Getting Started
New to Maker Studio AI? Start here.
What is Maker Studio AI?
Maker Studio AI is a studio-management system for handmade product makers. It brings recipes, expenditures, inventory, batches, sales, events, marketing, and finances together so you can work from one set of records instead of disconnected spreadsheets.
Who is Maker Studio AI for?
It is built for soap makers, cosmetic formulators, candle makers, and other makers who create products from recipes. It works whether you are building your first repeatable process or running an established handmade business.
How do I get started?
After sign-in, choose the starting point that best matches where you are now. The guided setup then helps you enter your business defaults and begin with the records most useful to you. You can always add the rest of your studio information later.
Can I use the soap calculator before creating an account?
Yes. The public calculator at /calculator is available without an account. A free account lets you keep studio records; the calculator itself does not require a subscription.
What does the Free (Basic) plan include?
Free (Basic) includes manual recipes, expenditures, inventory, batches, sales, maker calendar, shopping list, plain imports (inventory CSV, sales CSV, SoapMaker 3 TXT, and SoapCalc JSON), and data export. It includes up to 3 saved recipes and 1 batch record. Free has no AI features except the onboarding setup step, and there is no trial.
Can I export my data?
Yes. Data export is included with Free (Basic), so you can export your studio records when you need them.
Recipes & Formulation
Build, analyse, import, and use repeatable formulas.
How does the recipe calculator work?
Enter a formula and Maker Studio AI calculates lye and water for NaOH or KOH recipes, plus fatty-acid profiles and quality scores. You can adjust the formula and review the result before saving or making a batch.
What do the quality scores mean?
Quality scores summarize properties estimated from a recipe's fatty-acid profile, including hardness, cleansing, conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather, iodine, and INS. They are formulation guidance, not a guarantee of a finished product outcome.
Can I import existing recipes?
Yes. The plain import options support SoapMaker 3 TXT and SoapCalc JSON, alongside inventory and sales CSV imports. Review imported information before relying on it in your studio records.
Which plans include Recipe AI?
Recipe AI is included on paid plans. Starter includes 30 Recipe AI uses each month, Pro includes 100, and Founding Member includes 150. Allowances reset monthly and do not roll over.
Can I use AI to generate or adjust a recipe?
Paid members can use Recipe AI for supported recipe generation, analysis, insights, and ingredient-substitution workflows. Check the result against your own formulation requirements before making a batch.
Production & Inventory
Track supplies, batches, stock, and production costs.
How do purchases reach inventory?
Record a supply purchase in Expenditures and classify it as an inventory purchase. Confirmed purchase quantities can be added to the matching inventory item, while non-inventory expenses remain in Expenditures as overhead or other business spending.
What is the difference between an Expenditure and an inventory item?
An Expenditure records the purchase transaction. An inventory item represents the stock you have on hand. A confirmed inventory purchase can link the two so the purchase contributes quantity and cost to that item.
What happens when I log a batch?
A batch records the production run, including the recipe, date, yield, and notes. When ingredient inventory is available for the recipe, the batch workflow deducts the recorded ingredient quantities from inventory.
How is labour handled in product cost?
Maker Studio AI uses one hourly labour rate from your studio's financial defaults when labour is included in cost calculations. Update that single rate in Settings when your labour cost changes.
Why does bar weight show in my unit?
Your default bar weight is stored consistently in grams, but Settings and onboarding show and accept it in the maker unit you chose. For example, an imperial maker can enter ounces and a metric maker can enter grams.
Can I track landed cost?
Yes. Inventory purchase costs can include the purchase amount, shipping, tax, and discount so the inventory cost reflects the landed cost recorded for that purchase.
Event Hub & Sales
Prepare for events, record sales, and understand what happened.
What is Event Hub?
Event Hub is the paid event-planning workspace for markets, shows, workshops, demos, and private events. It helps you organize event details, materials, checklists, products, and related sales information.
Can I record different kinds of sales?
Yes. Sales can be recorded by channel and categorized as product sales, workshop tuition, kit sales, wholesale, and related event activity. You can also use the supported sales CSV import for plain historical data.
What is the difference between gross sales and net sales?
