Building the First Industrial Empire in Another World

Two weeks later.

The Helmarte Soap Works began selling soaps to consumers through official reseller agreements across the capital city of Helmarte.

And honestly?

The demand exploded far faster than Ernest originally projected.

Actually, the factory itself could not handle direct retail operations alone yet.

Managing production already consumed enormous attention daily.

Which was why Ernest and Hollen adopted a reseller distribution system instead.

Bathhouses.

General stores.

Merchant stalls.

Perfume shops.

Even apothecary stores.

The soap products gradually spread through the city through existing commercial networks rather than relying solely on factory sales.

From a business perspective, it was far more efficient.

Why build dozens of retail locations personally when existing merchants already possessed customer traffic?

Leverage existing distribution channels.

That alone accelerated expansion massively.

And now?

Several official Helmarte Soap reseller stores already operated throughout the capital.

One near the central business district.

Another beside the northern market roads.

Three smaller distribution stalls near bathhouse districts.

And surprisingly...

The best-performing location so far sat near the wealthy merchant quarter.

Which honestly made sense.

The premium scented variants practically dominated upper-class sales.

Inside Hollen’s office, Ernest reviewed the latest sales ledger while workers outside continued loading fresh soap crates onto wagons.

Actually, the numbers still looked ridiculous.

During the first fourteen days alone:

Common worker soap sold: 18,400 bars.

Scented household soap sold: 9,200 bars.

Premium merchant soap sold: 3,100 bars.

Total soap bars sold in just two weeks:

30,700 bars.

And financially?

The results looked even crazier.

Common soap revenue:

1,840,000 riels.

Scented household soap revenue:

1,380,000 riels.

Premium merchant soap revenue:

930,000 riels.

Total gross revenue after two weeks:

4,150,000 riels.

Even after deducting operational expenses, wages, charcoal, transport costs, raw material contracts, and reseller margins...

The factory still generated enormous profit.

Actually, Hollen himself stared at the ledger several times already today.

Not because he doubted the figures.

Because his brain still struggled processing the scale.

"...Four million riels in two weeks..."

"That’s correct, and the fact that soap, through constant use, would need replacing, we will have a repeating customer base." Ernest continued calmly while tapping the ledger lightly.

"Unlike tools, furniture, or weapons, soap gets consumed."

Then he pointed toward the sales figures again.

"A household that buys soap this month will eventually need another one next month."

Actually, that was the beauty of consumable products.

Repeat demand.

Stable demand.

Predictable demand.

Back on Earth, entire industrial empires were built around products people constantly needed replacing.

Soap.

Food.

Medicine.

Fuel.

Hollen slowly rubbed his forehead afterward while staring at the numbers again.

"...This doesn’t even feel real."

Honestly, Ernest understood the reaction.

Four million riels in gross revenue within two weeks sounded absurd by medieval standards.

Especially for a product most people barely considered important before.

Then Ernest suddenly grabbed another parchment stack from the desk.

"Look at this."

Hollen frowned slightly.

"What now?"

"Repeat customer data."

Ernest already started tracking customer behavior manually through reseller reporting systems.

Not perfect obviously.

But enough to identify purchasing trends.

The forge owner looked over the documents afterward while Ernest explained.

"The northern market stall reported that over forty percent of buyers returned within the same week."

Hollen blinked once.

"The same week?"

"Yes."

"Some households purchased additional bars after testing the first one."

That pattern mattered enormously.

Initial curiosity created first purchases.

Product quality created repeat purchases.

And repeat purchases created stable long-term business.

Ernest continued flipping through the reports afterward.

"The merchant district reseller also reported nobles buying premium variants in bundles."

"How many?"

"One customer purchased twenty bars at once."

Now even Hollen looked stunned again.

"Twenty?"

From a modern perspective, that sounded completely normal.

Bulk household purchases happened constantly.

Meanwhile here?

Soap itself still carried novelty value.

Especially premium scented variants.

One noblewoman reportedly distributed lavender soap bars as gifts during a private gathering.

Another merchant family apparently reserved entire monthly shipments already.

Then Ernest pointed toward another section of the report.

"Bathhouses too."

Bathhouse partnerships turned out far more profitable than expected.

Several public bathhouses now purchased soap in large quantities because customers specifically requested it.

And once bathhouse visitors experienced proper soap during bathing...

They later bought personal bars for home use.

Indirect marketing.

Product exposure through service establishments.

Again, something very common back on Earth.

Revolutionary here.

Hollen slowly leaned back afterward while letting out a quiet breath.

"...We’re going to need more production."

"Yes."

Ernest answered immediately.

"And more workers eventually."

Actually, the factory already operated near maximum safe capacity during some shifts.

The curing rooms especially filled rapidly.

Soap bars required time to stabilize properly before shipment.

Without enough curing space?

Production bottlenecks formed quickly.

Then suddenly, another clerk entered the office carrying fresh parchment orders.

"Mister Ernest."

"What is it?"

The young clerk looked slightly overwhelmed.

"The Merchant Guild requested a formal supply meeting tomorrow."

Ernest narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Why?"

"They want to discuss regional distribution."

Silence.

That statement alone revealed something massive.

Regional distribution meant expansion beyond Helmarte.

Beyond the capital itself.

Meaning the Merchant Guild already saw the soap as a kingdom-wide commercial product.

And little by little, Ernest could already see it happening in his mind.

More factories.

Larger supply chains.

Industrial expansion.

But of course, they must also be wary of one thing. Which is hype. A lot of products would be strong from the start but in the long-term, the momentum fades. Though Ernest was not concerned about it happening as soap is a commodity the people need to get themselves clean. Still, it’s better to be cautious from here on out.

"This is a huge opportunity for us," Hollen said. "The fact that it’s already two weeks we are already the center of attention in the Merchant’s guild."

"It is true, but we just started. Two weeks is still a short time. We have to wait for three to six months to get accurate data on the demand for soap. That way, we will have a strong argument and those investors who would be willing to invest in our enterprise will be bold."