Do you have a hobby that you want to turn into a business? Small Business BC sat down with Tanya Borisoff, a soap artisan and owner-operator of Scents of Creativity, to hear how she got started.

Tanya makes custom-made soaps for clients and offers soap-making workshops. After she got sober and left treatment, she turned to soap-making as a hobby. “It was something for me to do to keep me busy and keep me from thinking about alcohol and not wanting to live that life anymore,” said Tanya.

“I am grateful for my sobriety, my family, and my supports. Without all of these wonderful things, I would not be where I am now. So a huge hug for all, and many  thanks.”  Now, with her business just getting started, Tanya is already thinking of how to give back to her community.

Soap-making as a Hobby and a Business

Tanya has always been interested in soap after taking a soap-making class with her sister 20 years ago. Then, after her recovery, she got into it as a hobby and decided she wanted to do this for a living. And she started getting very creative with it.

“I decided I wanted to up the game, and I started doing 3D figures,” she said. “For me, it is therapy, it pushes my boundaries…I like to see how far I can go with this.”

She makes melt-and-pour products, where you cut up raw product, melt it, scent it, add herbs if desired, and pour it into a mold. She also carves soaps, including breathtaking rock crystal formations, and her carved soaps resonated with her clients. “People just absolutely loved that it was different,” said Tanya.

Getting a big order from a client at the end of 2023 helped confirm to Tayna that she could do this as a business.

Starting a Business

“Starting a business is not anything I even imagined myself capable of…I’m sure my family is absolutely floored with what’s going on for me,” said Tanya.

In 2023, she recommitted to her business and got her first big corporate client.

Her advice for other would-be entrepreneurs? “First, you don’t have to be sure about what you want to do. You just kind of know you want to do something. And finding a program like Employ to Empower is definitely a plus.”

After seeing a poster for Employ to Empower, she immediately called them.“ I wanted to be a part of that…I did their eight-week workshop course, and ever since then, things have just taken off for me. She did an in-person program and enjoyed the personal connection of being in a class full of people.

“Even if you feel that you don’t have the confidence or you have low self-esteem … participating in a class can help your self-confidence, help raise your self-esteem,” said Tanya.

Tanya’s Tips for Entrepreneurs

• “Figure out what you want to do, and then do a lot of research on it. If you need to switch gears halfway through, so be it.”
• “You have to absolutely love what you do. That is the most important thing. If you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work at all.”
• “Research, go out to your community, find community resources.”
• “No matter where you are in your life, there are always ways to uplift you. If something makes you smile, then that’s worth looking at. Why does that make you smile? There’s a message there for you, just go for it.”

Building Community through Workshops

This spring, Tanya was asked to run workshops for teens in private schools, a new, unexpected, but exciting direction for her. “I’m hoping I inspire them,” said Tanya. “I’m hoping I’ll spark a little something in them to think about doing something on their own…It’s not easy to work for yourself, by yourself, but you have freedom.”

Now, Tanya is considering workshops she can offer in other spaces, like community centres, retirement homes, and colleges. As a resident of the Downtown Eastside, she’d love to teach other women in the community how to make soap to empower them.

“I would love to find out if there is some organization I could just go to and do a workshop specifically for older women who have had problems and disabilities,” said Tanya. “I’ve been given a lot of help and feel the need to give back.”

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