Gross sales are the recorded sale totals before platform fees. Net sales subtract recorded platform fees. When no fees are recorded, gross and net sales match because there is nothing to subtract.
Which plans include Event Hub?
Event Hub is included with Starter, Pro, and Founding Member plans. Free (Basic) includes manual maker-calendar and sales records, but not the paid Event Hub feature set.
Workshops
Run a class or workshop as an event in your studio.
What is a workshop in Maker Studio AI?
A workshop is an Event Hub event set up for a class, demo, or private event. Its workshop panel keeps the class details, attendee and material planning, pricing and profitability details, equipment checklist, and invoice information together.
How do I set up a workshop?
Create an event, choose the workshop, demo, or private-event type, then open the workshop details panel. Add the class information, material plan, pricing, invoice details, and any checklist items you need for that event.
How do workshop invoices and payments work?
The workshop panel can prepare an invoice, track it as draft, sent, or paid, and record the payment date and method. Marking workshop tuition as paid creates its related sales record. The Check past workshop payments action is a one-time recovery for older paid workshop invoices that do not yet have a sales record.
What are Class Templates?
Class Templates let paid members save a workshop setup and apply it to another workshop. They can preserve reusable class details and material planning so recurring classes do not start from scratch.
What are Workshop Drops?
Workshop Drops are reusable workshop resources available to Pro and Founding Member plans. Studio Team is also available only to Pro and Founding Member plans.
Which plans include workshops?
Workshop planning through Event Hub and Class Templates is included with Starter, Pro, and Founding Member plans. Workshop Drops are available to Pro and Founding Member plans only.
Marketing & Studio Tools
Paid tools for content, labels, photos, and studio guidance.
What does Marketing Hub do?
Marketing Hub is a paid AI workspace for creating and organizing marketing content such as captions, scripts, newsletters, calendars, and batch-related copy. Review and edit every result before using it in your business.
Can Maker Studio AI post to social media for me?
Marketing Hub helps you plan and generate content, but it does not publish directly to social platforms. Use your own social account tools to review and publish the finished content.
Which plans include Marketing Hub and images?
Marketing Hub and the Photo Library are included with paid plans. Monthly Marketing allowances are 120 for Starter and 350 for both Pro and Founding Member. Monthly image allowances are 10 for Starter, 30 for Pro, and 50 for Founding Member. Allowances reset monthly and do not roll over.
Which paid tools are included?
Starter, Pro, and Founding Member plans include all AI tools, Event Hub, Class Templates, Label Studio, Recipe Drops, Marketing Hub, and Photo Library. Label Studio is a paid tool; Studio Team and Workshop Drops require Pro or Founding Member.
Can I add YouTube and other social handles?
Yes. Your business profile supports your website and social handles, including YouTube. Those details can help you keep your marketing context consistent.
Finances & Plans
Read your business numbers and choose the right access level.
What does the Finance area show?
The Finance area brings together recorded revenue, platform fees, inventory-purchase costs, overhead, gross profit, and net profit. It is only as complete as the sales and expenditures you record.
How does pricing guidance use my data?
Paid pricing and AI tools can use recorded costs, labour defaults, margins, and sales context to help you evaluate a price. They are decision support, so review the result against your own market and business needs.
What plans are available?
Free (Basic) is $0 and includes manual studio recordkeeping and data export, with up to 3 saved recipes and 1 batch record. Starter is $39/month, Pro is $79/month, and Founding Member — $29/month, locked for life. Open to the first 300 subscribers. See the complete comparison at /pricing.
How do paid AI allowances work?
Starter / Pro / Founding Member monthly allowances are: Marketing 120 / 350 / 350, Recipe AI 30 / 100 / 150, and images 10 / 30 / 50. They reset each month and unused allowances do not roll over.
What is the Founding Member offer?
Founding Member — $29/month, locked for life. Open to the first 300 subscribers. It is the highest tier, includes a Founding Member account badge, the largest Recipe AI and image allowances, and the same 350 monthly Marketing generations as Pro.
How do I get support or join the community?
Use the Contact Support button in Help to submit a request. The Maker Studio community is at https://thelabcollectivehq.com/p/makerstudiobeta.
Still have questions?
Send the support team your question directly, or browse the step-by-step tutorials.
Contact Support Browse Tutorials