Name: Joella Hogan 

Location: Mayo, Yukon

Business: The Yukon Soaps Company

What does your business offer?   

Indigenous owned and operated, we offer natural and handcrafted soaps, essential oil blends, bath salts, body oils, and more. Our products nourish your skin by using hand picked plants found in the Northern Yukon wild. These nutrient rich plants soothe and nurture your skin. By creating a network of community harvesters, people are able to spend time on the land, reconnecting.

We strive to create products that are good for you and the Earth while holding up Indigenous values of caring, sharing, teaching and respect.

What seasonal products are you introducing this holiday season? 

We have recently launched our Grandmother Line of Soaps and Essential Oil Blends. Palm Oil Free & Vegan. These soaps were crafted with plants our grandmothers once harvested following cultural teachings. Our language and culture are shared through our packaging. 

Find out more about The Yukon Soaps holiday products in the QuickBooks Small Business Gift Guide

What are some of the challenges you face during the holiday season that you have overcome or are working to overcome?

Shipping time from our remote location during the holiday season increases significantly. We remind our customers to place their orders early in order to ensure they arrive on time.

What do you think is the most important thing a business owner needs to do to prepare for the holiday season?

Prepare early. Our products require time to cure so we need to prepare months in advance to meet our deadlines.

How do you keep sane during the holiday season?

Humour always helps. I enjoy making fun Yukon Soaps Tik Toks that make people laugh.

What advice can you offer to up-and-coming small business owners during the holiday season? 

Be prepared to learn from your mistakes. Owning a business is a learning journey and you need to be prepared to learn when things don't go as planned.

What holiday traditions do you and your family take part in? 

In the North, we enjoy being nestled up by the wood stove, surrounded by family. If it warms up enough, I also enjoy a scenic ski with friends.

What are three things you feel have contributed to your success during the holiday season as a business owner? 

Participating in as many craft fairs as possible. These introduce our business to many new customers and allow us to mingle and chat with community members.

When you’re having a tough day, who or what inspires you to keep going? 

The children in our community always stop by our workshop to help and learn from the team. They are always able to put a smile on our faces. 

How do you see QuickBooks helping you during the holiday rush? 

QuickBooks will help with smooth invoicing for retailers across the country. We love the app because we are able to do it on the fly. We recently included the payment by VISA option which reduces unnecessary back and forth communications. At this time of year, when people are so busy, anything we can do to help our customers save time and be efficient is a win for us.

What is your favourite Christmas/holiday song and why? 

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee! When my team and I are in the workshop creating soaps, we always play music and dance. It has become a tradition at Yukon Soaps.

How do you decompress after the holiday rush? 

The best way to decompress is a nice bath, and I have all the bath salts and soaps to make it a relaxing one!

What are the next big plans you have for your business? 

I love the creative process involved in owning my own business. I am always inspired by the land around me and try to think of new ways to incorporate Yukon plants into our products.

To learn more about The Yukon Soaps Company and support their business, visit their website or check them out on Instagram.