How to Start Your Own Candle Business
by Leeia Ladipoh on February 4th, 2008
What if you could work at something you love, be creative, and get paid for it? This is exactly the lifestyle many people have been able to earn when starting their own candle business.
Think about it – probably everyone you know has candles in their home. From a way to sweeten the smell of a room, to an addition to a romantic setting or the accent lighting for a soaking bath after a stressful day, candles are a regular part of many households.
There are two ways to go about starting a candle business – make your own or sell pre-made candles. Either one can be profitable, if you know your market.
Making Your Own Candles
If the creative side of this business is what has your attention, you may not want to only sell candles, but also make them. Start small at first. See if this is a hobby you will enjoy.
Begin with a book on candle making, and purchase a small amount of the supplies you will need to make them from a local craft store. If you really want to turn your hobby into a business, you are going to have to buy candle supplies at wholesale prices to make the profit you need. This is just a test to see if you enjoy the candle-making process.
If you do enjoy the process, you will then need to search for candle supply wholesalers. These are readily available on the internet (click here to start finding wholesale suppliers of candle supplies ).
Keep in mind that when you first start, it’s tempting to buy everything. Instead, shop with a list and think before you buy to make sure you don’t end up with a house full of materials that you don’t need. That’s a lot of money that could be used in other areas of your candle business.
Another important thing to think about before making and selling your own candles is the amount of time that you’ll need to put into the business. Making your own candles is time consuming. Time is money – money you have to be able to recoup in sales in order to really run a profitable business.
Selling Pre-made Candles
If you decide that making candles isn’t your forte, but you still appreciate them and would like to try selling them, there are plenty of companies out there who offer wholesale discounts to those who want to begin a candle-selling business (click here to start finding wholesale suppliers of candles ).
Remember to keep and eye on what they will cost and what your pricing will need to be to make a decent profit. You want this to be a business that makes money.
Create at Marketing Plan
You should never go into a business venture blindly. You need to know how you are going to sell your candles. Many people rely on house parties, much like Tupperware parties, to make their sales. Some choose eBay, some flea markets and craft shows, while others opt to talk to boutiques and salons to have their items featured in these establishments.
Decide how you plan to sell your candles. If you are going to sell at house parties, start creating a contact list of people you think may be able to host parties. If you are going to sell on eBay or at a flea market or craft show, peruse those sites and see what similar items are selling for. If you want to sell your candles in salons or boutiques, you should set up appointments with the owners of those shops and see if they will be willing to add your merchandise.
Figure out how much each candle will cost and how much you need to sell it for to make a decent profit. Don’t forget to include any freight charges. Your final price will have to be competitive with other similar products.
Start Selling
Get your candles together, and into the line of sight of those who will buy them. While it may be a busy and scary undertaking at first, there is nothing like the feeling of reaping the rewards of running your own – profitable! – business.
I have a strong desire to sell handmade jewelry mood candles maybe even some bath items
pierre saout
April 22nd, 2009
at 6:28 pm