Reference no: EM13849696

The Clandestine

Small Business Management

Business Description

The Clandestine is a retail business that sells personal care products to its customers. These products include soaps, lotions, bath products, etc. Customers will also be able to have the opportunity to create their own type(s) of soap(s) and/or lotion(s) with the help of our staff members. Products that are sold within the shop will be available for purchase online at https://www.theclandestineshop.com that can be delivered by mail in the U.S. for free or delivered outside of the country for the standard price. There will also be products that help skin problem sufferers such as eczema, acne, rosacea, etc. However, these products will not be able to be created by customers, and will be sold as is. Prices will vary depending on time and product spent.

Vision Statement

Our company will change the way our customers feel and express themselves in a way that fits their needs and their desires. We are able to provide the best experience and customer satisfaction through not only our services, but with the love that we put in each and every homemade batch that our customers take home with them to enjoy.

Mission Statement

It is our mission to provide high quality customer service and create products that sooth our customer's needs and desires.

Personal Motivation

I first saw soap being homemade when I walked into a friend's house one summer afternoon. Smelling the sweet aroma of tulips and lavender, I asked what it could possibly be. I then later saw bars of soap all over the place. They were so beautiful, that I couldn't help myself but to ask about them. That was years ago. I now recently became unemployed, while still attending Kaplan University online. So, I decided to cash out my 401k as a deposit on my own shop! I learned to chemically master the art of fragrance and personal care products. As a marketing tactic, I made samples with my business card on it and introduced my products door to door. They became a hit and my business a success!

Description of Products or Services

Welcome to The Clandestine! Our company is a family friendly shop that creates, and allows others to create, soaps, lotions, and other bath products. Our pride comes from our most famous bar soaps that relieve skin complications such as acne, eczema, rosacea, etc.

The Clandestine allows consumers to have the ability to relieve most ailments and their symptoms, using completely natural ingredients. We make it like they did back in the old days. For example, lye is one of the main ingredients when making bars of soap. We make it naturally by leaching water through wood ashes. This process is fully patented and is the key ingredient when making this type of product. Soap making oils are then weighed and heated. The lye is then added to the pot and mixed thoroughly. The best part comes after this, allowing the sweet scents and/or additives to flourish within the mixture. This can be any creative assortment that sparks the imagination. Colorant can then be added to generate even more beauty to the blend. Once this is all completed, it is then poured into one of the many molds we stock, then placed in a cold chamber. It takes roughly 24 hours to set and customers, who have created their own product(s), may pick their product up once we have called to confirm their product(s) ready. Customers may also have us ship them, completely free within the United States, if preferred.

Allow The Clandestine to become popularized by inviting friends and/or family members! We are hoping to grow our business and become international so that we are able to bring more unique, and natural, ingredients to our shops. However, our first venture is heading towards Hawaii, so that we are able to create a tropical line of ingredients to the assortment. This looks to be happening within the next few years!

Families may also come in and create their own bars of soaps that contain their own unique scents. We are unlike any other shops because we are able to purchase all of our own materials locally from eco-friendly farms. Please stop by and enjoy the sweet smelling processes of our bath products!

Marketing Plan: Market Analysis

One source stated, "Many businesses make the mistake of trying to appeal to too many target markets(Business USA)."Because our company believes in learning from other's mistakes, we narrowed our target market to females with skin ailments, between the ages of eighteen to forty years.Our growth rate was determined to be at a ten percent increase each quarter for the next five years. After the fifth consecutive year, the growth rate will possibly be between one and five percent increase per quarter. Each ingredient that is used will be priced at five percent above retail cost (not including bulk cost).

The competition would consist of other businesses such as Walmart, Bath and Body Works, etc. However, there are no other companies like ours because we strictly only sell natural products. We are also the only shop that allows customers to create their own scented bar soaps.The hours of operations are Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00AM until 8:00PM. Sunday and Monday we will be closed. These hours may be subject to change upon management's decision.

Marketing Plan: Marketing Strategy

As shown above, the proposed pricing strategy and growth rate combined, allows future growth internationally. The first brochure and commercial will be as stated earlier as well. Our company will offer customers within the first month of our opening day discounted rates and weekly bars of soap making demonstrations. Online customers will also experience discounted prices and free standard local shipping through Fed Ex. Non-locals will still be able to get the product at the discounted price. However, they will have to pay the standard shipping rate via Fed Ex.

Operational Plan

1. Information about your products or services including how and where your products or services are produced, production techniques, quality control, customer service, inventory control, and product development;

2. Information about your proposed business location including any location requirements such as space, type of building, zoning, power, and other utilities, access, parking, etc., estimated total location expenses, business hours, any major required building alteration;

3. Information about your proposed venture's legal and regulatory environment including any licenses required, any health, workplace, or environmental regulations affecting the business, any special professional requirements, zoning or building code requirements, insurance coverage, and any trademarks, patents, or copyrights held or required;

4. Information about proposed personnel including the number of employees (excluding management), type of labor, source of this labor, pay structure, required training, and any possible use of contract workers;

5. If Applicable, information about the inventory including the type of inventory (raw or finished goods), any seasonable impacts, and ordering lead times;

6. Information about key suppliers including a listing and discussion of key suppliers, their credit policies, history of reliability, need for backup suppliers, any expected delivery problems, and any anticipated increases in supply costs; and

7. Information about your proposed venture's credit policies including any plans to sell on credit, needs to sell on credit, credit policies, credit limits, credit terms, any discounts, and cost estimates of the use of credit.)