southern.scents

Right now, I sell 8 oz square window tins (Which I am about to discontinue), 10 oz Apothecary, and a 16 oz Apothecary. I may look into the smaller apothecary jars as well because as Stella and Islandgirl said, people are looking for better prices due to the struggle the economy has brought on many people.

Here is the approach I take to aquiring new wholesale accounts. I take this packet that contains my product list w prices, my fragrance list, my wholesale policy, and the wholesale account set up intstructions, business card, and a sample to stores that I would like to carry my products in areas that don't already have someone carrying my products. I know its not the method that most people use but its what works for me. You only have a few seconds to impress most business owners and laying it all out for them really helps out IMO.

Actually, the UPC code that you see was just filler until I got my actual UPC codes but, I have decided against UPC codes all together so that will be replaced with something else. The UPC route was WAY too EXPENSIVE. They wanted $750 for my first year and like $350 per year for every other year and that was for only 6 bar codes. I need close to 120 since you have to have one barcode for each fragrance, size, and product.

Well, I added the about me section to help sell my story as well as the candles but to tell you the truth, this label wraps all the way around the candle and after talking with consumers, they were either going to want a label that only went halfway around the candle or one that was removable. I don't want my candle to be label-less so I may just take that whole section out since that is how you guys feel and it would help with that situation. I am however going to be stubborn on the black and white. I really like it and all the consumers in my area that I spoke with liked the look of the label except that it wrapped almost all the way around the candle. If the text is rubbing you guys the wrong way that bad, I will take out the about section and work on making what print (candle care) a little larger so it wont be as harsh. You guys know, the more I look at it, the more it is starting to bother me. I will definitely have to do something about the issue.

Here is a copy that is a larger size and better resolution. It may just be me but they almost look blurry but then again, I have been canning pickles for the last four hours. It may have just been the output that I used. PS, the about me section is in the works. That is something I typed placed there just so I could show the label to locals and see what they thought. It will be changed and hopefully shorter so the font can be a little larger.

Yes, my fragrance ame is in the lower right hand corer. On some of the pictures, the fragrance does tend to blend in and that is one of the things I am working on. The size for the fragrance name is 18.9 so it is easier to read in person. Another thing with the labels is, they are 2.5" X 10.5" so they are large enough size that the white text on the black background is readable. The flowers are lavender. The orange is on top of cranberries. The fragrance name is cranberry craze, with the fragrance consisting of a very orangy, citrusy, cranberry fragrance. As far as the font being small, an actual proof reveals that the font is actually quite large. On the third picture it is picture of sunset prarie type thing with a windmill. Let Me attatch actual size pictures and that might give you guys a better view. I am also going to take some picture of them on candles and upload them.

Actually, the labels are dry as soon as the sheet is done printing. As far as rubbing, there has not been an issue yet. They won't be water proof but I am okay with that. None of my 5 products are made to be used close to water any way. I may end up trying some with some acrylic spray paint and see if it makes any difference.

Neither my mom nor I took all of the photos. A couple we did take but the rest are all royalty free stock photos that I purchased the rights to just for this. My mom who does photography does more senior portraits, weddings, and individual shots. She does some random shots of flowers, and things such as that but we didn't have enough of the right pictures to respresent all 20 fragrances.

So, you will just be meeting fellow crafters/vendors or will you be meeting potential clients?

Well, I would but this had been the font that I have stuck with since the beggining. It was the only thing that I wouldn't change. As far as barcodes, those are just filler so I could see what the labelwould look like I may end up removing a barcode alltogether though. They want 750.00 for the first year and like 350 every year after just for 6 barcodes. I need hmmmm 120 since you have to have one for each fragrance by their rules.

Which font, the one that I have used for the titles and the business name? Or the one that is under those titiles. The one under the titles is Times New Roman so that it would be easier to read and I used the Script MT Bold on the titles to tie the sections of the label in with the logo/business name.

Well, You guys still have to rembmer I am making Hot Process soap so it is safe for use as soon as it comes out of the mold. I am sure that by even letting it cure for a minimum of one week, I am doing what thousands don't. Either way, I do believe in my product 110%. Other wise I wouldn't be putting my reputation on the line for them. I just turned 17 last November and will turn 18 this November. I understand that I asked for criticism on my site but I did say that all text was still in the works and when people started about the soap, I quickly stated that my soap was HP which should have ended all questioning about cure times. Either way, I guess I have learned that you can't come here and ask for just part of somthing. You get every drop either way.

