Kiandra Sobczak is the founder of Belle Femme Products. Belle Femme Products creates amazing handmade soaps, beautiful bath & body products, and aromatic candles to make you feel beautiful, relaxed and re-energized.
All products can be used on men, women, and children. We use palm-free and natural ingredients in our products to ensure that they provide you with only the very best.
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
I have always had a passion for beauty and business, and was originally studying to become a nail tech; however, I lost interest in it after a couple of years as working full-time made it difficult to complete my studies.
I was looking through Pinterest one day and saw that handmade soaps were quite a hit. I had always wanted to run a business from home and thought that creating a business where I can sell my products online or at our local markets and festivals would be amazing.
Tell us about your business.
Based in Bundaberg QLD, I started it in March 2018. I first practiced making the products with some online kits I had purchased, then created my business name, Instagram, Facebook, email and webpage straight away. My father has invested in the business but I am the one who creates all of the products and does all the marketing.
For now, I have a stall at the 2018 Moore Park Beach Festival where I sell my soaps, candles, and moisturizers. I will upgrade my website and get the online store up and running as soon as possible.
I aim to become a stay at home mum, so running a business from home would be perfect for me so having something like production label printers makes labeling our products a lot easier and saves time.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
I am not currently running anything; however, I do have some free samples to give away to close family and friends who live locally.
List awards/certifications/accomplishments.
- Certificate 3 in Businesses
- Positive Notice Blue Card
- Highest mark in the region for 2013 in Business at a VHA 8
Where is your business based?
Bundaberg QLD, Australia.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
I re-pinned a lot of information on Pinterest, joined Facebook groups and ordered a kit online. I started up a Facebook business page, Instagram account, email, webpage and made some accounts with suppliers.
I did lots of research and wrote my plans down, as that is how I personally process information. I also watched videos on YouTube.
Finally, I tried the soaps myself, gave one to each of my parents and even got my fiancé to start using them!
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
The most effective way has been through social media, especially Instagram and Facebook.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
My biggest challenge so far has been trying to take it slow. I am one who just jumps the gun and wants to go from being an average everyday person to having this famous brand sold all over the world.
How did you overcome these challenges?
My dad has been the one to bring me back down to earth, reminding me to test different things and make improvements, as well as reduce our costs as much as possible while still having enough inventory to create our products and therefore profit. He also has given me many marketing tips.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
I read a lot of quotes on Pinterest! I also see Instagram and Facebook posts from influencers who talk about their business and how they got it to be so successful etc.
Reading their stories makes me motivated to just do it because if I don’t get up and do the work, then who will?
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
I don’t sugarcoat anything. I tell it how it is.
We use the best quality products from our suppliers, which are palm free and natural, and we have a few tricks up our sleeves that I won’t reveal, but it does set us out from the rest.
What is the best advice you have received recently?
It’s better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Just go for it and don’t stop working hard.
What are your favorite business tools/resources and why?
I don’t really have any at this stage, but I am looking for them.
Lady Boss Blogger does seem to be quite good!
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
To be honest, I haven’t had the time to read articles or books, but I have downloaded the Entrepreneur App, which has plenty of helpful articles.
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
I am currently learning about social media and marketing. I am also doing a free online course to determine the financial health of a business and keep all the financials on track; it provides some great tips and advice.
I would love help with trying to get more customers and to promote my business as much as I can so that I can sell my products online.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
Make a heap of soaps, candles, and moisturizers for the 2-day festival coming up. I am going to see how that goes, and if it seems to do alright, then I will sign up to other markets in Bundaberg and do a market once a week or once every 2 weeks.
My goal is to have more Instagram and Facebook followers. I try to ensure that I keep everything up to date and that I don’t post too much each week. About 4 times per week is good for me.
I will also be doing some more research regarding the benefits of my products and researching business tools along with different ways to “get out there”.
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Instagram @bellefemme__products
Facebook @bellefemmeproducts
Website productsbellefemme.wixsite.com/bellefemmeproducts
Email productsbellefemme@gmail.com