Keeping a secret, part 1: How to come up with a good secret.
Posted: 22/05/2012 Filed under: Business, Design, Soak Worthy People, SW101, SWHeel, SWhowto, SWmain, SWProducts, SWstores | Tags: Jacqueline Sava, Knitting, laundry, lornas laces, soak, soakwash, yarn Leave a comment »Jacqueline has been brewing up at storm of new products for fall. She’s not always the best at keeping a secret, but sometimes, you have to do, what you have to do. She’s about to spill the beans!
New product development is my favorite job at Soak. Not only is it what I was trained to do (with my industrial design background), but it’s also really quite fun. So, when the stars aligned last year and I was introduced to a great idea, I got straight to work. It has been hard to keep this project under wraps, but it has been worth it. In true Soak style, we’ve been able to design and deliver a unique product with great friends.
Following the creation of successful gift packs such as our travel packs and Heel/ Solemate boxes, we wanted to create a permanent collection of gift items, from Soak. That’s how the Soakbox was born. It’s a unique concept, filled with new products, unique items (like, say, custom hand-dyed yarn) and retail-worthy packaging. Watch in the coming days for more details on the new product.
Job Title: Central Intelligence, a.k.a. office manager, keeper of the house.
Posted: 09/04/2012 Filed under: Business, SW101, SWCustomerContributions, SWhowto, SWmain, SWpress, SWProducts, SWpromotions, SWstores 1 Comment »We are hiring. Tell your friends, apply yourself. We’d love to have you.
At Soak Wash Inc., we develop and market leading products for laundry and skin care. Soak, our primary product, is modern care for the laundry you love. One of our key players is having a baby and we couldn’t be more thrilled. With that in mind, we need to fill her shoes for a year.
We’re looking for a candidate that can gracefully manage the administrative and book-keeping functions of our fun-spirited fast-paced office and (no pressure) interact positively with customers, suppliers and current employees. This position is part-time. The ideal candidate will work 20-25 hours per week. We are open to all mornings, or 2-3 days per week. The schedule, once established, must remain consistent. The ideal candidate will have an interest in customer service (a positive, professional and outgoing personality) as well as a desire to grow with the organization.
Ongoing duties include:
- General office administration, with attention to detail
- Provide exceptional customer service for current and new customers
- Meticulous database management for customers and orders
- Basic bookkeeping including A/R, A/P, collections, invoicing, etc. using QuickBooks software (a must for the job)
- Shipping and customs documentation for inbound/ outbound freight
- Preparing orders for shipping (packing boxes)
- Liaising with suppliers
- Overseeing the flow of the office and its supplies
Must-haves:
- Excellent working experience with QuickBooks
- Excellent working experience with Microsoft Office, Acrobat
- Ability to multitask with grace and ease
- Strong English written and verbal skills
- High level of attention to detail
- Independent working habits
Wishful thinking:
- French language skills (or another second language)
- Experience in sales or customer service
- An interest in knitting, quilting and/ or fashion
- Experience with shipping software, brokers or the likes
- The keen ability and interest to work on other office/ warehouse tasks as needed
Please visit our website soakwash.com to learn about our company and products before applying for the position. We are all as passionate about our products as we are our jobs. If filled by the perfect candidate, this one year contract (filling a maternity leave position) has the potential to evolve into on-going employment.
Please submit CV with a letter of intent outlining how both your experience and personality are ideal for our fast-paced, fun, growing environment. Please also include your favorite thing about Soak. We appreciate your interest in this position, however, only the candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Send intent to: hireme@soakwash.com No phone calls, please. We’re also looking for a part-time warehouse person… but that’s another story. Email if you are interested in hearing more.
Weekly Affirmation | meet Melissa
Posted: 01/03/2012 Filed under: Business, Craft, Knitting, Soak Worthy People, SWevents, SWmain, SWpress, SWpromotions | Tags: Knitting, ravelry, soak, soakworthy, twitter Leave a comment »Every Thursday we post a comment, tweet, email or secret message we’ve received from one of our Soakworthy customers (stores, fans, consumers, friends). Sometimes, on a rough day, it’s really helpful to read an inspiring message from someone in our community. Someone who appreciates what we do. Someone who is as passionate about Soak as we are. We appreciate all the love that comes our way. Really we do.
“@Jacqueline_Soak I just bought a new bra and they wanted me to buy their lingerie wash. I declined since I had a big bottle of Soak at home.”
Thanks for the twitter love Melissa. This is one of Melissa’s lovely designs called Lily’s Lilies.
Melissa, knitwear designer: Soakworthy.
New addition to the Soak family
Posted: 18/10/2011 Filed under: Business Leave a comment »Meet Caroline. She’s our newest member at the Soak office and we’re very excited to have her join our team.
She started right after her birthday and we decided that we couldn’t possibly wait a full year for it to come around again before we celebrate! (We’ll take any excuse to have cupcakes!)
We’re also big fans of the icecream truck that comes by our office every day in the summer and fortunately for Caroline, she was here on the very last day the icecream man came around before closing up shop for the year.
Our small office is always busy and we think she fits in perfectly. She’s been wonderful, sweet and intelligent. Everything you would want in a collegue!
You can contact her at office@soakwash.com with any administrative questions or concerns.
CurveNY interview
Posted: 06/10/2011 Filed under: Business, lingerie Leave a comment »Mcpete Sez Lingerie Newsletter and Women’s Wear journal interviewed Jacqueline while we were in New York. Check out the video!
