The Dirty Heifers

The Dirty Heifers

by Margaret Connor
Entrepreneurship
Season 1
Episode 77- Heifer Huddle: Soap Makers Spill the Tea: Business Headaches & Customer Horror Stories
Welcome back to another "Heifer Huddle" on the Dirty Heifers Podcast! Tonight, Margaret, Jessie, and Shauna ditch the formal outlines to vent about the reality of running a handmade soap business. From the struggle of navigating social media restrictions and managing multiple shop locations to the weirdest customer interactions and our latest business "wins," we’re covering it all. Grab your soap and join the conversation! In this episode: 0:00 - Intro & Sponsor Spotlight: Bawauna Bath and Body 1:54 - "Jesse vs. The Dictionary": The Word of the Week 7:07 - Southernism of the Week 8:00 - Small Business Wins & Recent Fragrance Tests 13:20 - The Reality of "Blind" Noses & Olfactory Fatigue 15:35 - Soap Making Challenges: Molds & Dish Soap Success 18:37 - TikTok Lives: The Struggle with Restrictions 21:12 - Business Tasks We've Finally Mastered 32:00 - The Headache of Multi-Location Operations 45:40 - Trends We Secretly Hate (Yoni Soaps & Laugh Tracks) 1:01:00 - Small Business Opinions We’ll Defend Forever
S1 · E77
Jun 11, 2026
1:17:52
Episode 76: Am I The Heifer? Reddit’s Craziest Soap Drama
People will absolutely ruin friendships, family relationships, and even marriages over handmade soap—and we have the receipts to prove it. In this episode of the Dirty Heifers Podcast, we’re diving into the lathery legal system of Reddit to settle some serious scores. From friends demanding "mate's rates" on artisan bars to roommates causing literal bathroom warfare over eczema-safe soap, we’re breaking down what it actually means to be the "Heifer" in these situations. In this episode: Am I the Heifer? Reddit soap drama deep dive Setting boundaries with friends and family who want free product Why handmade soap is worth every penny (and why you shouldn't feel guilty about your prices) The reality of "influencers" asking for freebies Defining "Presumptuous" and "Wallered Out" with some Southern sass Shop the episode: Support farmhouse charm and southern sassery at Country Lather Soapworks. #SoapMaking #SmallBusinessTips #AmITheAsshole #DirtyHeifers #HandmadeSoap #BusinessBoundaries #RedditDrama 00:00 Intro & Welcome to the Dirty Heifers 01:35 Word of the Week: Presumptuous 05:06 Redneck Word of the Week: Wallered Out 08:06 Am I the Heifer? Friend wants "Mate's Rates" 14:55 Dealing with "Influencers" asking for freebies 20:03 Am I the Heifer? The Brother/Eczema Soap drama 27:15 The "Decorative Soap" nostalgia 30:22 Am I the Heifer? The Couple & The Soap Trauma 37:21 Am I the Heifer? The Roommate "Fair Game" debate 41:39 Soap in the Classroom: Kids and soggy bars 45:43 Small business boundary: Stop feeling guilty about pricing 46:11 Outro: That's What She Said
S1 · E76
Jun 4, 2026
48:02
Episode 75: Why Are People Paying $25 For SOAP?!
