Create your own Make & Take class!
If you are looking for a way to share your love of oils with others all while creating DIY products, teaching a make and take class is a great way to do so. Make and Take classes are a great way to teach others about the benefits of essential oils as well as growing your sales if you are a distributor or small business.
Here are some keys to giving a successful Make and Take Class:
- Gain and maintain knowledge and experience on the topics that you will be teaching about.
- Stay focused and keep your class focused on a specific goal, but keep it simple.
- Allow all class participants to interact with you, each other, and the oils
We recommend that if you are new to oils to have an oil book such as Advance Oil Magic or Everyday Essentials Guidebook available when doing a class. This is a great way to answer any questions that might come up.
Getting Started
Time & Place
First, you will need to pick a date and time that is convenient for you and those who are going to be participating in your class. Don’t try to pick a time that will please everyone, as no matter what you choose not everyone will always be able to attend. In instances like those, you can always offer a class at another time or offer a personal session with those that can't attend.
Location
Once you have a date and time in mind, you will need to find a location to host your event. Keep in mind the number of people you are planning to attend. You could offer a class in your own home, a local community center, library, park, or any other location you feel comfortable.
Keep in mind the essentials such as power, bathrooms, etc.
Invitations
Inviting others to a Make and Take class in the modern world can still be offered in a variety of ways. Creating a Facebook Event Page for your class may be a great way to share it with a wider audience and gauge how many people are interested in coming to your class.
You can also create formal invites and mail them an invitation to your class. Or you can create a fun email and send your guests an invitation that way.
Topics
Now it’s time to figure out what topic of Make and Take you are interested in and are most comfortable teaching. If you are planning on hosting this event for first-time essential oil users, then you may want to start with an introductory class such as Easy Essential Rollers or Easy Room Sprays. If you have a lot of pet lovers then you could offer a class on Essential Oils for Dogs, Cats, or even Horses! The great thing about these recipes is that they all have label sheets available so you can have your class label each recipe that they create so if they would like to create more in the future, they can give you the exact recipe they made with you.
Supplies
You will also need supplies to make these recipes come to life. Most recipes call for a carrier oil or distilled water. Depending on the size of your class or how frequently your classes run you may want to purchase a gallon jug of carrier oil so you have enough, but can also pour it into smaller batches for your class. You will also need containers so everyone can create their own recipes. Most recipes either call for a 10 ml roller bottle or a 2 oz spray bottle. The color options are endless, so have some fun with choosing the containers for your class. Maybe you want the entire class to have blue bottles, or maybe you’d like every recipe to have a different color container. The class may also benefit from small funnels and pipettes for easily filling bottles, small bowls or baskets to hold small pieces, and oil keys to pop roller balls on and off.
Adding Values
You can add value to the class by charging a small fee to be in your class to cover material costs, but you can let your participants know that the fee will include the recipes they created in class as well as a recipe sheet so they can make the recipes at home as well.
You can also add value by offering a drawing of a free product, or admission to another class. Refreshments are also another great way to add value all while incorporating oils. Keep refreshments mess-free but also tasty! There are plenty of great recipes you can utilize in our selection of Cooking with Essential Oils Books.
Setting the Mood
Depending on the location of your class, you could diffuse an oil blend that is included in one of the kits, or have some samples of the blends available for your class to experience before creating. Have all of your ingredients, containers, and recipe sheets displayed so your guests can choose what they would like to create. Or if your class is all making the same recipe, have each seat displayed with all of the supplies they would need.
Safety
In Conclusion
In conclusion, once your class is finished take a few moments to reflect on how it went. Did you accomplish the goal that you had set for yourself? If not, what can you do to improve for the next class you teach? Did your class have enough time to create the recipes? Did you pick the right location? All of these things will help you improve yourself and your class structure so that you can be even more successful next time.
Remember that your passion for essential oils will shine through when you enjoy what you do. The class will be much more enjoyable for you and your participants when you are excited and enjoy teaching the class. This joy will increase signups for your next class but also resonate with your participants even after they leave.