Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaen Goetsch.
Hi Shaen, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Our story really starts with a problem we needed to solve as parents. When our oldest child turned out to be allergic to the synthetic chemicals in most commercial baby shampoos and washes, Rich and I just started reading labels, trying to figure out what was actually in these products. That sent us down a pretty deep rabbit hole, and somewhere along the way, I started making soap myself. What began as a way to take care of our kid turned into a genuine hobby that I loved.
I was working in IT at the time and going through my MBA program, and it’s funny looking back, but almost every homework assignment I had around “if you were to start a business” I would write about my soap-making hobby. So in a way, the business plan was being written before I even knew I was going to use it.
In 2013, I made the leap, left my IT career behind, and officially launched Perfectly Natural Soap. We opened our first retail location in Smithfield in 2016, right on Main Street in the historic district, and that experience of having a physical place where people could come in, smell everything, try products, and really connect with what we were making was something I fell in love with. From there we expanded to Richmond Road in Williamsburg in 2018.
Today our products are still handcrafted right here in Williamsburg, in our warehouse studio. We’ve grown well beyond soap at this point, with lotions, scrubs, body butters, candles and more, but the mission has never changed. Clean ingredients, no dyes or parabens or petrochemicals, and products that genuinely feel good to use every single day.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, no. I don’t think any small business owner would tell you it’s been a smooth road, and I wouldn’t want to pretend otherwise.
The most significant challenge we faced was the pandemic in 2020. The timing could not have been worse from a business standpoint. We had just signed a lease on a third retail location and then, within weeks, everything shut down. That was genuinely scary. You’re sitting there with a new lease commitment, stores closed, and no idea how long it’s going to last or what the other side looks like.
That third store did eventually open, and while it has since closed, what I’ll never forget from that period is how our communities showed up for us. Our customers in Williamsburg and Smithfield were incredible. Their loyalty during the scariest stretch of this journey is a big part of why we’re still standing and still growing today. That kind of support is not something you take for granted.
Beyond the pandemic, there are the everyday challenges that come with being a small, handcrafted business. You’re managing production, retail, online sales, staffing, and marketing all at once, often with a very lean team. Growing without losing the quality and personal touch that made people fall in love with your products in the first place is a constant balancing act.
But honestly, those hard seasons are also what make you clear on why you’re doing this. We came through it with a stronger business and a deeper appreciation for the communities we serve.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We make handcrafted natural soap and body care products, all of it produced right here in our warehouse studio in Williamsburg. Bar soap is where we started and it’s still very much our heart, but we’ve grown into a full personal care line, lotions, body butters, sugar scrubs, shower steamers, candles, beard care, laundry products and more. If it touches your skin or your home, we’ve probably made a version of it.
What we specialize in is clean, simple formulations made with plant-based oils, essential oils, naturally derived fragrances, and botanical extracts. No dyes, no parabens, no petrochemicals, no synthetic colorants. But I want to be clear that we’re not preachy about it. We’re not trying to scare anyone or convert anyone to a lifestyle. We just genuinely believe these ingredients are better for your skin and we’ve built everything around that conviction.
What we’re known for, and what I’m most proud of, is that our products actually perform. Customers who come to us because they have sensitive skin or ingredient sensitivities stay because the products work and feel incredible. That combination of clean and genuinely indulgent is harder to find than people realize.
What sets us apart is probably a few things. Our ingredient lists are short and honest. We’re rooted in this community in a real way, not a franchise or a big brand with a local face on it. And when you visit one of our stores, we love offering customers a complimentary hand scrub experience so they can actually feel the difference before they buy. That philosophy of generosity and genuine connection carries through everything we do.
We started in a kitchen, grew into a warehouse studio, opened retail locations, and built something with real staying power. That’s not something we take lightly.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think the most reflective answer is that we take calculated risks, carefully. I wouldn’t describe myself as a thrill-seeker or someone who leaps without looking. But I also have to acknowledge that you can’t leave a stable career at a large company, bet your family’s financial security on a soap-making hobby, and call yourself risk averse. At some point you have to recognize that starting a small business at all is an act of risk, even when it feels like the most natural thing in the world to do.
So I think my relationship with risk is more nuanced than yes or no. I do my homework. I think things through. I try to make sure that when I take a step, it’s a step I’ve prepared for as much as possible. But I’ve also learned that there’s no version of building something real where you get to eliminate risk entirely. You just get to decide how thoughtfully you approach it.
The pandemic was probably the clearest example of risk finding us rather than us choosing it. Signing that third lease and then watching everything shut down weeks later was not a calculated risk. That was simply the reality of being a small business owner. You don’t always get to choose your moments.
What I’ve come to believe is that the biggest risk of all would have been staying in a career that wasn’t mine, playing it safe, and never finding out what we were capable of building. Measured against that, betting on ourselves feels less like risk and more like the only real option we had.
Pricing:
- Bar Soaps $8.50
- 8 oz Ultra Hydration Lotions $14
- 10 oz Sugar Scrubs $16
- 5 oz Body Cream $16
Contact Info:
- Website: https://perfectlynaturalsoap.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/PerfectlyNaturalBrands
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/PerfectlyNaturalSoap
