My Story: Why & How I Created
The Expedition Soap Company
by: Spencer Kelly, Lead Expeditioneer
My story starts one afternoon at the beginning of summer 2016. I was 14 years old and had just finished 9th grade. My friend and I had gone to a local restaurant to celebrate when, after our meal, we found that our bicycles had been stolen! I was mad - that bike took me everywhere! Fortunately, my dad bought me a new replacement bike. However he had one condition, and it was mandatory - I had to figure out a way to repay him by the end of that summer! After a childhood of business books and dreamed-up ventures, I began my quest to repay my father and just maybe build something grand!
Roughly a week later, I was in the shower, and the soap I was using was downright terrible! I thought to myself, "I could do better!" I didn't want ordinary soap with harsh, unhealthy chemicals. I wanted a soap bar that had gentle, natural ingredients and creamy, dreamy lather. I thought, "Why don't I do better"?
I started 10 years ago with less than 20 bars of soap, but since then, my skincare product line has grown. All of my soap bars, body butter, lip balms, sugar scrubs, shower steamers, and bath bombs are handcrafted. Our customers love our products! They love to use them, and they love even more to gift them! Word-of-mouth advertising from our customers has kept my business consistently growing over the past 10 years.
Every one of my soap bars begins with 5 skin-loving plant oils to delight your skin; coconut oil, olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil. Organic Shea Butter is added into this base and this is THE basis for every single one of my cold process soap bars. My bars differ in variety due to the various add-ins of the highest quality, skin-safe phthalate-free fragrance oils and/or essential oils and colorants, as well as some additional all-natural skin treats for scrubbing, exfoliation or detoxing. An added bonus is the creamy, dreamy lather you'll experience when you wash with my soap bars.
Now you can understand why we say that "We Are What's REAL in Skin Care"! All of my soap bars are premium luxury REAL soap bars that are scented so deliciously, you just might be tempted to bite into the bar, like I was and did! Careful not to sniff the soaps when hungry!
In February 2017, I added skin-softening handmade vegan organic Shea Butter body butter to our product line. In September 2017, I added handmade organic Shea Butter bath bombs to our product line. In October 2019, I added handmade organic Shea Butter Luxurious Lip Balms. In October 2020, I added handmade organic Shea Butter Sugar Scrubs. In 2023, I added foaming hand soaps and candles. In 2026, I reformulated my sugar scrubs ever so slightly and removed all colors. Now in 2026, the business is once again undergoing some big updates! So, stay tuned! Our product lines are just an amazing sensory delight, from smell to feel, and superb quality. Just wait until you try them!
I am Spencer Kelly, a 25-year-old entrepreneur and Oakland University graduate with my BS in Accounting in the Honors Business program. I also happen to have Asperger Syndrome (an Autism Spectrum Disorder), and part of my company's mission is to give back and create awareness about autism. I dream that, as my business grows, I'll one day be able to fully staff individuals with disabilities. I live in Rochester Hills, MI. Inspired in 5th grade when I started reading business books, I knew running my own business was right for me! I have big entrepreneurial dreams & my company began with a dream, an open mind, a lot of hard work, and some amazing bars of soap!
The name "Expedition Soaps" came from my love of expeditionary history - from trekking across the New World to the expeditions into the heart of Africa. Since then, it has come to represent my ultimate goal: setting out to create a better, more accepting world. To explore what we can do to
The Expedition Soap Company name is just fitting, as we're all on a journey in life. But when we are open to exploring new experiences, our minds grow, and our whole lives can change (and smell better!)! Now, I have a business that I never dreamed possible, and I couldn't be more grateful for this expedition that I have embarked upon.
If you would, please join me on this expedition, and you will be sent into sensory heaven with my delightfully scented soaps, amazingly silky-smooth body butter, plus luxurious relaxing bath bombs, exfoliating sugar scrubs, moisture-locking lip balms, and more. Your shower will never be the same again!
Thanks to my company, I have also given back to numerous charities. USAutism.org and OU CARES, two autism organizations that I love to support, as well as others such as The American Cancer Society, Game On Cancer, The United Way, The Judson Center, and The Barn Sanctuary! I also hold random giveaways on Facebook and via e-mail, so be sure to follow along on these social platforms to participate. There is one lesson in life that I learned young: You Get Back What You Give! It's important to me to give back when I can, as this is an important part of my life expedition!
Now, as with life, you grow and change. In 2024, I decided to sell this business to my dear brother, Grant. He had always played an essential role in the company from the very beginning. When he was 19 and ready to step in as owner, I felt confident leaving the business in great hands. Grant had been an integral part of Expedition Soaps since he was just 12, so he was more than capable.
In fact, I couldn’t have imagined a better person to carry it forward.
During that season, I had the opportunity to travel, reflect, and pursue new personal and professional goals. But sometimes, when you build something from the ground up, it never truly leaves you.
In early 2026, Grant felt called to forge his own path. After many conversations and thoughtful consideration, he sold the business back to me so he could focus completely on building his future.
And so, on February 17, 2026, I became the owner of The Expedition Soap Company once again.
Coming back isn’t about going backward. It’s about coming home with more experience, more clarity, and a renewed commitment to the mission. Expedition Soaps is part of my story — and I’m honored to lead it into its next chapter.
The expedition continues.
Spencer Kelly, 25-year-old
Founder & Owner of The Expedition Soap Company
