10 Years of Simplí

What Small Business Has Taught Me

A decade of Simplí Artisan has shown me that making something well takes time, and that the little things are rarely little.

When I started Simplí, I knew I wanted to create quality, handcrafted products with simple, recognizable ingredients. What I didn’t fully appreciate was just how much experimentation, tweaking, testing and paying attention to the tiniest details would become so much of the process. A little more sugar. A different botanical. A change in the balance of oils & butters. Sometimes the smallest adjustment makes a real difference.

One of my favorite parts of this business has been learning more about what plant-based ingredients can bring to a formulation. There is something pretty wonderful about looking at an ingredient from nature and thinking, “What else can I do with this?”

Botanicals and plant-based oils can bring richness and moisture. Natural exfoliants can add texture and polish. And some plant-derived ingredients have surprisingly important jobs behind the scenes: Plant-based surfactants can create the bubbles and gentle cleansing action in a wash, while plant-derived emulsifiers help oil and water—two ingredients that naturally want nothing to do with each other—come together in a stable formulation. There’s a lot more science and thought behind a simple ingredient list than you might expect.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed experimenting with ingredients not because they sound good on a label, but because I want to understand what they actually contribute to the finished product.

And that’s probably one of the biggest things I’ve learned: simple doesn’t mean simplistic. Keeping an ingredient list thoughtful and uncomplicated requires more intention, not less. It means choosing ingredients carefully, understanding how they work together and resisting the temptation to add something just because it sounds impressive. Every ingredient has a job. Every formula gets attention. And every new batch gets made with the expectation that it should be as good (or better) than the one before it.

Four years after I launched Simpli, the world changed dramatically. COVID-19 hit, and suddenly people were spending an unprecedented amount of time at home. Cottage industries seemed to spring up everywhere as people turned hobbies into small businesses: melt-and-pour soap, candles, home bakeries, crafts and countless other creative ventures. It was an interesting time to be a small business owner, to say the least.

And then came another lesson in what it really means to run a small business: The cost of making things well can change…sometimes dramatically. Over the past several years, I’ve watched the cost of many of my ingredients and packaging climb, with some items doubling and others nearly tripling. There was the olive oil shortage that sent prices soaring, along with huge increases in ingredients like cocoa butter. Packaging hasn’t escaped inflation, either. When you’re a small maker purchasing ingredients and supplies in relatively small quantities, you don’t have the buying power of a large manufacturer to cushion those increases. You feel them.

But I keep plugging away. Rather than compromising on the quality of the ingredients or changing what Simplí was about, I continue formulating, testing and refining. Sometimes that means reworking a recipe. Sometimes it means finding a better source. And sometimes it simply means accepting that making a quality, handcrafted product costs more than it did ten years ago.

I’ve always believed that the answer isn’t to add more ingredients or make something more complicated. It’s to make thoughtful choices and stay true to the reason you started in the first place.

Ten years later, I appreciate the process as much as the finished product. I appreciate the curiosity in trying something new, the patience required to get a formula just right and the satisfaction of seeing an idea become something I want to put my name on. 

Most of all, I’m grateful that Simplí has given me ten years to keep learning, experimenting and making. What started as a simple idea has become a decade-long reminder that good things don’t have to be complicated. They just have to be made with intention. And after ten years, I still believe simple isn’t basic. It’s a choice, and one worth making well.

Ten years down, and I’m just getting started. Here’s to another decade of thoughtful ingredients, good things made well and the incredible customers who make Simplí possible. Cheers to the next ten!