Throughout her life, Story-Camp has been a temp, a waiter, a realtor, a journalist and a stage actor. A self-proclaimed “Soap Goddess” and successful boutique soap store owner? The birth of her son, Pip, set those wheels in motion.
Samantha Story
Owner
Pip & Lola’s
Throughout her life, Story-Camp has been a temp, a waiter, a realtor, a journalist and a stage actor. A self-proclaimed “Soap Goddess” and successful boutique soap store owner? The birth of her son, Pip, set those wheels in motion.
“As a baby, he had every skin allergy known to man,” said Story-Camp. “We tried everything. So, I realized this thing I knew how to do for fun could probably fix his issues.”
That “thing” was making all-natural soap at home. Named after her son and daughter, she started Pip and Lola’s, along with husband Bruce, in 2011. Neither of them had a retail background. And staring out, Story-Camp said she never thought of herself as an entrepreneur.
“When I think of an entrepreneur, I think of somebody who has a business IQ and they’re setting out to make tons of money,” she said. “I don’t think of myself that way.”
However, the realities of running of business soon set in and Story-Camp was short on answers. Like most new small business owners, she turned to the Internet but soon realized it wasn’t a panacea.
“If you don’t know what you need, it’s impossible to Google it,” said Story-Camp. “Besides, Google can only get you so far.”
Nor did she want to join one of the many small business networking organizations that proliferated her region. Social and extroverted by nature, Story-Camp longed for a community of like-minded small business owners bound by a similar experience level and the drive to overcome their challenges.
As she soon found out, that concept already had a name: Entrepreneurs Forever.
“When we found Entrepreneurs Forever, it was a godsend to me,” said Story-Camp. “It’s not just sitting in a room and patting each other on the back. It’s ‘Are you having this problem? Cool! Let’s work on it together.’ I love that.”
With three store locations and more than 300 different soap products, she’s also quick to add this:
“I fully believe to my core that we wouldn’t be where we are right now if it had not been for this group.
Watch Samantha’s video to see how Entrepreneurs Forever transformed her business. And how it can transform yours, too.
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