November marks 10 years since Washpool began in a tiny farmhouse kitchen. According to some small business statistics, 66% of businesses don't survive their first ten years so we have much to celebrate upon touching this milestone.
I'm not going to sugar coat it, though. This year has been one of the toughest since our humble beginnings and like many other rural farms and businesses, the prolonged dry weather has brought with it plenty of stress and some tough decisions. If there was ever a time when I thought it was time to quit, this year was it. Just as we were at our lowest, however, our friends and customers rallied behind us, placing orders that lifted our spirits enough to put our big boots and keep going.
To be honest, though, one of the things I enjoy most about small business is the problem solving. I actually enjoy the mental challenge of doing things a little bit better each day. So, with visitor numbers lower than expected due to deteriorating climatic conditions, we're doing a number of things to make sure we not only survive but thrive as we head into our next decade.
- We're heading to more off-site events. We've just completed an incredible three days of Finders Keepers Brisbane and are now planning and packing for Bush Christmas (Toowoomba), Handmade Under the Stars (Cobb & Co museum Toowoomba) and the big one, Finders Keepers Sydney (super daunting for people from a town with no traffic lights).
- We're listing more of our 'in store' products online so you can grab an extra gift or household necessity while you're ordering your skincare. We're keeping our flat rate of $9.95 as long as we possibly can so you can stock up without escalating freight charges.
- We're listening to all your feedback and doing our darndest to provide what you're asking for. Refills are almost ready for release (Foaming Handwash and Face Oil) with more to come. Solid shampoo bars are finally a reality, with formulas gradually transitioning from prototypes to a permanent listing.
- We're tweaking our opening hours during the low season (January to March) while actually increasing the number of days we will be packing online orders. During January to March we will open every day from 9.30am until 1.30pm - no closed days (except Public Holidays). This will allow us to take some time for study, improve work/life balance and most importantly, plan for the awesome nine months through to December.
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Finally, as a nod to our past, we have re-introduced a soap bar that is very nearly as old as Washpool. This blend is a Washpool original (beware of imitations), known as Vanilla, Patchouli & Sandalwood. If you've been with us since the early days this was actually our No. 1 best seller (now it's Lemongrass, Lime and Lemon Myrtle). We discontinued it because we decided to move away from 'man-made' scents. I believed that it had to be all or nothing - 100% plant-based scent with no exceptions.
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More recently I've mellowed my position a little. Raising three teenage girls I noted, to my absolute dismay, that sometimes they would sneak commercially made skincare products into the house. It wasn't the formulas that persuaded them - it was the scent, colour or glitz. I've slowly come to realise that taking an 'all or nothing' position is not helpful. It's better to encourage my daughters to take an 80/20 position than put them offside altogether - even if that means the occasional biodegradable sparkle or quality phthalate free fragrance in my formulas.
If you've been with Washpool for most of these wonderful 10 years, hit reply on this email newsletter and tell us something you recall about our early days. And if you're new to Washpool we same 'welcome' and we hope you enjoy what's yet to come.
Melissa.
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FINDERS KEEPERS SYDNEY 6-8 DECEMBER
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Sydney - We're coming to you! This December will be our first time at the Sydney Finders Keepers Markets (and we hope you'll stop by and say hi!).
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WHEN
Friday 6th December : 12pm – 9pm
Saturday 7th December : 10am – 7pm
Sunday 8th December : 10am - 5pm
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WHERE
The Cutaway, Barangaroo Reserve
Hickson Road,
Barangaroo NSW 2000
ENTRY FEE
$5. Children under 12 enter free!
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Exclusive Finders Keepers Sydney Offer
The stock we take to Finders Keepers will be carefully curated to fit into a tight space. We don't want you to miss out on your favourite Washpool products so we're giving you the opportunity to pre-order anything in our online store for pickup at Finders.
Pre-orders help us with organisation and planning and we want to reward you for planning ahead, by including an amazing gift with purchase.
The small print:
- The gift with purchase will apply for orders over $100.
- When you make your pre-order select 'Pick Up At Finders Keepers Sydney' and you'll save a further $9.95 on freight.
- Order midnight 27 November and enter the code and we'll add a free 50ml Nourishing Face Oil to your order.
- Use code FREENOURISH
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BUSH CHRISMAS EXHIBITION TOOWOOMBA
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WHERE: Bush Christmas Exhibition, Masonic Centre, 58 Neil St., Toowoomba
DATES: Wednesday 27 November up to and including Friday 6 December
TIMES: Open daily from 9.00am to 6.00pm during the exhibition
The annual celebration of outback creative talent presents a magnificent collection of handmade gifts and gourmet delights each year. The aim is to bring the very best of the bush to a large gallery-style exhibition in Toowoomba in the lead-up to Christmas and supporting our rural and regional artisans in this devastatingly dry time.
Find your Christmas gift solutions among the great line up of Australian handmade gifts & gourmet, all handcrafted by our wonderful exhibitors … over 110 of them (including Washpool)!!
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COBB & CO HANDMADE UNDER THE STARS
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See the Cobb & Co Museum in Toowoomba transformed into a twilight artisan market with Handmade Under the Stars offering the best locally hand made products direct from the makers. We'll be there with a range of our handmade products.
There is live music and the opportunity to browse quality products, with a glass of wine in hand, and chat directly with the people who made these quality products.
Entry is FREE. 3:30 - 8 PM Thursday 28 November at the Cobb & Co Museum.
Why not attend Bush Christmas and Handmade Under the Stars on the same day and get all your Christmas shopping done and support rural artisans at the same time?
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"Extremely happy with the new formula of the Nourishing Face Oil. My face feels so soft and smooth. I also use the Konjac sponge with French Red Clay and the Ivory Kaolin Clay Rose Facial Cleanser. Could not be happier with the results. Well done Melissa with such wonderful products you provide for your customers."
- Marlene
Thanks, Marlene!
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Please order by Sunday 15 December if you'd like to receive your order before Christmas Day. If you live remote, Western Australia or Northern Territory please order at least two weeks before Christmas.
Our store will be closed on 25 & 26 December.
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So much packing! We are almost ready for our delivery to Bush Christmas at the end of this week - phew! Next up is packing for Finders Keepers in Sydney.
We've been blown away for the support from the #buyfromthebush campaign - thanks to everyone who we reached through this. Please share our Instagram or Facebook post with your friends - word of mouth is our best advertising.
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We are sooooo close to releasing our new shampoo bars. We have a lot of prototypes that work great but aren't very pretty - so we're including one in each bargain bag until they sell out.
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The Washpool Difference
Washpool is a small rural soaperie in Ballandean, Queensland. We believe in being small enough to listen and being big enough to deliver. We believe in hand made and we take pleasure in providing meaningful employment to people living in our rural community.
We take a minimalist approach to handcrafting our soap bars. Wholesome ingredients, purposefully selected. We believe that health comes first and beauty follows. Our customers value authenticity, simplicity and purity.
Wherever possible, we choose to source our ingredients locally, often direct from the growers. When we purchase ingredients from further afield we place great emphasis on using ethical, organic, fair trade and sustainably produced raw ingredients. Our packaging is biodegradable, recycled and recyclable where possible.
Our products include cold-pressed edible oils, butters and milks, extracts, infusions, activated and whole botanicals along with clays, honey, fruit and vegetables. Basically, ingredients you can recognise, most of which are edible.
Review & win!
Every month one reviewer will be chosen randomly & awarded a $20 credit on their Washpool account
Each review you make during the month will give you an extra chance in the draw. Reviews made during the previous month are eligible.
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