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gottabt

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Everything posted by gottabt

  1. Hi All, I know it has been a long time but I really need some help. I have a root candle that seems to be discontinued. I have a really good customer that would like another case if I can find it and I can not. It looks like the name is Easter or maybe Water Lily - of course if the label wasn't damaged it would be easier. Please please help an old friend out. TIA,
  2. They look great but I can not for the life of me figure out how you burn them. Are you flattening out the bottom? Are you recommending putting them on a plate? I guess my brain is just not working well today.
  3. I use the one from BCN and I also use their pina coloda. Both of them do well for me. Everytime I think that I am going to give up the straight coconut someone orders and raves about it so for now I carry both. HTH
  4. Hi, I have 5 presto pots in my workshop and I keep 2-3 with jar wax, 1 with votive and one with pilllar. As for inventory I keep more than average for my size. I try to keep one large and two small of every scent. That way I am always ready for an internet order or a show. I am running 3 companies so I find that keeping them poured is a much better way for me. I take care of my wholesale orders on the weekends and pouring any that I need to supplement my stock. When it is closer to show time I will pour a few extras depending on the time of year and what seems to be selling best. As for jars - usually 4-6 cases each size. Wax at least one full carton. Wicks at least 100-200. FO I try to never drop below 1/2 bottle - the ones for my wholesale customers I do have at least 2 lbs in stock and the kumquat I keep ordering that in 5 lb jugs but at this point they are the only client that warrants that kind of stock on hand. HTH!
  5. This exact thing almost stopped me from ordering samples the other day. I only needed 2. They are both for an existing client and so I bit the bullet and ordered. Well, they said on the site that shipping will be figured after order was placed. I can say I was extremely happy that Vickey at KY only charged me $3.50 or so for the samples. It was a very pleasant surprise:D
  6. I just wanted to add that I do have insurance. I put warning labels on everything. I also have a clause in my wholesale agreement that states that my warning labels are not to be removed. Since they have my contact information on them I can see this happening. I simply explain that this is a requirement of my insurance policy. My insurance is about 900 a year and I did not sell one candle - even to friends and family until that insurance was in place. I do remember that thread about the chandler getting sued and she did have insurance. If memory serves, the customer left the candle burning and left the house. It got very hot and broke. It caused the piece of furniture that it was sitting on to also ignite. I really wish we could find the outcome of the story. I think that it has been raised a couple of times but no one ever knew anything. I guess it is personal preference but I have met some pretty dumb people and you never know what they are capable of. Could you imagine if someone went to bed with a candle burning and someone died? Do not think that for a moment that they will go after the candle maker, the smoke detector people (if there were any) the building code enforcement people and anyone else they could think of. I guess you have figured out on which side of this issue I fall. I will get off my soapbox now.
  7. Make sure that if you buy a new outfit that it is very comfortable. I have made the mistake of wearing something new to an interview (job) and being so uncomfortable that I can not really say what was said. The biggest thing is too relax - I know easier said than done. You will be talking about your products - and no one is better at it than you. Oh yeah - congrats!!!
  8. I do not know if these will help or not but here is what I do. I package everything at home by how I will lay out the tables. I put all my tarts and little things in their baskets and transport them in bags. I try to load the car according to the layout of my tables. So, first are the tables, cloths, risers and then the candles and such in order from left to right. The last things are the finishing touchs. This would be a box with the signs, cash box, pens.... I always keep a very small box with the tools I might need while setting up and tearing down. This would be safety pins, scissors, tape.... My husband and I can get the tent and all items up in about a half hour. Believe me I have this down to a fine art. We put out pretty much everything we carry. I always put out the boxes of backstock last and under the tables. It is too hard to have the regular stock for the table tops and the stock out at the same time. I also number my backstock boxes and have a reference sheet on the table so when something is bought I can immediately pull it from the box and mark the sheet so if someone wants something I know at a glance if I have it. Hope these help!
  9. I was just wondering how much you are charging for custom labels if you are offering them. This is what I am doing and it is all because of a new account that is really taking advantage of me so here is my new policy and I was wondering what you all are doing. I am giving the customer 2 free hours of design work and charging $60.00/hour for additional design works. (the current client - I have spent no less than 30 hours on it. The images she gave me were trademarked so most of the time was spent re-scanning and manipulating the images.) I also charge for the label stock up front if it is different than my standard labels. My standard labels are laser printed in black so if color is necessary it is added to the price of the candles. It is only about $.05 a candle but it adds up. So what do you do? I want to be fair but come on I am not her partner nor is my limited time not valuable:angry2: Hope this is not coming across too bitter.
