The start of a new year always feels like a fresh cycle. Not a reset. Not a “new us”. Just… another turn of the wheel. The world keeps moving, the seasons shift, and we keep growing alongside it.
So this felt like the right time to stop and actually talk about Sapphic Self — where we are, how we got here, what’s been hard, what’s worked, and where we’re hoping to go next.
Not a brand announcement. Just a real check-in.
🕯️ Before we get into it — if you’d like to support Sapphic Self and help us keep growing, you can join our coven here:
Ko-fi:
Every contribution helps with the boring-but-necessary bits (materials, packaging, printing, compliance) and keeps this little world we’re building alive. No pressure — just thank you for being here. https://ko-fi.com/sapphicself
🌿 So… what have we done?
The truth is, Sapphic Self hasn’t grown in a neat, straight line.
It’s grown in starts and stops, late nights, moments of excitement followed by moments of panic, and a lot of learning things the hard way because no one really tells you what you’re meant to do.
What started as handmade gifts slowly turned into product ranges, markets, workshops, labels, safety documents, and a brand people recognise and trust.
That didn’t happen because we had a big budget or a business background.
It happened because we kept showing up — even when we were tired, anxious, in pain, or unsure whether we were doing anything “right”.
Some things have worked:
- People come back — not just to buy, but to talk, to share, to feel seen.
- Our products are being used how we hoped they would be: for comfort, relief, grounding, and care.
- The Gathered Grimoire has started to become something bigger than just “blog posts”.
- We’ve built something that reflects our values — queer-led, disabled-led, honest, and human.
And here’s a small win that feels massive to us: when you Google Sapphic Self, we actually show up properly. Like, first thing. It recognises us as a real brand, with our name and our site, and honestly? That’s huge. It sounds small, but it feels like proof that we’re real, we’re visible, and we’ve built something that exists beyond our own little bubble.
A lot of this happened quietly, in the background, while we were just trying to survive. And honestly? That matters.
💸 Okay, let’s be real — the money bit
Running a small business on a tight budget is stressful. Full stop.
And not in the glamorous “startup grind” way — in the ink-is-expensive, jars-cost-more-than-you-think, packaging-prices-change-overnight way.
There’s:
- printer ink
- paper
- labels
- jars, tins, pouches
- packaging that suddenly vanishes or doubles in price
- hours (and hours) of designing labels, posts, graphics
- keeping social media alive
- posting adverts just so people know we exist
- constantly feeling like we’re racing invisible deadlines
We are paying ourselves nothing right now.
Most of our time goes straight back into the brand — because we believe in it, and because we want to build something ethical and safe.
But let’s not pretend that doesn’t come with pressure.
We want to improve everything. Constantly.
But improvement costs money — and sometimes our ideas run far ahead of what our budget can handle.
We’re not profitable yet.
We hope one day we will be.
And honestly? Our bank accounts would really appreciate that.
🛑 The obstacles (aka: lessons we learned the hard way)
Running a small handmade business means hitting walls you didn’t know were there.
We’ve learned:
- why cosmetic-grade ingredients are non-negotiable
- how different product types are regulated differently
- how much misinformation exists in handmade spaces
- how much responsibility comes with putting something on someone’s skin
We’ve made so many documents, taken financial hits for testing and reformulating, and dealt with suppliers changing pricing or disappearing entirely. A lot of our sourcing has relied on places like eBay and Amazon — which comes with its own chaos.
Finding The Soap Store MK as our main supplier has been huge for us. We now get almost all of our raw ingredients, botanicals, and colourants from them — locally-ish, reliable, and actually supportive. They’re also an eco-friendly brand, which matters to us a lot, because we’re always trying to build something that feels more ethical in every direction we can.
And yes — there have been fails:
- balms that were too hard, then too soft
- colourants not mixing because we were using them at the wrong stage
- a face toner experiment that… fermented and exploded
(no one was hurt except our pride)
We also had to accept that sometimes we prioritised aesthetics over function — packaging that looked beautiful but wasn’t sustainable or affordable long-term. We’ve learned that having a product out there is more important than it being “perfect”.
🔄 What we’re leaving behind
We’re leaving behind:
- expecting things to work first time
- trying to do everything ourselves
- saying yes to every market, even when it costs us physically and financially
- pushing through flares and exhaustion just because “that’s what you do”
Some markets didn’t serve us. That’s controversial to say, but it’s true. When you don’t even cover fuel or stall fees — let alone your time — sometimes you have to choose your wellbeing.
We’re still open to trying new things, especially smaller events, but we’re being more intentional. If we commit, we want to show up properly, not half-broken.
We also learned the hard way that storage matters. Poor storage last year damaged some products, and spending the money to fix that — while painful — has brought massive peace of mind.
🖤 What we’re choosing to do differently
We’re learning to:
- accept help
- delegate to people we trust
- make space for fun again
Some of our favourite moments have been:
- late-night labelling sessions with films on and snacks everywhere
- craft days making big batches together
- stickers, scissors, chaos, laughter
We’re still guilty of last-minute market crams — but we’re trying to do better.
If it’s not ready, it can wait.
This year, we’re prioritising us.
We are not machines.
🔮 Looking ahead — what’s coming
Here’s what we’re gently working towards:
- intentional product bundles with clear purposes
- growing our online orders and customer base
- workshops returning (keep an eye out for plans with Zepic Games in the Daventry/Northampton area)
- continuing to grow Sapphic Self in ways that feel aligned, not forced
- aiming — very honestly — to become net positive
That last one is scary to say out loud.
But it matters. We need it.
Long-term? We’d love a unit or shop-based space where we could run our own workshops — but realistically, that’s something to assess later in the year when the funds and stability are there.
✍️ Growing beyond products (and growing with people)
This is a big one for us.
In the future, we’d love to be able to officially employ people like us — neurodivergent folks, chronically ill folks, people who can’t survive a “normal job” schedule, people who need flexibility, gentleness, understanding, and purpose.
Our friends help us now, and we’re endlessly grateful… but we want it to be proper. We want it to be worth their time and effort. We want them supported, paid, valued. And one day we will get there — it just takes time.
We’d also love to grow into the kind of brand that can uplift other small businesses, share advice, and help people through those confusing beginning struggles — because we know what it’s like to feel lost and broke and unsure if you’re doing anything right.
We’re not out here to race other makers.
We’re out here to build alongside people.
We’d love to collaborate in the future with others who share a similar ethos — to create together, develop together, and support each other like an actual community instead of some weird competitive marketplace vibe.
🌙 Still here, still growing
We don’t have everything figured out.
We probably never will.
But Sapphic Self exists because we care. Because we want to help ease discomfort — physical, mental, emotional — and help people feel human again.
It’s an embodiment of both of us.
And we want it to be real, accessible, and rooted in community.
If you’ve supported us, shared us, bought from us, or even just read this — thank you. Truly.
And if you’re able to help us keep growing, we’ve linked our Ko-fi below. Every little bit helps us move things closer to where we want them to be.
Another turn of the wheel.
We’re still here.
