Goodbye Soggy Soap

Clare Wilson’s soap dish business is proof that simple ideas expertly executed can enjoy commercial success.  But the 2022 David Awards supreme winner still found her business strategy a massive learning experience.

For 20 years Southlander Clare Wilson enjoyed a career in the museum sector.

However, some clever product ideas that had been “rattling around” in her head made her increasingly restless.

Inevitably something had to give, and when it did, she was already in her late 40s.

The idea was The Block Dock, a business and a brand behind a range of smartly functional soap holders and bathroom wall-mounted accessories that people around New Zealand and overseas are quickly falling in love with.

Clare explains that she also started her business because she wanted sovereignty over her time and decision making. “I had a broad enough skillset to give all the elements of building a brand from scratch a good go,” she says, “as well as the confidence to work things out along the way.”

Clare admits that with age came a more seasoned approach to adaptation.

“It’s fair to say I may have underestimated the breadth and depth of the work and commitment required, but I was self-motivated and determined to create something ‘good’ for the planet in a way that was also good for each customer.”

The key goal was to create something useful, at a saleable price point, which solved a genuine problem, explains Clare. “And one for which there was evidence of an emerging and growing market, not just in New Zealand but internationally.

“My own values align with the movement for consumers to switch from products in single use plastic bottles to alternatives in solid bars, because they are genuinely a more environmentally considerate solution, being zero waste and generally in compostable packaging.”

Like many people Clare had become annoyed at her solid bars quickly turning soggy and messy in the bathroom. The Block Dock is the perfect solution. There’s nothing in the market quite like it.

Clare’s products are made in New Zealand. “I’m a problem solver by nature and I’ve been very lucky in connecting and working with some truly great people within my supply chain,” she says. Her products are manufactured at a price point not much more than it would have cost had she made them in China.

“These days the international shipping would be crippling, but I simply send inventory between Dunedin and Invercargill, where orders are picked and packed for customers by the terrific team at Recycle South.”

A learning experience

Clare admits that her business strategy hasn’t exactly been perfect. If she had her time over again she says she would strategise the development of the whole product range more and its staged introduction.

“I have a tendency to be annoyed about something and then devise a solution which I can then get fairly quickly to market to test it. But I haven’t necessarily been doing that in a way which is timewise the most sensible or takes best advantage of in-market opportunities,” she admits.

“My range of products has grown on the back of my own impatience and the availability of time with
my, frankly awesome, manufacturer.

“At the outset I had planned to design and market a ‘must have’ product but in a ‘good-for-people-and-the-planet’ kind of way,” Clare admits. “Naïvely, I wanted to create a product that was everyone’s ‘must have’, but in the real world a strategy like that would be well beyond my marketing budget.

“I still think every home should have, at the very least, one wall-mountable Block Dock vertical soap dish and shampoo bar holder. Realistically, if we are to stem the tide of plastic pollution, switching to bars is a genuine and easy-to-do part of the solution. Not only does it stop plastic waste at source, it also saves an enormous amount of water, given every bottled product contains a lot of it.

“More likely a home will need three to four Block Docks, and more, to cater for everyone’s product preferences.”

The good thing about the Block Dock is that it makes every consumable stored in it last longer, adds Clare. “So, after a short time the Block Dock pays for itself and starts saving people money. Our Brush Docks and Razor Docks similarly deliver a saving through longer lasting bamboo toothbrushes and razor blades.”

Looking back, Clare says the other thing she would have approached differently is social media. “I’d find someone younger than me in my target market and delegate more,” says Clare. “The constant churn of content creation for fleeting moments in time is not exactly in my comfort zone.” 

Raving fans

Clare is optimistic about the future prospects for her business. “I have so many wonderful customers who actively recommend my products to others, which helps grow the business,” she says. “I’m lucky to have raving fans, as our product reviews attest. I’m optimistic because having proven the concept in New Zealand, the next step is to embark on the pathway to international expansion, even though I know it will hold many new challenges.”

She has already reached out to NZTE for assistance and is keen to be part of the Women in Export initiative.

Clare believes ingenuity is alive and kicking in this country. “By and large it’s possible to give something a good go without breaking the bank and Kiwis are generally honest about their opinions.”

She advises other entrepreneurs to start small and road test. “If it genuinely has legs then get on with it.

“Make no mistake, it’s a harder road than you’ll be expecting, and cashflow will be your nemesis, but if you believe in the good you can put into the world then go ahead and sensibly proceed with it.

“The market will let you know one way or another fairly quickly. So, listen carefully.”