Few founders cite lockdown as a positive spur for their business. Most mask-making and hand sanitiser start-ups ended alongside Covid.

But Chuckle Soaps was born on an afternoon in November 2021 in “deepest lockdown,” as founder Anna-Louise Stewart puts it.

“My boys and I dropped fun toys in clear soaps to encourage them to wash their hands,” Stewart explains. “They looked so cool I put them on Facebook and asked if friends wanted to buy some for stocking fillers.” When 200 people said yes, Stewart became a soap-maker.

“Lesson one for growing slowly is to start by testing your idea with your nearest and dearest,” she advises.

One early Facebook post went viral, landing Chuckle Soaps in a broadsheet Christmas Gift Guide. “The local post mistress saw me dispatching parcels and asked if she could help. Her husband, who ran four tech businesses, became my mentor. Lesson two: accept help when it comes your way. People genuinely want to support you if they see you working hard.”

Stewart previously worked at fashion brands Lulu Guinness and Temperley. “Just because I managed huge accounts worldwide doesn’t mean I need to do that now. Growing at a pace I control is right. Wholesalers come to us—we’ve never chased business.” The brand is stocked in Anthropologie, The Tank Museum shop, the Royal Shops, Rick Stein’s boutique, and independent stores from Cornwall to Scotland.

“By growing slowly and attending close to 40 fairs a year, I’ve learnt to listen to customers and take advice that resonates with my mission: to make people happy,” she adds. “If our soaps bring joy, that counts—not cutting costs or chasing trends. I focus on handmade Hampshire soaps with natural ingredients.”

Chuckle Soaps makes £100,000 annually. “Growing organically is beautiful,” Stewart says. “Success is hearing stories about our soaps being the hit of Christmas, the only soap an allergic child can use, or a student taking it to remind her of family jokes. I can work hard, see my kids grow, and show them what real work looks like. Growing slowly has given me a rock-solid foundation for the future.”

Read more about Chuckle Soaps via their website and read more of our scaleup stories here.

Founder of Chuckle Soaps Anna-Louise Stewart