Starting a soap business doesn't cost much money and it's easy to do. Homemade soap is something many people really want and so you have a market for a product. People already know why homemade soap is better. It's just a matter of putting your product where people can find it. But where is that?

Your imagination is the limit to where your can sell soap. Here are 5 ways to sell your soap and start a soap business.

1. Farmers' Markets

Handmade soap can easily have a farmer connection. Herbal soaps are a natural for a farmer market. People who shop at these markets are already interested in "natural products" so get in front of those potential customers.

2. Consignments

Gift shops are everywhere and what a great small gift soap makes. The possibilities for soap as a gift are endless. Gift baskets or boxes are obvious. Why not team up with a gift basket company and sell your product with them.

3. Spa Soap

Check with local day spas. They will use your soap, especially if you can show the local connection that will appeal to their customers.

4. Bed and Breakfasts

Custom label small bars of soap for local bed and breakfasts. Maybe each establishment will only use a small number of bars, but what if you sell to all the local bed and breakfasts. Hey, take a vacation to a resort area and call on ALL the bed and breakfasts. Sell to all of them.

5. Craft shows.

This is my favorite method for starting a soap business. Put together a display of all your products. Get in a local craft show and practice telling people why handmade soap is great. Tell why yours is different. Some people will buy it. Give them a brochure so they can reorder. Collect addresses. Mail out a little catalog. My family sold 35,000 bars of soap in four years using just this approach.

Any of these methods will work if you follow up with customers and market more products to them. You can even give away natural soap to people and market other products as a follow up and still build a business. Starting a business is easy. Keeping it going and building it to more volume is harder.