Each day, Jimmy Gould finds himself pleasantly surprised that his local business, SoapStandle, is gaining momentum.
“I didn’t begin this with the expectation that it would be this successful,” Gould said. “I wanted to see if people liked the idea, but I didn’t have expectations that we’d do $1 million in revenue in a year.”
That number, however, is one Gould expects SoapStandle to hit in 2022. And it’s not the only milestone the company could reach soon: SoapStandle is set to sell its millionth product sometime in the second quarter.
“People continue to like it and want to find a solution to something they never knew there even was a solution to,” Gould said.
International expansion takes shape
The SoapStandle product serves as a handle and holder for soap bars, eliminating the gooey, sludge-like mess typical of bar soap. The idea for it originated in the shower, after a bar of soap, once again, slipped from Gould’s fingers. So, he bought modeling clay, shaped an oval, put points on one side, cooked it in the oven, and attached the tool to the bottom of a soap bar.
These days, SoapStandles are made of plastic, and manufactured through injection molding. The item is sold in boutique stores and on Amazon; and it’s ordered heavily by Dr. Squatch, the subscription soap service that has the product made in a forest green shade and rebrands it the “Squatch Gripper.”
While most of the company’s revenue and product orders come from Dr. Squatch — whose products, including the SoapStandle, are now sold at Walmart — it is partnering with other businesses that could expand its presence.
It’s set to co-brand its product with the Ireland-based Dublin Grooming Co., as well as the U.S.-based soap producer Lumbazzi. SoapStandle is also in talks with a German soap firm, and Gould hopes these deals could lead to partnerships as beneficial as the one it has with Dr. Squatch.
In addition to this, SoapStandle is close to releasing a version of its product designed to work with curved soap bars. While the current products can be used with curved bars of soap, they’re most effective with flat ones, which aren’t as common.
As Gould notes that major soap producers like Dove and Irish Spring use curved bars — so a SoapStandle tailored to that model could bring it an array of new opportunities.
“That’s why I’m excited about the curved one,” he said. “We see a lot of commentary, where people say, ‘I like the SoapStandle. It’s great; it works, but I use curved soap.”
Supply chain and supply challenges
Right now, however, Gould’s injection molds for the curved SoapStandles are headed to the U.S. by boat from China, and expected to arrive in early April. This would allow the company to start selling the new molds this summer. But amid severe international supply chain challenges, Gould knows delays are a possibility.
“It is a serious concern, with what’s going on in the world, with Ukraine, and China," he said. “I’m hoping [the shipment] doesn’t get held somewhere … until it’s in the factory, I’m a little nervous about it.”
This isn’t the only issue posed, either.
The products are packaged in a particular way, with the SoapStandles attached to biodegradable paper cards. Right now, however, finding paper is difficult — and this, to Gould, is an unexpected challenge.
“I never would have thought it’d be difficult to get paper,” he said. “But there’s no paper around, and the printing companies that do have paper are trying to keep it for their own customers. There’s just a huge supply problem."
Paper supply has diminished in recent years. When demand for e-commerce exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, many paper mills converted at least some paper operations to cardboard production to take advantage of its rising levels of demand. But the shift has lowered the amount of available paper.
This is something execs of Memphis-based paper manufacturer Sylamo referenced when expressing confidence in their company's prospects. A gradual decline in paper demand has been matched by a decline in supply; in North America, for example, uncoated freesheet capacity has been reduced by 1.5 million tons since 2019, according to Sylvamo SVP and general manager of the region, Greg Gibson.
Fortunately for Gould, SoapStandle's printer, Toof American Digital Printing, was able to find a supplier that had the type of paper needed. Gould estimates he bought enough to last his company a year.
And while the company has encountered challenges, Gould still believes SoapStandle can reach his initial, ambitious goal for the company — widespread usage throughout the U.S. in five years, and throughout the world in 10.
“I still think that’s possible,” he said. “I think it’s more possible now than I did then, because we’re seeing people from Germany and Ireland call us, and that’s just out of the blue."
