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Hi Karen, very good for you, congrats! I guess you have to be really interested in such things in order to do them right. I always thought and still think that facebook is crap though of course a lot of money is made with it. It is just not for me, I would have to force myself and that is nothing I want to do anymore. Keep up the good work and I wish all others that they succeed as well!

Hi there, here in Germany you can buy outdoor candles that have huge wicks that don#t go out when there is a breeze or wind blowing. I know they are sooting a lot but people buy then because it is THE candle for the summer and being outdoors. Have you ever made such a candle and did it work for you? I'm thinking of offering something new for summer and am gathering ideas, in my head and from you, if I may. Thank you and have a nice week (is there still a holiday today in the US? here it is and I'm glad!)

I was spending some time on facebook, ran contests etc., but not with any success. A few more visitors to my shop but no sales. I even had ads at facebook which generated more traffic on my site but no sales as well. It is probably that I don't invest regular time in it because I'm not a big facebook fan anyway. I abhore spending half of the day in front of the computer selling myself, in a way.

Hi there, I'm looking for a wholesaler for beach/nautical/ocean decor and have found a few but would like to ask if you know of some interesting companies that don't sell the usual stuff made in Asia but have cute, good quality products? Thank you!

To be honest, not so much at the moment. Probably it is only the bills that need to be paid. I have struggeled before with it all as you might remember, and then about 4 weeks ago I was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia (I've experienced problems with my heart before, palpitation, feeling it pound up to my head etc. but then suddenly it seemed to explode, I could feel it rush all day and couldn't sleep anymore because it was beating that irregularly) and a gastritis, both of which have announced their arrival months ago. It was the culmination of all my worries, my illness, my problems of the past years. I was terrified and just stopped. From this day on I have taken care of myself, I do my meditation every day and this is what helps me the most, I can control my thoughts, my heartbeat, my breathing and best of all: I'm not anxious anymore. My problems haven't disappeared, far from it, but my perspective has changed, it is all relative now. it really is. I have reduced my business hours to 2 days per week (there are almost no sales anyway at the moment) so I have more time to get healthy again, do more sports (I really need to lose weight (my laboratory values are scary and I need to fix that), get my house clean and tidy and cozy again (something that wasn't so much the case for a long time, I just couldn't handle it all due to my anxiety and depression), trying to get my garden ready (I love gardening, my chicken, my bees....that is what I want to do, in fact. Maybe someday I find a way to make some money with it) in order to get as much vegetables and fruit as possible so we don't need to buy them. So, I have to add: my motivation is to get healthy and happy again, but this has nothing to do with my business. I wish you a very happy Easter!

No, it was somebody else that contacted me.

Hi, I also have a request from a company in Belgium (maybe you could send me the name in a PM?)....it doesn't have to be a scam...in Europe we don#t have many candle makers who do scented candles like you do in the US, most companies do the standard pillars, tealight etc. but not those in tumblers like Jo Malone etc. The company that sent me a request is interested in such candles, high-end, luxury style. BUT: shipping for 400 candles over here is ridiculous, you just cannot afford it or the buyer would. I pay about $ 50,- for 2-3 lbs and that is only shipping, no customs etc. (and I wonder why people prefer the cheaper oils other companies here offer - they get their oils from JS and SOS, so at least they have a bit of a margin). Give him a quote, let him pay up front and everything will be okay.

Hi, are there any funny cartoons, pics or quotes concerning candle making out there on the net? Would love to make some tees..

EvyStar, I just wanted to say that I think it's great you feel an obligation to work for the environment, not against it. We all do it far too much, this damaging behaviour. Every little helps! And I wanted to add: even I had a king's income I wouldn't put those precious little gems into something that burns them. In melts, tarts, okay. But not in candles. I don't think we need everything we come up with in our minds. We don't even need candles with synthetic oils (sorry, this is damaging to our business, of course!!), but certainly not candles with essential oils. If you want to have those real scents do it in the old-fashioned aromatherapy way or grow some roses (which is quite rewarding - I recommend it!). But hey, that's only me. I only think those few that really work in candles are those all the comanies who sell aromatherapy candles use: lavender, rosemary, cinnamon etc. If they claim to use something floral etc. for a few bucks it is scam.

Hi Steve, I didn't read through all the pages of your thread yet (but I will - the ocean, its smell is something that seems to be essential for my surviving, even if I haven#t been at the sea for 7 years now and the memory of it is shrinking...all the more I keep looking at beach, sea etc. pics on pinterest and try smelling the scent in my mind): I have such a seaweed eo and it is great! Very potent and stinky oob, but if you get the right dosage....I also find that a bit of rosemary is also an important part of the scent, not only because I relate rosemary to Italy and Greece, of course, it seems to be an essential part of the ocean smell.

