Our first small business we're checking out is Dope on a Rope Soap. Formed by a husband and wife team, Dope on a Rope Soap is a small business doing BIG business around the nation as well as worldwide. Here's a glimpse in to their business and how they are helping to pave the way for other small business and entrepreneurs...
1. How and when did the inspiration for Dope on a Rope Soap come about? Funny you should ask! It was Thanksgiving of 2008. Jason was in the shower (where all great ideas come to him), and behold, the idea hit him like a lightening bolt. A hemp leaf-shaped soap...made with hemp oil...on a hemp rope...called...DOPE on a ROPE! Much to our Thanksgiving company's dismay, he came running out of the shower with many questions - "Has Dope on a Rope Soap been made yet?!"..."What should it smell like?"..."Where would we sell it, and how do we make this work?" We both had jobs at the time - Jason was a full time wild land firefighter, and I (Jenny) was working odd jobs here & there to help make ends meet. The idea stayed with Jason for months, until one day in the summer of 2009...he lost his job. At the time, it was a devastating loss to us, as we had moved out to Colorado for his job, and bought a house less than a year before. I still remember pulling in to the driveway that afternoon, and seeing Jason standing there with a beer in his hand. I could tell something was wrong, he wasn't supposed to be home this early. I rolled down my window as he handed me the beer with a sticky note on it, which read "This is the first beer towards the rest of our lives." He told me how he had lost his job, and we cried together, and yes, we thought it was the end of the world. And then he told me he had a plan. We would start a company. We would introduce the soap in to the world, and we would make it work! We began testing different soap recipes and Dope on a Rope Shapes, and the rest really is history...
2. What were the main struggles you faced when starting your business? There were many! Honestly, we found it difficult to find legit people whom we trusted to give us advice on how to start the business, and do it right the first time. We were looking for someone who had most if not all of the answers to our questions about everything, from how to price the soaps, to what areas we should invest money in (advertising? branding? employees?), to what structure our business should be. Of course, no one out there has all the answers for your particular business, but we did find a really good free resource - our local Small Business Development Center. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provide a vast array of technical
assistance to small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. You can get one on one consulting at no cost, and they are nationwide. If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner seeking guidance, we highly suggest checking out your local SBDC. You can find one here. Figuring out taxes and accounting was also a struggle when starting our business. We will say this...good accountants are GOLDEN!
3. What are the top rewards of running your own business and working for yourself? There are many! "Freedom" comes to mind right away. We can basically make our own schedule. Creativity. New ideas are always popping in to our heads & working for ourselves allows us to create, experiment, and bring our ideas to fruition! One of our mottos when we came together was "To live no ordinary life." Working for ourselves basically frees us up to, well, live. We are able to live how we want and when we want. The sense of fulfillment we have gained from starting and running our business is nothing short of amazing. We are grateful everyday for the opportunity to do this, to live our dreams, and to have such an awesome & strong support system in place through our customers, friends, and family! 
4. Top 3 Best Sellers? What are your personal favorites? Currently our #1 top seller is the Northern Lights Dope on a Rope Soap, hands down! #2 would be our Trout Soap on a Rope in green, and #3 would be the Maui Wowie Dope on a Rope Soap. Jason's personal favorite is our Northern Lights bar or Dope on a Rope shape, because the hemp seed oil helps to moisturize his dry mountain skin, and the Peppermint & Eucalyptus oils make him tingle! My personal favorite is the Blue Dream Dope on a Rope Soap, because the combination of the sweet basil and peppermint essential oil smells out of this world.
5. Where can we find Dope on a Rope Soaps? Although we do not have a brick and mortar store, you can shop on line at www.dopeonaropesoap.com . We're also on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/dopeonaropesoap . We are at a variety of farmers markets in Colorado and Florida, as well as music festivals throughout the year. Our schedule & a list of shops nationwide that carry our soap can be found at http://www.dopeonaropesoap.com/where-to-find-our-soaps ! We can also be reached at dopeonaropesoap@gmail.com .
