cas

I like lots of scents, but I'm not typical of the question, am I? One of my customers (and his son) LOVE Elderberry. I've been told Hot Chocoate is liked by some men, too. Some like Vanilla, as well. It probably depends on the specific customer, as with women as well!

There's quite a few scents I love to pour: Hot Chocolate Peach Seabreeze Strawberry Wine Kojiki Melon Medley Food scents are my favorite - hands down.

I have stock in a clothespin company... And hey, come on over if you want to make those scents! I did discontinue the Obsession (that was the worst for me to make); That darn patchouli is probably never going away though.

I'm not a big patchouli fan, and I hate hate obsession (for women or men). I have to leave the house when I make those scents!

Actually, you can verify these things quite easily. Well, as someone involved in manufacturing I can, but someone who is an end user of the product might have a harder time at that, but it can be done.

I've seen fragrances priced as high as $65/lb. It's all about quality and price of raw materials.

I also design websites if you are interested.

Insurance is the big thing. If someone buys one of your candles, and something were to happen... they can come after you. You should NEVER sell a candle without at LEAST having insurance. It protects you! You'd also have to have a sales tax number. It may be state specific, and something you want to to look into. If you sell anything, you're required to collect state sales tax (if that's something that is required in your state). Check with the county or city you live in, and they can give you more information. If you DBA (doing business as), you do not need to worry about getting a federal id number. Once you become an actual incorporated business, then you have to get a federal id number. 2 other things I'm sure you already know - 1) This is definately not a get rich quick business. 2) Test test test! Good luck!

I also design websites, and I have over 10 years experience doing it. That is what I used to do before I took on this new life of candles. I still do websites and programming on a per customer basis.

auto owners would not insure me. I think they look at every case differently. I must have called dozens of companies and looked for 3 months!! It's a good thing my OLD insurnace was still active while I looked for NEW insurance! But maybe WI is a little more lienent than MN is. I know it differs from state to state.

It seems like the midwest is someplace that hates to give chandlers insurance. Trust me, if you're finding it for $1k, TAKE IT! I WISH mine was that low.

I make mine a green like granny smith apple green.

So I'm not the only one this has happened to! I had a tangerine sample from someplace years ago, and never used it. Some months went by, and I opened up the bottle and it was EMPTY. I was bewildered to say the least. I thought maybe a cat had a snack. Still to this day DO NOT know happened to it!

OOB should be used for first impressions ONLY. I HATE that a lot of people do not TEST an oil in product BEFORE deciding if they like it or not. OOB vs. finish product can be totally different! I've had scents I've HATED OOB but have become favourites once in wax, and vice versa.

The raw materials in the scent and what binds them together define the characteristics of the fragrance. 2 fragrances can smell the same (or very similiar) but have completely different chemical makeups.

It took me about a year of R&D and testing before I even considered selling a candle. You might want to give yourself a few months (AT LEAST) to do some testing of wax/wicks/scents and everything else that goes into this craft before you try and make money off it. Keep in mind that you are offering a product that is DANGEROUS if it's not made correctly. Did I scare you? GOOD. People shouldn't be selling untested products to people. It can cost someone their home, or even their life. Candlemaking is not something you just jump into. It takes a lot of time and testing to make sure you have a product you can sell. What works for one person doesn't work for someone else. There's a million variables that you have to consider.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE AVOID THEM! They are SCAM artists, and are trying to get your money. Once they get your money, you will NEVER hear from them again. I'm SHOCKED they can still operate in the US! But PLEASE... tell everyone you know to avoid them!

I have to get a lot of information as well, since that is what makes up the website. I also make it so that the website owner can update their own information. It makes it easier and then they can do it on their own time. Good luck with everything!!

I design websites, and used to do websites and computer programming before I decided to do my candle business full time. For professionals work, you will be charged either a flat rate or an hourly rate. It's something I would decide after sitting with a particular customer and finding out exactly what they want. I personally charge clients anywhere from $25-$50 an hour. It all depends on how much work is involved.

I usually send them out, too. (Solas Candle)

I agree that is a bit much for anyone to spend on a single candle. Ugh. What drives people sometimes??? They see "RARE" and they have to have it!

I have had my pillars bashed (by people on this very forum) because they look JUST LIKE YOURS. My customers specifically ask for mottled pillars, so that is how I make them. It gives the pillars a unique look, and you can experiment with different techniques to refine the look.

Solas Candle Co. in NY: http://www.SolasCandle.com

Mixing candles and jewelry should be a good idea, as they both would be good sellers with one another!

Since you work from home, try seperating business life from personal. Give yourself "work" hours and "personal" hours. Do not mix them. Go out and do things outside the house for a weekend a month to get away from the business. Don't answer emails after a certain hour. Take days off. Put structure in your home business so it doesn't feel like it is controlling you.