Thank you all, that is very valuable advicel I'll find a concept, get some brochures and price list ready and some samples, also have to think of how I want to approach them. ktaggard, you didn#t hijack my thread at all - I wish you all the best and a lot of success!!

...do you do that? I mean, do you drive around, presenting your products, or do you wait to be approached by the businesses? Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Hurray! A new order in my shop! No sales at all for days now and now this new order! I'm happy, I have thanked her for her order (yes, it is sunday but I want to work on my customer service anyway and maybe she likes it) and announced shipping for tomorrow. Feels good!

Unfortunately, I'm a master of concentrating on everything negative...but I have learned the hard way that exactly this behaviour attracts much more negativity. So I have constantly to be reminded not to do it - thank you!!

Thank you again, this is what I will do. I've noticed that I spent so many hours yesterday thinking about her, feeling this urge to get revenge (stupid, right?). In these hours I could have thought of nice things that make me happy (I need to do this anyway because I often forget that not everything is bad here when I get drowned in my problems) or a new idea for my business. It is time wasted and she has won the moment I spend so much time thinking of her. But if this bullying doesn't stop or if it widens I will have to take action. There is one thing however I got resolved about: I have a lot of thing to do to improve my customer service, my shop etc. Due to her, I guess, I became much more aware of it. Maybe I should send her a Thank You- card?

Thank you, you are probably right. I only fear she will focus on me again and spread her views on my person wherever she can. But I agree it would not be worth it if I sued her. She would only say that I try to stop her from telling the truth or whatever.

No, I'm not allowed to that forum. She is the owner and she decides about members. In the past she dissed so many members who dared to disagree to her. Now she has her faithful followers. I always remember her as "do not worship other gods", sort of. I don't even mind too muhc she is telling people not to buy at my shop but she implicated that as someone with peripartal depression is not to be trusted anyway as she must be insane. This is so exceedingly outrageous and one of the reasons women suffering from this illness don't dare to tell anybody because they fear to be regarded as insane and dangerous. Should I report her to the police? She crosses a line, I feel.

Just had to return on this because I've seen that my "main enemy" from the past is active again. She told her forum members she had done some research and found out that I was suffering from a peripartal psychic illness (I never made a secret out of this, I told my customers what it was why I had problems - but I'm no looney and I - so far:wink2: - I haven#t killed anybody) and she just had to stop it and save so many people from financial problems with me. So she warns everybody not to buy in my shop. In another forum a member mentioned her posting (it was one or two days ago) and that she won#t buy anything. Two of the senior members stepped in for me telling the others that this was years ago, that they didn#t have problems then and they would buy some fos in the near future. Nice of them, really, and I am so thankful, but this other woman will do me some harm, I feel it.

Am I the only one preferring an almost non-fragrance home? I love the smell of flowers, the smell of a clean room (which means natural cleaning products only, with a smell like soap without fragrance...you know what I mean?)....when I go upstairs form my workshop I don't want to go on smelling all these fragrances again. Only in fall and winter I like cranberry chutney, apple pie, coconut curry custard...spicy and fruity fragrances.

Hi there, I'm using quite a lot of their oils in soy and all of them work great. Never had one that disappointed me.

Thanks, that's a lot of good advice! You see, I always have one or two things in mind which I'd like to do in order to do some more marketing but then I get so occupied with my everyday schedule I never have time creating something for my business. Adwords is killing me (it was good from october to december, but now? But I don't dare trying without....) I do have a facebook page but as I'm not such a big fan of social media (even though I know it is important) and so I seldom post something. Most of my customers don't want a newsletter and I can understand why: we all get suffocated with this stuff so people try to reduce their mails. I have to make up my mind what to chose and then just do it (if I ever find time....aaaaagggghhhhh!)

Hi there, of course I know that at this time of the year sales slow down, but what do you do to increase them again? Or don't you experience such a slowing down at all? Almost no sales at the moment....

Yes, you are right. So far I wasn't tough at all, always wanted to please everybody and accept any condition they wanted. It is high time I get aware of this and be smarter in the future. Could have needed this order badly but it doesn't make sense if in the end I have to pay for it all.

*lol* I knew the answer! Had another customer today who didn't understand why it shouldn't be possible ordering a few candles at a time and getting 25 or 30% discount for them. Sometimes I think I'm just a fool doing this.

a little update: she didn't order. She wanted to have the candles + boxes with custom print on the boxes (which I offered, for additional costs) for the pirce I charge for standard candles with small frangrance label and warning label. I advised her to look for a big candle company with large output who can offer such candles at a smaller price. I really don't know what people think if you tell them your candles are handmade, one by one. Do they think you can sell them for $ 1,50?