From Maker to Making a Living
Posted: 16/08/2011 Filed under: Business, Craft, Design, school, SWevents, SWpress 2 Comments »Do you ever feel like your entrepreneurial skills are not up to par with your creative instinct? Do you wish there had been just one business class at art school? Are you facing more questions than answers related to your craft business? Our very own Jacqueline Sava has the solutions for you.
From Maker to Making a Living is a workshop series designed to guide craftspeople through the process of understanding, designing and building their individual businesses. Led by maker and award winning business leader Jacqueline Sava, attendees will be guided through an eight-part series of lectures, exercises and activities focused on the development of their own craft-based business practices.
The knowledge and skills obtained in these workshops will allow makers to successfully balance their personal craft philosophies with the realities of marketing, selling and profiting from their businesses. At the end of the workshop series, each craftsperson will have a custom plan to ensure a successful transition from where they are to where they want to be, and balance their personal craft philosophy with the realities of marketing, selling and profiting from business.
WHEN: From Maker to Making a Living will take place as eight evening sessions between 6:30 – 8:30 pm on the following dates, in Toronto, ON Canada:
• Monday, October 3: Myth busting. Making money is okay.
• Tuesday, October 4: Options. Exploring without losing your soul.
• Tuesday, October 11: Personal branding. Understanding your purpose.
• Wednesday, October 12: Business goals. Defining a vision.
• Monday, October 17: Costing per product. Am I really making money?
• Tuesday, October 18: Costing in general. All the other expenses.
• Monday, October 24: Selling. Wholesale, retail, pricing, and all that jazz.
• Tuesday, October 25: Charting the course. Deciding which way to go.
To register for this course, visit the Ontario Crafts Council website here.
CurveNY 2011
Posted: 11/08/2011 Filed under: Business, lingerie, SWevents, tradeshow | Tags: Ngoc Nguyen Leave a comment »After spending 5 days in Portland, Chris and I boarded a plane to meet Jacqueline in New York City.
- These great ruffle panties are from our friends at Lavit
I’m usually the behind the scenes person that handles all the logistics for tradeshows so it was nice to attend and meet many of the faces that I only knew through email correspondance. I stepped into the showroom and was surrounded by the most beautiful and luxurious lingerie. You know, the kind that you save up to buy that will make your partner’s jaw hit the ground. I actually aquired a few new pieces that I’ll talk about in a later post.
Lacey was formally introduced to all of our lingerie stores and she was an instant hit. Our customers couldn’t wait to add her to their store collection.
- Lacey at the Soak booth
While walking around and taking in all that New York has to offer, Jacqueline and Chris stumbled across this great vintage shop full of clothes, purses and shoes. Of course it wouldn’t be a complete New York trip without trying on a pair or two of beautiful shoes.
While on the topic of pretty shoes, I wanted to share some great whites ones that we saw at Lille Boutique in Portland. 
This lingerie boutique was very minimal in their selection but every item looked like it was carefully hand picked and beautiful . 
All in all, it was a very successful and fun week but boy was I ever happy to sleep in my own bed again.
Sock Summit 2011
Posted: 05/08/2011 Filed under: Business, Knitting, SWevents, tradeshow Leave a comment »
Chris and I are finally home after a long week of beautiful yarns, delicious donuts, and friendly people. I think I will have to add Portland to my list cities that I love. The weather was great, the transit system was efficient, and their downtown had great restaurants, cute shops, great food carts and one giant book store.
We saw people carrying these bright pink boxes around and heard that you can’t go to Portland without having a VooDoo donut. 
I choose the maple bacon which actually have a full strip of bacon on top of it. As we walked along the river, we noticed that there was a beer festival being held and stopped in to look around. 
We met some sheep that were about to get sheared. Look at that face! 
We saw a lot of beautiful yarns. The Sincere Sheep is a company that uses all natural dyes to create these beautiful colours. We’ll talk more about them in a later post.
Hundreds of people showed up to participate in the super secret flash mob dance incorporating colourful skeins of yarn! Here’s the youtube video of the dance courtesy of ‘knittinglikecrazy’ 
Along with all the yarns, there were also great embellishments including these cute buttons from Jennie the Potter. 
There were lots of great pairs of hand knit socks! 
And of course it wouldn’t be a knitting show without some yarn bombing. 
We had a great time and can’t wait until next year! Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to say hi.
TNNA Columbus 2011
Posted: 15/06/2011 Filed under: Business, Knitting, SWevents Leave a comment »TNNA is always a great trade show. I particularly love the Columbus show. With the North Market for excellent lunches, Jeni’s ice cream, Pam’s popcorn and On Paper stationery store just down the road, what’s not to love?
There is always something weird and wonderful happening after show hours at the Hyatt bar. Sadly we missed the night that Amy Singer played her ukulele and everyone sang like they were sitting around a campfire. Happily we didn’t miss the night that Alisha pulled a taxidermy grizzly bear head out of her suitcase and proceeded to knit a massive ‘bear skin rug’. 
That bear became famous at the show. Everyone wanted to take a picture with it.
We got to see old friends.
Dave from Louet doing a weaving demonstration
Ravelry with their first booth at TNNA. As a footnote, they are a truly innovative company.
We met some new friends.
Marly Bird, host of The Yarn thing Podcast
We bought another Namaste purse even though we swore we wouldn’t.
The fabulous new mini messenger bag from Namaste
We celebrated milestones.
5 years of Potter Craft
We spent time admiring pretty yarn.
Be Sweet booth
Koigu booth
We launched new products.
Lorna’s Laces new Solemate. It contains a fiber that interacts with your body’s microclimate to moderate temperature. Out of this world!
We decided Nancy from Namaste was our favourite person when she showed up to a bar wearing this
