011 after funding ran out for my position as a lab researcher at a university. Soapmaking always appealed to the biochemist and scientist in me, so it was a natural transition. I really liked the idea of experimentation in my own lab; it was, and still is, an exciting and fun journey to come up with a range of body care products. While my business started in the kitchen, I have since moved to a dedicated workshop which has greatly enhanced my creativity and productivity. Graphic design and photography, which are both hobbies for me, have proven invaluable in the establishment and promotion of my brand.

Inspiration for my products is intrinsic to my personality – I am inquisitive and a perfectionist, so product formulation and development checks all the right boxes. I have always loved nature; living in Ireland, I am fortunate to be surrounded by lush unspoiled beauty, which inspires the use of all-natural ingredients and earthy colors in my packaging.

I found out about Etsy while looking for ways to get my product out to a worldwide market. I was inspired by Etsy’s approach to the promotion of handmade wares and a self-sufficient working culture, so I joined up right away. Since Ireland is a small island with a relatively small population, Etsy became my “window to the world,” and before I knew it, I was exporting my soapy wares to far-flung corners of the globe. Some exotic destinations I have shipped to include French Guinea, the Cayman Islands, Haiti and the Faroe Islands. Etsy has had a profound effect on my life – it has helped create an income and a full-time job for me.

My future goals involve developing more all-natural, personal care products for men. I would also like to “give back” to the country that took me in by creating local Irish job opportunities. My long-term dream is to have a workshop in the countryside with views of mountains and waterfalls that exemplify the charm and romanticism of this beautiful country.

All photographs by Dr. K Soap Company. 

Calling all Bloggers or Blogger Wannabes

Recently I set up my own website at www.ShenWong.com. As you can imagine it is becoming too much work to maintain both the site as well as my Etsy Shop. As such, I am making the transition to move my efforts and resources from Etsy to my own site. While my Etsy shop will still be open, I will not be updating it with new products. With the move, it no longer makes sense for me to keep my position as Etsy Ireland Blog Co-Ordinator. Nor do I have the time anymore. So this role is now open to all Etsy Ireland members. 

Do you currently blog? If not, would you like to? There are many benefits to blogging for Etsy Ireland.

Reasons why you should blog for us:

• Gain exposure to a huge audience,
• Improve your writing skills,
• Share your ideas with real people who want to hear them,
• Improve SEO by adding a link to shop in your posts,
• Meet like minded people,
• Great way to get more involved with the team.

If you would like to get involved, convo Sue at AmazingBeads.

I just wanted to thank you all for your lovely comments and feedback this year. You have no idea how good it feels when someone makes the effort to leave a kind comment after all the work you put into writing a post. It lets me feel the love. Good to know that someone is reading ;)

Keep up the great work all you wonderful crafters! I know where I will be shopping for my all my unique handmade Birthday & Christmas gifts! -_^

Leave a comment below if you can think of other benefits for blogging with the Etsy Ireland team.

Hot Topic #1: Short Term Enterprise Allowance - Financial Support

Many people may be put off working full time on their craft business. But with some savings and a bit of knowledge of financial facilities available, your dreams can be within reach!

How I quit my job and got supplemented support:

1. Applied for the Back To Work Enterprise Allowance,
2. Prepared a detailed business plan,
3. Applied for the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance with the Tolka Partnership.

          Weekly allowance approved!

After I left my job, I knew that I wanted to set up my own business. This will be a slow process as there is a lot of set up work and I will not be bringing in much money within the first couple of months.

To overcome the lack of income in the early stages of my set-up, I applied for the Back To Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) otherwise known as the dole or scratcher. This is a fund for people who are unemployed. Until I've created business viable products, I considered myself to be an unemployed person pursuing on a VERY expensive hobby/idea. On that basis, it is fair for me to avail of this fund.

Recently I completed my online shop set up on Etsy, and made some sales, so it was no longer fair for me to be on an unemployment allowance. I have since successfully applied for the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA). This pays the same as the BTWEA and for the same nine month period, but rather than coming out of a pot for unemployed people, it is for start up entrepreneurs. 

Benefits of STEA over BTWEA

• Money is paid straight into your bank account.
• No need to sign-in anymore at the unemployment office.
• No need to attend meetings with case worker.

Note: You cannot get the STEA grant if you are registered as a sole trader.

The resources I mentioned are only available in Ireland. But there should be support in most countries. Remember, Google is your best friend for information!

Resources

For full information on the STEA & BTWEA > Here 

Application for STEA form > http://www.welfare.ie/en/pdf/stea1.pdf

How to apply for STEA:

- If you live in an area covered by a local development company (xls) (LDC), apply to the Enterprise Officer.

- If you do not live in an LDC area, apply to the Jobs Facilitator in your social welfare local office.

Etsy Ireland - New Blog Co-Ordinator

BIG HELLO AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS!!!

It's just turned 2014 and I have taken on the blog co-ordinator role for Etsy Ireland. On behalf of the admin team and readers of the blog, I would like to thank Rebecca for all her hard work during her time as Blog Co-ordinator. It will be hard to follow-up on all her great work, but I will give it my best!

Me - Shen Wong

About Me
Born in Hong Kong, my family moved to Ireland when I was a toddler. Within a couple of months here, I won the title of Cutest baby in Drogheda of 1982. After my win, we moved away from the glitz and fame to North Dublin.

Recently I set up my own business selling handmade jewellery via Etsy at Shen Wong Jewellery. Whats sets my work apart is the drive that I have to succeed and be different. 'Wired by Shen' is a jewellery wrapping technique that I developed. This technique is unique to my jewellery, it not only eliminates links between beads, but gives my products a polished finish. Read my press release here.



Etsy Ireland Blog
With the new year, I thought I might added one or two new resources. Before I do, I would like to assess the interest. Let me know if you think either of the below would be of interest. I am open to suggestions and ideas.

Ideas:

- Updated Competition Post
List of competitions submitted by team members. This way we can all enter and help spread the word about our members. Win-Win!

 - Markets and opportunities Post
Updated with links to markets and pop-up shops around Ireland

To read my weekly posts, just click on 'Hot Topics' on the left of the page. Starting from next week I will post the following topics. Based on comments and feedback from readers, we will decide on future topics. 

Ideas for Posts:
- How to get government allowance/support (STEA etc).
- Recognition for your craft, how to register with the Crafts Council of Ireland 
- Social media - what's available
- How to draw attention to your market stand

Feel free to connect with me as I would love to chat!

Shen Wong

Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/ShenWongCo 
Twitter      https://twitter.com/shenwongco
Blog          http://blog.shenwong.com/