Susan Dahlem
Dahlem's Soapworks
Many, Louisiana

When I was a young girl, I spent many summers on my maternal grandmother's farm. There were horses, chickens, barns, tobacco, fresh garden vegetables, a well, no running water and an outhouse. While I made the best of it, I have to say that I rarely looked forward to those times. Of course today, I realize what I failed to take advantage of when it was right in front of me, and nothing reminds me of that more than a virtual visit to Dahlem's Soapworks in Many Louisiana.

With a population of somewhere around 2,889 (as of 2000), Many is not a large town and it's amazing to me how a place so small can contain the energy of this month's Lifestyle CEO To Know.

An Accidental Beginning

"For me, business ownership had kind of an accidental beginning," says 46-year old Susan who runs her business from the family home which she shares with Jerry, her husband of 29 years, and their 6  home schooled children ranging in age from 29 to 10. After serving as a caterer for 12 years, Susan recalls feeling burned out and in search of that elusive "something else" to do. She stumbled across her grandmother's recipe for handmade soap just in time to ease the stress. She tweaked her granny's recipe using recipes found elsewhere, and before too long, she had created one that worked perfectly for her.

" Making soap was my therapy so to speak, and I loved doing it," says Susan. Apparently her enthusiasm showed because the first person she told of her plan to quit catering so she could make soap purchased a bunch of it -- sight unseen -- for her retail store. That was in 1999 and Susan was in business, and she hasn't looked back yet.

Old Fashioned Quality

According to Susan, a key ingredient in the success of her business is her philosophy. "We believe in giving our customers their money’s worth, providing a product that is superior to what they can purchase elsewhere," she says. The Dahlems proudly display a collection of their products in their home at all times. "Not only do we put our hands on the products, we also put our hearts into them and our customers recognize this by purchasing from us again and again," Susan explains.

But Why Soap?

Living on a farm provides Susan with a lot of options when it comes to making things that she can sell. But as she explains, her reason for making and selling soap is impossibly simple. "We do it because we can!" she exclaims. "Trying to answer the question of why we make soap is like trying to explain why we don’t eat TV dinners, why we bake our cookies instead of buying a package at the grocery store, why we plant and harvest a garden, why we sleep under a quilt my grandparents made, why we don’t drink instant coffee," she says. According to Susan, doing things "the old way" has considerable benefits, including passing certain skills and the concept of self reliance to her children.

The Cheering Section

To hear Susan talk about her husband is to think you have walked into a mammoth sports arena where the entire crowd is cheering for one person -- Susan. "My husband and his unrelenting belief in me and what I do are the hallmarks of my business," she raves. "He serves as my sounding board and guinea pig, and he also comes up with money I need," she continues. "Jerry is a walking, talking advertisement for my soaps and when I get discouraged or am unsure of what I do, he reminds me to listen to just do my thing, listen to my heart." Susan says he is always right.

He is usually cheering her on from the space in their kitchen where he built her a room length cabinet and soapmaking countertop. Susan's office is adjacent to the family schoolroom, which is right next to the kitchen where the soapmaking takes place. "There's also a little storefront and a storeroom for supplies," says Susan. "We live at the end of a dirt road in the country so the scenery of pastures and woods is simply beautiful all year long."

Susan prides herself on using top quality ingredients and not scrimping on anything. She says, "I always advise people to do the best work, not the cheapest work you can because people will know the difference and they will pay for quality."

Dance to the Beat That's Works For You

When asked what tips she can offer to other Lifestyle CEOs, Susan's advice is simple and direct.

• "Prioritize. Make lists of ideas and things to do and check off what's done."
• "Be sure that your spouse is on board with your business. Everyone needs a support system even if things are going perfectly."
• "Never put your business before your children or your spouse. Whatever seems so important now won't be so important in the end."
• "Don't try to grow too fast. It's easy to crash and burn."
• "Delegate housework. Even the smallest amount of assistance helps -- or at least helps to prevent things from getting worse."

Susan finds inspiration from fellow farm girl MaryJane Butters, a farmer, wife, mother, business owner, author & etc, who Susan describes as "up and coming." "She is the inspiration for Farmgirl Clean soap, my best selling bar!"

For the Farm Girls In All of Us

Recently, Susan introduced her Farmgirl Clean brand of products, and a dollar from the sale of each one is donated to Farm Aid, a non-profit organization which works with entertainer Willie Nelson to help preserve and maintain farms across America. The Farmhouse Collection includes cleaning products for the home, such as laundry powder, room and linen sprays, soy wax candles and dryer and drawer sachets made with herbs. 

"We love hearing how customers truly appreciate our brands and how much work goes into what we do," says Susan. "We like knowing that we are making people's lives better." Susan plans to continue to grow her business a little at a time. She acknowledges that it can be nerve racking to have so much of the family's personal finances invested in the business. Still, she's resisting borrowing money because, "If you have other people's money, they have a say, and I like to decide things for myself."

Susan has authored a soapmaking guide and is planning to make it available to more people. She also has a newsletter and a few cookbooks in the works, one of which was started back in 1997. The business of soapmaking may not leave much time for book writing, but Susan is determined. "I would love to see my soapmaking book in more hands and finish at least one of my cookbooks," she laughs. But books are only a portion of what's on Susan's list of things to do. "I will eventually have all my herb and vegetable beds in full production, and plan to expand the business to include a pick your own "farmette" with a book shop and nursery. 

Take Your Daughters To Work Day?

Last month, the nation celebrated Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day. But Susan enjoys doing that every day of the year since her daughters are her most valued employees. Hannah, age 17, wraps the soaps while Rachel, 13, serves as the website designer and also labels the soaps.

27 Principles To Live By

As complicated as we humans tend to make life, it really is quite simple according to Susan. Of course she believes in the obvious, such as that we are all better off doing things we love to do. But in terms of day to day living and business ownership, Susan says the same 27 things apply every day, all the time, across the board, no matter who you are dealing with, living with or disagreeing with.

1. Bloom where you are planted.
2. Be the first to forgive.
3. Learn to apologize with out saying "but".
4. Never go to sleep mad.
5. Make love - not war.
6. Don't judge.
7. Practice tolerance.
8. Don't argue about religion or politics for they are too personal to be right or wrong.
9. Learn what it means to be a friend and then be one.
10. Open your home.
11. Don't hit others.
12. Trust but don't be gullible ~ if something looks too good to be true it probably is.
13. Plant a little garden.
14. Take a nap every day whether you think you need it or not.
15. Never drink that first cup of freshly ground coffee unless you can continue to do so.
16. Learn to make bread.
17. Make your home a sanctuary (everyone needs one).
18. Read at least one book a month just for pleasure.
19. Be a giver not a taker, a lover not a fighter and a creator not a destroyer. 
20. Never break your spouse’s or your child’s spirit. 
21. DO NOT NAG anyone. 
22. Never look at another’s life and think it is better than yours ~ you never know what goes on behind closed doors. 
23. Be loveable. 
24. Be loyal to your spouse and your children above everyone else 
25. Do not complain about them for you never know what tomorrow brings or takes away. 
26. Learn early in life that the world does not revolve around you or because of you. 
27. Make up your mind you are going to be happy and then do it.

If you have any room on your refrigerator door, I'd say posting these 27 Principles To Live By couldn't hurt.

You can learn more about Susan and pick up some of her handmade items at her website.