Regina A Bauscher

I attribute my success to a focus on quality, integrity, and relationships. The business began when I made soap to help my husband’s skin condition—and it worked within 30 days. From there, we grew by creating the best products possible, transparent about ingredients, and guided by ethical, environmentally responsible practices. Most importantly, we’ve always valued our customers and team, building trust and loyalty that continue to drive our success.

The best career advice I’ve ever received has been to differentiate ourselves and our products from all others in the marketplace. Also to prioritize ethical practices and care in everything. Working with organizations like Certified Humane has reinforced the importance of treating the animals in our care with respect and compassion, whether it’s our own goats or those whose milk we source from other farms for our business. This mindset has guided not only how we operate but also how we build trust with our customers and community.

My advice to young women entering this industry is to take that leap of faith and commit to working hard. Don't let little setbacks sway you into thinking negatively about being an entrepreneur. Believe in your vision, stay persistent, and continue to seek further education to hone your skill level beyond your competitors. Trust that dedication and integrity will open doors and create opportunities. It is a very dense and competitive industry, so you seek to compete on quality rather than price.

One of the biggest challenges in our field has been maintaining work-life balance, especially as the business grew rapidly. Managing the farm, production, and retail operations became overwhelming and led to burnout. About 18 months ago, we restructured to focus on business-to-business sales, which allowed us to concentrate on strategy and regain control. Now that we’ve reopened retail, we’re moving toward a half-retirement model—staying engaged in the business and driving it forward, while still having time to enjoy life, like an afternoon at the movies with our grandchildren. This approach has made the business more enjoyable, sustainable, and fulfilling.

One of my top values is making the very best product we possibly could, clean and safe for the skin, with transparency about ingredients and following all the green ethics that we put out, with the cleanest possible product and the proof behind it. Second is business ethics, operating the business in a manner that was ethically responsible and respected, with transparency where people could see what we were about, how we were about it, and ask any questions they want. Third is to not forget the people who help you make the business what it is, because without your customers, you wouldn't be anything. I think in business nowadays, it's so fast-paced and technological, and people kind of hunger for that personal interaction. While that may not be modern, that is what people value and what they like. Sure, you have a question, you can call me and talk to me. I also take pride in being Certified Humane, and any farm we work with, any milk we source to make our soaps, also has to be Certified Humane, meaning the animals receive stellar care day to day, their milk is free of antibiotics or chemicals, and the natural bacteria count is historically low. Milk testing is a requirement. We are allowed to use the Certified Humane logo in our promotions, which helps answer concerns of people who are not familiar with farming, dairy goats, or the dairy industry as a whole. We've run into misconceptions about raising animals for milk. So I personally love dispelling the myths and propaganda put out by uninformed activists. Just another reason why transparency is so critical to our operation.