How did you hear about Outlaw Soaps?
I was obsessively searching for subscription boxes. Because they are so fun!
Adding a PS...you should add a spot to suggest soap smells! Cause you know what I'd love to see? A coffee featured one! I'm a tad obsessed with all things coffee. You know. The I take it black and at any time of the day sort of obsession. Plus one of the fun things about camping in the outdoors I love is getting up when the sun has just woke up, brewing a pot of coffee on the fire. :)
[editorial note: we DO have a coffee soap one! It was sold out for a long time, but we got it back! I'll send you a bar!]
Which of our products is your favorite?
Oh! Hard to say. I haven't gotten to try them all! I liked the Sage Copper Canyon a lot.
Where were you born and what was your favorite thing about that place?
I was born at a hospital in Long Branch, NJ. I've lived in a neighboring town almost my whole life (since I was 2 years old). My town is a small town, but not a really, remote small town in Maine or anything. Just average. It's really close to the Jersey Shore, so that is what I like most about it. It's beautiful. There are two parks near me that I can walk to. In the summer on my runs, I'll reach the first park and just keep running through until I reach the pier. The pier jets out into the water a bit, which is almost always an inspiring site. Sailboats and motorboats dot some of the horizon, the sun warms your skin, and it feels good to take it all in.
I also live near Sandy Hook, NJ, which is an amazing National Park, as well as many beaches. I can get there in a 15 minute bike ride. There is something special about hoping on your bike in the summertime, a good playlist on, a backpack, and being able to just ride along the boardwalk stopping only to grab some sun or some coffee at a local shop.
People may say a lot of things about the Jersey Shore. But that's only the things you see in TV shows, or on a tourist's social network post. The real shore is much more beautiful than any of that could be.
How many places have you lived?
2
If you could pick anything to do and be absolutely assured financial security, but you had to commit to doing it for five years, what would it be and why?
Oh!! What a great question. I'm the type of person who has a lot of interests, so this has always been something I struggled with.
I currently work in accounting, but what I really would love is to work for the marketing department of a really great company. To me that would be something that involved a company's whose core values and culture I fit in, and has a business I believe in. To top it off, if they were directly involved with charities that would be the icing on the cake.
Not a lot to ask, huh? Of course, it is! Yet, I think these days the way businesses and organizations are being run is changing. You see a lot of new management styles, and I find a lot of companies are focusing on what their values and culture is, too. Take Republic Wireless, for example. They have a employee book club that focuses on books which are business related, both to increase their employee's skills and to encourage social interaction among them. I even just purchased one that was on their list, Start With Why by Simon Sinek.
I really love that way of thinking for a company. I think that given the amount of time your job has in your lifespan, it's important to think about how it fits into everything and not just as an employee, but for the companies as well. It's good all around for both sides. The more motivated, active, and encouraged employees are the better work they will produce. Likewise, the more you are encouraged, motivated, and active as an employee the better experience you will have. Going to work becomes something you look forward to, instead of something you just have to do.
I also am an individual who really loves being involved with something that is beyond making money. I want to be able to help people while I'm on the Earth, too. I mean, it feels good to help someone, doesn't it? And it should feel good.
So working with a company that does this, whether providing service for non-profits or being a non-profit themselves--that would be really satisfying to me. And I wouldn't want to do it for just five years. I'd want to do it for the rest of my life! Or until I'm really old, and can no longer work.
What is something that you have done at any point in your life that you think is interesting and you'd like to tell people about?
So I could pick a new topic for this answer probably a few times over. But since this weekend I am also working for the charity I volunteer for, I'll talk about them.
Around 2 1/2 years ago I started to volunteer for the charity Amman Imman: Water is Life. They are a very small non-profit that works in Western Africa, in a region called the Azawak. It's near Mali and Niger. They build boreholes for indigenous groups of people in the area, who often have access to no water, and if anything it is dirty, unclean water. They are among some of the poorest people in the world. Besides this, AI also has many other projects in the region, including a woman's cooperative, fodder programs, garden programs, education, health and sanitation, and so much more.
I started off doing data entry, but now I help handle their marketing--all as a volunteer. The work they do is so inspiring. At my time with AI, I have learned a lot. Some of the stories I have read--parts of them from the people themselves--are almost unimaginable. The things that they are grateful for compared to the things I have almost as a given in my life makes you really appreciate small things more than anything.
Also, because we are a really small charity, you really get to see and read all the operations. You get hands-on knowledge on what they are doing, which was something that attracted me over a bigger, more well-known charity. Now that I have gotten to know all the team members well, including the Director Debra Kahn and the Founder Ariane Kirtley, it's even more of a pleasure to be able to be involved in this.
We also do a lot of work directly with students, empowering them to become socially conscious leaders and have an impact in the world. We have our annual Walk for Water this May, which will be hosted at John F. Kennedy High School in Maryland, so that's what I'm currently working on this weekend. This is the 3rd year I've been apart of planning this event, and I think this year I am more excited than any others. I think this will be our best one yet.
Speaking of which, for those interested they could head to www.ammanimman.org/walk
What do you like about Outlaw Soaps?
Honestly, what I like most about Outlaw Soaps is your personalities. I see Danielle's the most since she seems to be the voice of the company. There are a lot of soap companies out there, but you guys have a great funny and unique voice. I also love small companies or people crafting their own things. And your branding is just so cute. You guys are always learning, and it's fun to follow along for the ride.
My dad is a hunter, so I have actually grown up going hiking, fishing, shooting (though not actually at animals), and more. I probably knew how to tie a fly, when other girls were busy listening to Nsync. I love the outdoors! Whether that is the smell of the ocean near my town, or a great view on the top of a cliff up in North Jersey. Outlaw Soaps really encompasses that feeling in their products, which I love. I've only been getting soaps through the Clean Getaway Box for a little while, but I love the smell of the soaps! I use them on the weekend to unwind and pamper myself. While imagining a really great view.
Anything else?
If anyone is interested in learning more about me, they are welcome to check out my About Me page at www.jamiekaren.com
You can also follow me:
www.twitter.com/_jamiek
www.google.com/+jamiek
www.instagram.com/artlifeheart
www.jofalltrade.wordpress.com
