Meet Mom Boss Nicole Vannelli –
Underground Soap Lady

Every week one Ventura County Mom Boss will be taking over our Instagram and be featured on Ventura County Mom Collective. We are all about supporting and empowering women in our community. We will highlight outstanding mom-owned businesses who are not only rocking it as entrepreneurs, but also providing valuable services in and around Ventura County.

Meet Nicole Vannelli –  Underground Soap Lady


1. Tell us a little bit about yourself as a mom and business owner.

I’ve officially had Underground Soap since July 2020. It originally began with stain
remover sticks, but quickly branched out into body soaps, scrubs and colloidal baths.
Underground Soap Lady has a DBA, business license, and permits to operate out of my
Simi Valley home. Underground Soap Lady is not my full-time job as I am a 5th grade
teacher in Camarillo, but I do love my business dearly as I love my students. I have two
little ones (Oliver 3.5) and Noah (3 months), and I love them both to pieces.

Underground Soap Lady is what has allowed me to enjoy full maternity leave instead of
going back to work soon as I had to do with Oliver. For that, I am so extra thankful. I only
work Underground Soap Lady at night after the kids are in bed (hence the name), so it
allows me to be with my babies and I get to be a mom boss at the same time.

2. What three words describe you as a mom and business owner?

Motivated, Family-Oriented and Busy.

3. What advice would you give moms about successfully managing life as a mom and a business owner? How do you find balance and time for yourself?

Make sure your family comes first, always. Time with children when they are young is
irreplaceable. You blink and they are grown. In my case, I have a career, kids and my
business. To give time to my children, I schedule time for my business after they go to
bed. If I have work to do during the day, I make sure it’s when my husband is tagging in
to play with the kids and give them some attention. This does sometimes mean that I
don’t have the capacity to fulfill a next day order. My customers all understand that I
have kids and can’t always fulfill orders immediately and they understand. It’s important
to me to be there for my kids.

As for me time, what is that? Lol, In all seriousness, there are a few things I do for self-
care such as getting my eyebrows threaded every two weeks, getting my hair done
three times a year and regular pedicures.

4. Tell us about your business and how it impacts families in Ventura County.

I make the very popular stain remover sticks! They have removed so many stains and
the word is out about them and spreading like wildfire! My business was born when I
started selling stain sticks to raise money for my dog’s leg amputation surgery. I had
originally only planned on selling them for that purpose, but people kept coming back
for more. Soon, they were requesting bar soaps and scrubs as well as stain remover
sticks and the rest is history. I’ve done many giveaways with my business. I’ve sponsored
children from the Boys and Girls Club at Christmas, and I’ve donated dinner for a family
for Thanksgiving through the Pinnacle Turkey Drive.


5. What would you say to other moms aspiring to start a business?

Go after your creative dreams! Moms are superheroes who really can do it all!

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Cascia Smith
Cascia was born and raised in the Arizona heat. While receiving her Pre-Med degree at HIU in California, a blonde, surfing, skateboarding boy stole her heart. In 2004, she married Chuck and had many adventures living in Arizona, California and Colorado. They now call Simi Valley home and have three wild and curious children - Becker (10), Bodie (7) and Lyla (6). She has been blessed to be a teacher, summer camp staff/program director, SAHM and now the owner of Ventura County Mom Collective. Playing guitar, writing songs, and reading any and every parenting book helps keep her sane and happy! A good cup of coffee or a bubbly La Croix can usually be found in her hand! She tries to live by the motto "I'd rather recover from failure than live with regret.

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