Well, that was what my issue had been, INK$$$$$$$$. Well, my mom does photography and we bought a photo printer for printing proofs on. Well, it just so happens that they sell the large ink tanks, a CIS system, that holds the equivelent of 60 cartridges in one tank for only $50. We bought one and it has been a blessing for my labels and proofs. So much cheaper. Replacing all 7 cartridges would have cost $50 and this entire system only cost that much. As far as paper, I am printing on high gloss, full sheet, labels from onlinelabels.com and cutting them myself. Definitely a time consuming process that won't work for too long. I will eventually have to get them professionally printed.

I have been working on both my labels and my site. My site is not done but my labels are very close. Just need to add a few pieces of info to each one. There is a different picture for each of my 20 year round fragrances. Here are just a few of them .Tell me what you think of the colors, etc, please. TIA

I said one to six weeks. I shoot for and usually get about three to four weeks of curing but if I have a wholesale order that needs to be made fresh, all I can really give is one week. I really wish I could come here and ask for opinions on one subject without being jumped on about another by people who have never even used my products. I know you guys are trying to help but it really makes me feel like just giving up on my whole business when all I get is put down and second guessed.

E, you should remember yourself all the trouble I went through with the soap. I even had to go as far as joining a swap to prove myself... No one had any complaints except that is was drying which I have worked on.

Guys, I went through all of this. All of my products are tested and are safe. My soap is HP so it truly is safe immediately but it still gets at least a one week cure to allow it to harden for packaging. All of my fragrances are skin safe. I have to use serveral different suppliers in order to get all skin safe fragrances but that is just something I have to deal with. Check out my fragrances page. I only have 20. This helps me keep items stocked and a handle on what works in my products. I came into this fast as you all remember a long time ago but since I have slowed things down and I am truly interested and determined in running a succesful business. If I wasn't I would worry with making labels that look nice, adding warnings to all products, seeing what potential clients and customers want and like, etc. Please don't worry about me. I do that enough myself. Its not easy for a 17 year old to go out there and impress shop owners enought to get them to purchase. They do the same thing you guys do, doubt me. I promise that if my parents and myself as well as my business advisors did not feel my products were safe, I would not still be doing this. I put lots of time into this and have invested alot of my life and money into this. I am not willing to screw it all up and loose all that I have put into it.

Thanks for all of the feedback. As I said in my first post, all text is in the process of either being changed and or edited. Everything but the background was done by paperprintsandpixels.com (Cara). When she did the design, I was going for elegance of the south with the black and burgandy colors and the swirly type design at the top of the logo. Now, however, I have been working on launching my products more state wide and needed a design that would jump off of the shelves and a plain black label with white text was not doing it. After playing around, we decided that adding pictures for each fragrance would provide the pop of color that the labels needed. See the attatched low resolution copy of the labels. Well, the background that I did have on my website clashed with the new label design so I knew I had to change it. I am all for changing the background to anything that would look nice and compliment my labels but the black part is not negotiable. It is something that I really care for. I will work on the double spacing between periods. It was something that was tought to us in 8th grade but I have gotten out of the habit.

Hi Everyone Well, I just got through undergoing my third (and hopefully last) label change since I have been in business. This time, when I changed, all I did was add pictures for fragrance names. Well, the background on my website clashed with the pictures so I changed it to something that I think might work better. Will you check out my website and tell me what you think of the background. www.southern-scents.com Also, feel free to give tips and advice on the layout and other issues. NOTE: All text content is still being worked on and all of the pictures are being edited and are being uploaded .What is there now is being changed. TIA Adam

They may not be the purpose but if that is what it takes to protect the order then I am all for it. Shipping was not meant to be hellacious and something to constanly worry over either but it is....

Check out the helpboard. I think I remember reading somehting about it there.

I was told that your store would be at www.yourwebsite.com/store until you were completely finished building it. That way customers would not come to a halfway working site. They told me that as soon as I was finished building my site, they would correct it.

My mom is a teacher. Do ya still think we are loaded??? LOL. I am building this with profit :yay: :yay:

Hi everyone. Over the past year and a half my business has grown trememdously and I have come to the point where my business has out grown our kitchen and the two bedrooms it takes up. Because of this we have been evaluating options as far as leasing a building/ building a workspace. We have come to the decision to build something and here is what we have so far. It is 15x30, not huge but is a large enough space that is specialized to the needs of my business. It will have a small retail space in the front, a huge display window, a 30 foot long floor to ceiling shelving unit (which will be great for FO, wax, backstock, etc), counters that are four inches higher than normal to accomodate for my height, a large wax melter, a small restroom, and other features that will work out great. Below are just a few snapshots from the design program. If you see anything that you think could be improved on, please let me know. I don't want to sink several thousand into this and it end up not working perfectly. We hope to start on it in around June this summer and it should be done by July. Please not that we are not very experienced with using this design software so it is very basic and there are a few issues. This is just what we will show the contractor.

Okay. I have a few liquid soap colorants that I will try out. I started out with just liquid colorants but went to micas so I was trying to use them.