Episode #211 — Soap Making with Iron Lion Soap

I was driving across the great state of Michigan earlier this week when I happened upon a sign on a country road advertising fresh blueberries. That was tempting, but what made me almost slam my breaks and cause an agriculture-related accident was the sign for sexy, sexy sweet corn. That smooth corn silk wrapped around the cob, that dose of fiber to aid digestion, that recessive gene mutation controlling the conversion of sugar to starch, occurring inside the corn kernel’s endosperm — you know what I’m talking about. And just think of all the great songs written about corn … seriously, I’ll wait. Well, there’s got to be some sort of country or folk song about it, right? Maybe something on the TikTok? If not, there’s a corn-sized hole needing to be filled in the music industry. (Stop it.) Luke, get that corn song you’ve been dreaming about written so you can partially interview yourself on Rock ‘n’ Roll Grad School. But show up prepared; I hear Heidi will show no mercy with her questions.

Despite all my rhapsodizing about sweet corn, I didn’t stop for any ears. It’s almost impossible to eat in the car, even with those little corn holders. But my drive would take an even more exciting turn when I found myself on the interstate behind a car with a personalized license plate that read HUDHWK. What? So many questions! Was this driver a superfan of the 1991 Bruce Willis movie and winner of three Razzies, “Hudson Hawk”? A serious stance to advertise on a mid-sized Chevrolet. Sadly, when I had a chance to pass on the left and see who was driving, all the windows were tinted, obscuring my view. And then the car pulled off the highway onto an exit ramp. So, the mystery remains. Were Andie MacDowell, Frank Stallone, and David Caruso cruising the highways and byways of the Midwest? I’d like to think they were, maybe looking for a sweet corn stand.

With those adventures behind me, what could possibly keep my drive interesting? Luckily, I had this week’s podcast episode on standby and it covers one of my very favorite topics. We spoke with Avi Rubin from Iron Lion Soap, and if you think there’s nothing to cover in the world of soap, get ready to have your mind blown like so many bubbles.

All good companies start with a great idea, and Avi — along with his family — had one with its origins in jujitsu training. We’re not going to give away the connection between making soap and jujitsu, but let’s just say Avi’s family sounds like a lot of fun to hang out with and knows how to handle potential discord. (Insert jokes about “Fight Club” here.) We learned how the search for plant-based remedies, essential oils, jujitsu class, and holiday gifts all worked together to bring forth Iron Lion Soap. Avi shared with us the philosophy behind his company, which takes a refreshingly human-focused approach. The Iron Lion team cares about you as a person, wants to help care for your skin, and takes a natural approach. Luckily, that approach coincides with really lovely-smelling products.

Avi broke down the various ingredients in his products and the benefits they contain. We also spoke about his customer retention rate, which is an unheard-of number. If you want a glimpse into how a small business gets started, what process goes into researching and creating new types of soaps, and what the consequences are for a company putting people before profits, you’ll enjoy listening to Avi’s perspective. And to learn more about Iron Lion Soap (including how to get some for yourself), check out their website. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Maybe we should propose a sweet corn soap. Surely those kernels would work as a great exfoliant. Let’s do some R&D.