When Jennifer Jack graduated from Cleveland State Community College, she never knew that a few years later, she’d be back as a business owner asking advice from the CSCC Small Business Development Center. The Athens native is currently the owner and operator of Good Fortune Soap, an all natural soap and body care company located in Athens.

A graduate of McMinn County High School, Ms. Jack decided to enroll at Cleveland State Community College in the fall of 1997 and major in art.

“I loved Cleveland State,” said Ms. Jack. “The art classes were under Jere Chumley at the time, and I really liked the whole atmosphere because it was not intimidating at all. It was a small, intimate campus, and I didn’t feel like I was just a number there; it was very safe and quaint. I really got to know my professors on a one-on-one basis, and I feel like they got to know me, as well.”

Ms. Jack received her Associate Degree in Art from CSCC before transferring to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC).

“CSCC definitely prepared me for UTC,” stated Ms. Jack. “The courses at CSCC were challenging, which really prepared me with good study habits and also helped in balancing a schedule that would change every semester. It also taught me time management skills, which was very important.”

It didn’t take long for Ms. Jack to choose a major at UTC. “I have always kind of been a jack of all trades, so I enjoyed painting, photography, color theory, and topography, so I felt like graphic design was a good way to mix all of my artistic abilities into one field,” said Ms. Jack. “Design doesn’t limit you to one type of job when you graduate. You can get jobs from poster designs for music bands all the way to corporate advertising jobs, so there were a wide variety of jobs you could get with that degree. I’ve done everything from package design to magazine layout, and even web design.”

After graduating from UTC with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and a minor in Graphic Design, Ms. Jack was hired as a Graphic Designer with True North Custom Publishing in Chattanooga, a marketing firm that specializes in custom publishing for the healthcare industry. They presently customize over 800 magazines and/or newsletters throughout the United States annually. Ms. Jack worked at True North for five years before launching Good Fortune.

“Working in a corporate job, I did not feel like I was able to use all of my creative talents and all of my gifts. I felt very limited in the corporate world, so wanting to start my own business was an expression of artistic freedom. The freedom of being my own boss and scheduling my
own hours was a big plus for me.”

Making soap and body products combined everything Ms. Jack already liked to do. “I like to hand craft things, so it just made sense.”

In May 2006, Good Fortune Soap was born. “From day one I studied soap making, natural ingredients, and the natural products industry as a whole. The fearless mad scientist I knew as a child took over as I experimented by making hundreds of batches of soap, scent combinations, shapes, colors, and more. I taught myself and basically perfected the process night and day while working full-time as a graphic designer.”

After eight months in the lab, December 2006 marked Good Fortune’s first big open house. In just two days, Ms. Jack sold hundreds of bars of soap and gift sets. Two Chattanooga-based gift shops placed orders, purchasing Good Fortune’s entire collection of scents and gift sets. This success prepared Ms. Jack for the next step—going full-time with the soap business.

By the summer of 2007, Ms. Jack had quit her corporate job at True North to focus on Good Fortune. Since then, she has gone from focusing only on all natural soaps to also creating many other products, such as lip balms, lip scrubs, body lotions, massage candles, element sprays, bath salts, and more. Good Fortune also specializes in creating custom favors and gifts for weddings, showers, and other parties.

“I took the feedback from my customers, as well as my own opinions on what products that I like to use for my sensitive skin, to take that next step to create products that everyone can use.”

Another big change for Good Fortune took place during the summer of 2008—the location of the business. Ms. Jack and her mother, Charlotte Vincent, also of Athens, worked side by side renovating her grandfather's, (the late Clyde Anderson) old dairy barn. It currently embodies a production studio and store front in Athens that is now open to the public. The studio has since grown to include retail, wholesale, private label, e-commerce, and Eco-Friendly Do-It-Yourself parties and classes.

Ms. Jack currently puts her design background to good use by doing her own packaging, photography, marketing, and designing. “I’m really doing more than just making this soap, I’m also branding it.”

In the short time Good Fortune has been in business, it has grown tremendously. It is currently being sold in many cities throughout Tennessee, as well as over 18 states. Ms. Jack is now a certified soap maker in the U.S., noting Good Fortune as one of the highest-quality producers of all-natural soap. She was recently awarded “Best in Show” and “Best Package Design,” the two highest honors at the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild Conference in Burlington, Vt. Despite these awards, perhaps the biggest honor to Ms. Jack was being featured in last month’s Southern Living magazine in a section called “Stylish Gifts for Fall, Made by Southern Hands.”

Ms. Jack credits a lot of her success to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at CSCC. The Small Business Development Center located on CSCC’s campus offers confidential, cost free services to all small business owners as well as those who are interested in starting new businesses.

“I first found out about the SBDC through my sister-in-law, who works at Cleveland State. They asked me to serve on a panel of small business owners during their recent Extreme Entrepreneur Seminar back in April, and I’ve been meeting regularly with Brenda Sheehy, Small Business Specialist, ever since. Brenda and I share a lot of the same passions. She owned three businesses herself, so she knows the hardships that come with owning your own business.”

Ms. Jack stated, “The SBDC is a good sounding board for ideas. They have really helped me in structuring a business plan and timeline and have also helped me in developing a budget. They have invaluable resources both locally and with the National Business Association, so they understand the process of getting loans and the importance of business plans. They are very generous with their knowledge and the whole thing is absolutely free, so you definitely can’t beat that!”

Small businesses are facing more challenges during this economic downturn than ever before,” stated Ms. Sheehy. “Jennifer proves that with a sound business plan, and a quality product offered at an affordable price coupled with innovative marketing, a creative entrepreneur can not only succeed, but thrive during these times. Jennifer possesses the passion and the expertise to grow her business into a large enterprise if she so desires. I expect we will see a lot more of Jennifer Jack and her wonderful products in the future!”
Ms. Jack is currently in the early stages of launching an outreach program with Good Fortune called Soap for Hope. Since the beginning, Good Fortune has partnered with various charitable organizations to empower women, offer hope to orphans, and support mission work. Ms. Jack said the purpose of Soap for Hope is to give disadvantaged girls hope by teaching them life skills, entrepreneurship training, and a chance for a college education. Through a mentorship program, Good Fortune will teach the girls to make soap and body products. They will then buy back most of the products from the girls so they can start college savings plans. Every product is like planting a seed. Eventually, Soap for Hope will grow, and young leaders will emerge.

Good Fortune also just launched a brand new fundraising program open to the public. “Basically, anyone needing to do fundraising can sell Good Fortune products for their organization and earn 30 percent of the commission,” said Ms. Jack. “It is a simple plan geared towards helping schools, churches, non-profits, and clubs raise money, while also giving us a platform to educate people about Soap for Hope.”

“I always knew that Good Fortune was just as the name says, meant to bless others with ‘good fortune.’ It took three and a half years of learning how to be a business owner to now be able to take all of that knowledge to teach others how to make their own soap and body products, so this way, I’m getting to use all of my gifts the best way I can.”

For a list of locations that sell Good Fortune products or to find out more information about Good Fortune Soap or Soap for Hope, contact Jennifer Jack at 423 715-2647 or visit her website at www.goodfortunesoap.com.

For more information on Cleveland State’s Small Business Development Center, visit the website at www.tsbdc.org or to make an appointment for a free consultation, contact the office at 423 478-6247.