Nhung quit her job to start herbal shampoo business
"When Covid-19 broke out in Vietnam in March 2020, I sent my children to our hometown in Ung Hoa District to live with their grandparents. Then my company laid off staff when the pandemic became more serious. That was when I start entertaining the idea of leaving my job," she said. "I quit in September 2020."
According to Nhung, it was not a risky move for her. She has been interested in handmade products for a long time. A lip spray in 2018 left her lips dry and in a bad shape.
"I used various lip balms but they were no use. Then a friend gave me a handmade lipstick and saved my lips," she said. "I learned how to make it myself and gave it as gifts to my friends. After that, more and more people want to buy lip balms from me so I started selling various handmade products like lipsticks and dry perfume."
Ingredients for herbal shampoo
"At first I just mixed them up altogether. Now I only incubate herbs that have oil and can evaporate easily," she said.
Before the fourth Covid-19 wave broke out, Nhung often sold 400-500 bottles a month and received positive feedback. Each bottle costs VND129,000. She often bought a tonne of honey locusts to dry at her house and modified the machines into a more suitable compressor or grinder.
"I have a stable income. Some months, my revenue is even higher than my company salary. But I have to work harder from researching, producing and marketing. I think it is worth it. I believe that my decision to quit my old job is right as I can spend more time with my family," Nhung said.
Nhung said she was starting a handmade soap project in which her children can partake. This long-term project is her gift to her children.