  10. Hi All, It has been awhile but I thought that I would say hi - Hi:cheesy2: . I can not believe how quickly this year has gone by. As some of you know I had to go to work with my dh at the first of the year - "just to get things running smoothly" well, here it is a year later and I am still there full-time. Now my dh wants to buy another company so I will be running the one I am at now and he will be running the new one. I am never going to be able to get back to my candle company full-time. I have not given up in fact the opposite. The candle biz is doing pretty well. I have seen an increase in web traffic and sales, I have landed a pretty good wholesale acccount and have another pending. I am still the official candlemaker to the kumquat growers so all is good. However, I am thinking that I am just spreading myself too thin so I am looking for some advice. My current product line is pretty broad and I am thinking that I should get rid of a couple of things and maybe add reed diffusers. Now I am thinking that the tins, pot pourri and aroma stones should go. I have been researching all the sites and posts about the reed diffusers and I was looking for feedback on whether or not this is the direction to go? :undecided I am thinking that they are pretty trendy but hey maybe they will have a longer life than I anticipate. Any thoughts on the new direction? My site is www.aburningdesire.com if you would like to check it out before letting me know what you think. Thanx all and I miss being here everyday - you do not know how much I miss my friends here. Take care!
  11. What are you going to be using them for? I have never needed an order form as such. I use the duplicate sales order books from Walmart or Staples. The only time I use them are at craft shows so that I have a record and they can have the duplicate receipt.
  12. Well - for me I would guess that it is fairs. But now the website and wholesale accounts are picking up and this year I will only do one fair. I think that the exposure that you get from the fairs is worth it in the beginning. The website is mostly re-orders for me. I have had my site for about 3 years and it is finally getting some good traffic. I would say an average month for me is a sale a week. At this stage the wholesale accounts are the bread and butter for me. HTH!
  13. My favorite pine for just that reason is Christmas Past from KY.
  14. I am a little confused. If you are using paypal on your site there is already a cc option for your customers. I have both paypal and propay but I use propay for shows only. I needed a way to accept cc. Since you can not accept cc and run them yourself through paypal that is why ppl use propay. If you are just looking for cc processing through your site - paypal is all you need.
  15. All my friends laugh at me because I am so anally organized but it saves me time. For my fo's I have an overhead shelf and I put them all in boxes by category. On the front of the box (each box holds either 9 or 12 bottles) I write the scent on the front of the box where the bottle is inside. so on the front of the box it looks like this xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx That way since they are overhead I can just reach in and grab them without pulling the box down. The second thing I do is similar to Bruce. I have a checklist with all scents by manufacturer. If I am ordering from someone I just double check those scents on the sheet. I also add notes to the sheet about samples I might want to try so when I place an order I do not forget to order samples at the same time. HTH,
  16. It has been awhile since I was in the program but if memory serves me - there is a font option for the font text box shape. When the text box appears it will be a rectangle but when you hit enter and move on it will show the text in an arc. Then the text size is like Jean says - just type in the font size box what you want - I know I have 4pt on my labels. HTH,
  17. You are welcome for the accordian idea - it saves a lot of time. When my orders come in I use a spreadsheet that I made up with columns for what I need to pour, the wick size, jar size, fo and color amt. When the order comes in I go ahead and list the fragrance in the first column and the number of jars in the appropriate size column. Before I pour I fill in the rest of the information that I need - the wick size, fo amt and color combo. I take that into the workroom and work from there. When I am done pouring - I use the spreadsheet to do my inventory adjustments. HTH,
  18. I am pretty organized because basically I am anal. I thought that I would add a few things that I did to make things neater. 1. For my scent labels - which are separate from my top and caution labels - I got an expandable file with tabs from A-Z. This was a great idea - I can carry them to my work table when I am labeling. When I am not they are tucked away - away from my workspace. 2. Cork squares - these are from Target in the office supplies area and come in 2 sizes. I attached a bunch to the wall above my workspace and I put the notes that I use the most often on the tackboard. This way when I go to pour something that I do not do everyday I do not need to look for the notes. 3. Recipe file boxes - 2 in fact. One I use for the testing cards. I just note on them the wax, fo w/supplier, wick, color combo. When I test, I put the start and stop times and any thoughts I have. If it is a keeper I enter the info on a spreadsheet. All index cards go into the recipe box in alpha order. After years of testing I can quickly see if I tested an fo before. The other box I use for recipes for candles I have made and the notes. Ex - pumpkin jars - I only make them once a year so I have the notes on temp, fo, wick, color.... even noted how much shrink wrap tubing to package the jar. 4. Manilla file folders with sides. These are extremely handy for misc labels, brochures, etc. I like them much better than the open sided because if you pick them up wrong everything does not fall out. 5. Page protectors. This is a great thing to have on hand. If it is a recipe, put it in a page protector - that way if you have it in your workroom it is protected. It is easier to replace the cover than trying to recreate a messed up recipe. 6. Photo album with lift up paper protectors. I clip candle pics or print them and put them in here. Everything is together and neat. I also add packaging ideas and such. Hope these help someone!