Why is EVERYTHING suddenly “luxury”? 👀 From $56 bars of soap to “fine fragrance mists,” the Dirty Heifers break down the rise of luxury branding in bath & body products — and whether it’s genius marketing or complete nonsense. We talk: 🧼 Triple-milled soap 💸 $25 acne soap bars 🛁 Bath & Body Works “luxury” rebrand 📦 Packaging psychology ✨ Self-care culture 👀 Why handmade soap is suddenly trendy again Featuring: Margaret from Warm & Fuzzy Soapery Jessie from Country Lather Soapworks Shauna from Bawauna Bath & Body If you love soapmaking, small business chaos, skincare trends, handmade products, or just hearing three heifers spiral about expensive lotion… welcome home. #soapmaking #smallbusiness #bathandbodyworks #luxury #handmadesoap #podcast
S1 · E75
May 28, 2026
1:03:07
Episode 74: Heifer Huddle-Why I'm Ordering a "Bunghole Wrench" From Amazon... 😳 (Heifer Huddle)
Welcome back to another chaotic Heifer Huddle! 🤠 This week, the girls are breaking down the absolute reality of running a handmade business, surviving extreme overtime, and trying not to lose their minds during life transitions. From an emergency Amazon purchase involving an incredibly questionable tool name, to a cold-process soap chemistry surprise that turned a white batch mauve pink with zero dye—we are covering it all. Plus, we're testing our vocabulary skills with the "Word of the Week" (with varying degrees of success) and figuring out how to manage massive custom-order inventories. Drop a comment below: Have you ever had a fragrance oil completely change your soap color unexpectedly? 👇
S1 · E74
May 21, 2026
1:15:30
Episode 73: Why Your Sales Are Disappearing (And How to Fix the Summer Slump)
Is your Shopify dashboard looking like a ghost town? You aren’t failing—you’re just experiencing the Summer Slump. ☀️📉 Every year, the weather warms up and small business sales cool down. In this episode of The Dirty Heifers, Margaret, Shauna, and Jessie break down exactly why engagement drops when the sun comes out and—more importantly—how to turn this "dead zone" into your most productive season of the year. In this episode, we cover: The Psychology of the Slump: Why customers stop clicking when they head to the lake. Survival Strategies: How to pivot to tourist-town wholesale and "strategic restocking". The Holiday Headstart: Why June is actually the best time to make your Christmas soap. Fragrance Testing 101: Real talk on color morphing and scent retention. Mental Health for Makers: How to separate your self-worth from your daily notifications. Don't let a slow week trick you into a "comparison spiral" or an unnecessary rebrand. Grab a cold drink, put on your "work helmet," and let’s get ready for the fall rush!. Support our sponsor: ✨ Bawana Bath and Body – Creative serotonin boosts for makers who need to unplug!. Subscribe for weekly unfiltered small business chaos!
S1 · E73
May 14, 2026
46:10
Episode 72: Market Survival: Craft Shows and Pop ups- A Vendors Guide
Thinking about selling at a craft fair, farmers market, or pop-up shop? Watch this FIRST. In this episode of The Dirty Heifers Podcast, we break down EVERYTHING no one tells you about vendor markets—from finding the right events to surviving your first show without losing your mind (or your profit 😅). One of us is preparing for a massive 4-day festival with 100,000+ people, while the rest of us spill real, unfiltered lessons from years in the vendor trenches: How to find GOOD markets (and avoid total flops) Booth setups that actually attract customers What sells vs what just sits there Pricing psychology & why cheap markets can cost you MORE Mistakes that cost us time, money, and sanity Dealing with weird customers (yes… all types 😬) How to know if you made money… or just worked all day for nothing Plus: 👉 The Word of the Week gets chaotic (as usual) 👉 Real stories from markets gone VERY wrong 👉 Practical tips you can actually use for your next event Whether you're a beginner vendor or scaling your handmade business, this episode will save you time, money, and a whole lot of frustration. 🎧 New episodes every week—subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. #DirtyHeifers #SmallBusiness #CraftMarkets
S1 · E72
May 7, 2026
1:28:51
Episode 71: Unexpected Skills & Mindset Shifts for Small Business Owners