  19. Next year is going to be a hard one. I am going into the beginning of year 3 so this is the year to see black (hopefully). I am also starting full time with my dh company doing the books in addition to my biz. 1. sell off anything I am not using - or give it away - I have a tendency to hold on to things way too long. 2. Follow my marketing plan a little closer. I came close this year but still needs work. 3. Plan better - I was pouring kumquat stuff in July which helped a lot but I need to get better on holiday stuff. I am going to buy up some baskets and things now for next year. If I wait until next year I will run out of time like this year. 4. Add another whsl acct or 2 - this year I added 3 and they are great. I would like another 2 and then maybe I will be able to give up on the craft show thing. 5. Add 2 more categories to my line. I would like to add a spa/romance category and a wine shop category. For the spa category - I am almost there - done with the testing but still need to rename some scents and do the web site to reflect them. The wine scents are in wax but I have not had a chance to test them yet. I think that will keep me busy!
  20. It's funny - bamboo is one of my best sellers - especially for men. They love the nice clean smell and it is strong. I use a 1/2 oz per lb. Did you use too much? It is really funny how everyone's taste is so different - it is one of my fav's. The other that comes from wyw that I do extremely well with is Hibiscus & Thai Palm. BTW - mottles are wonderful:)
  21. I hate tealights for this very reason. I glue my tabs in and then pour and try to straighten them before they harden too much. I always end up using my heatgun to flaten out the indentations left by the wicks leaning over. They are a royal pain in the a**.
  22. I judge how well I did by the fee I paid - so if I do 1-3 times the fee - poor/slow show (do not do the show again) 3-5 times fee - good show (but will consider a different one on same date) 5+ times - great show. (will do again and again) Most shows have averaged 3 times fee but I have had 2 shows that did 7 & 8 times fee and they are great. I have about 30 shows under my belt but this year I had to cut it to only 3 of the best ones. The one that did 8 times fee last year only did 6 times this year but following my rule, I will do it again next year unless my wholesale business picks up. HTH,
  23. Hi, I have an acct that I am making molded candles for without wicks. My cost is only in the fo basically - my wax was free so I do not need to acct for that (but will). I am selling them at a per lb price but where I am not sure is in the labor. My mold only makes 1/2 lb at a time so with repours it is taking much longer than I thought it would. I am thinking that the cost (whsl) should be about the same as votives. So, if there are 8 votives in a lb and I charge $.75 each for those. So, is $6.00 a lb for the molded candles reasonable? Please help me!
  24. Hi, Does anyone know how to thin liquid dye? I have one color that has gotten so thick that it will not bind to the wax. It seems like it is binding to the fo and not letting either mix into the wax. This is completely new to me. I have never had a problem before with this wax, fo, dye combo so I am relatively sure that it is the dye creating the problem. I have tried adding vybar and stirring and stirring and stirring until my arm is ready to fall off. Any help is appreciated.
  25. Hi, I met with a new account and they would like custom labels but prefer kraft labels to the white gloss and acetate that I usually use. My question is that I know that there are different colors of kraft labels. I am looking for the really light ones. Does anyone know which ones onlinelabels or planetlabel carry? I will order samples but I thought that I would see if anyone knew off hand. Thanx as always,
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