In this episode of the Dirty Heifers podcast, Margaret, Jessie, and Shauna pull up a chair for a little "real talk" about the unexpected side of running a bath and body business. While most makers start out focused on the craft, the journey quickly demands a whole new set of skills—from mastering video editing and product photography to the complex psychology of pricing and the constant art of on-the-fly troubleshooting. The heifers share their personal experiences with shifting from a hobbyist mindset to a business owner mindset, including how they learned to value their work and stop the comparison trap. Plus, don’t miss our favorite segments: the Word of the Week (it’s not a pasta!) and a classic Southernism that might be an insult in disguise. In this episode, we discuss: Why video editing and social media are the skills you can't ignore. How understanding fragrance chemistry and suppliers "legitimizes" your brand. Jessie’s "macgyvered" solution for dispensing 100lb fragrance jugs. Moving past the fear of the camera and improving product photography. The psychology of pricing: Finding value in your bars
S1 · E71
Apr 30, 2026
1:06:51
Episode 70: Small Business Reality Check: What We Expected vs. What Actually Happened | Dirty Heifers
In this episode, Margaret (Warm and Fuzzy Soapery), Jessie (Country Lather Soapworks), and Shauna (Buona Bath & Body) pull back the curtain on the reality of running a bath and body business. From the shock of how much time goes into video editing to the surprising ease of scaling production, the heifers discuss the "rainbows and unicorns" they expected versus the spreadsheets and shipping boxes they actually got. In this episode, we cover: The "Redneck Word of the Week": Learning how to say "Eskatawpa" (and why it matters if you're a Three Doors Down fan). The Content Struggle: Why making engaging marketing content is often harder than the actual soap making. The Box Debate: Does packaging really drive sales, or is it just for the "shelf-appeal" in wholesale?. Scaling Up: Why making 100 bars isn't actually 10 times harder than making 10. Special thanks to our sponsor: Warm and Fuzzy Soapery.
S1 · E70
Apr 23, 2026
1:08:00
Episode 69: We Toured a 9-Building Fragrance Factory 😳 What Soap Makers NEVER See Behind the Scenes | AFI Tour
Ever wondered what actually happens before fragrance oils arrive at your soap studio? We got exclusive behind-the-scenes access inside Aromatic Fragrance International (AFI) — and what we saw completely changed how we think about fragrance suppliers. We toured NINE buildings, watched robot-assisted fragrance production, explored a fragrance library with thousands of scents, and learned how fragrance oils are made, tested, stored, and customized for soapmakers. If you're a soap maker, bath & body creator, candle maker — or just fragrance-obsessed — this episode pulls back the curtain on what really happens inside a professional fragrance manufacturer. Inside this episode: ✔ How fragrance oils are actually produced ✔ Why suppliers make batches to order (not shelf stock) ✔ The truth about “thousands of mystery ingredients” myths ✔ How fragrances are optimized differently for soap vs candles ✔ What surprised us most touring a 9-building facility ✔ Why networking with suppliers can change your business ✔ Advice every new maker needs before buying fragrance oils Plus… yes, they even had fragrances that smelled like gasoline, WD-40, and burning flesh 👀 Whether you're scaling your handmade business or just starting your soapmaking journey, this is one episode you don’t want to miss. Follow the Dirty Heifers: 🐄 Warm & Fuzzy Soapery 🐄 Country Lather Soapworks 🐄 Bawana Bath & Body Leave a review if you enjoyed the episode — it helps more makers find the show 💛
S1 · E69
Apr 16, 2026
1:23:26
Episode 68: No Naked Soaping & Other Business Updates (Heifer Huddle)
This week’s Heifer Huddle is exactly what you’d expect—business updates, industry surprises, moving chaos, and a whole lot of laughter along the way. 🐄✨ We kick things off with a truly sesquipedalian Word of the Week before diving into what’s happening behind the scenes in our soap businesses right now—from paint-your-own bath bombs for kids (and why lip-safe mica matters!) to unexpected TikTok Shop compliance violations under the INFORM Consumers Act. We also talk about: preparing inventory before a move filming boundaries between home and shop life April Fools supplier emails that fooled some of us surprise order bursts without posting content appliances mysteriously breaking right before moving (why does that always happen?!) and the usual off-the-rails Dirty Heifers moments you’ve come to expect It’s real talk about small business life, creative pivots, and the chaos that happens between batches. Pull up a chair and join the herd. 🧼💬
S1 · E68
Apr 9, 2026
59:52
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