The_Dallas_Texas_Dean

I suppose you could just tell them that you have only been doing it for a year and you are not qualified to teach. I share most everything with my "close" friends, so if it were me, I would say come on over, lets play in the wax!. (and have, many times) Makes candle making a lot more fun. I know my "close" friends pretty well, and have no reservations about it whatsoever. In actuality what it has done has given them all more respect for what I do and everything that goes into making a good product.....and has been very helpful having them sing my praises. There are lots of ways to look at things, and if you lose the fear, life is a lot more fun! JMO

I am such a Soaper Groupie! Very Nice AJ!

Great job AJ! Clean, sharp and not "garbled"! Very nice:-)

Oh, I can see Grumpy's Freakin Meltdowns being a huge hit! She looks right on target! WTG!!!

I am using the Stick-Ums for glass and the Silicone II for Tins All is well!

Thanks. I did test the CD 5 and 6...and HTP 41 (same thing, I think) I actually wound up choosing the 36-24 Paper I liked the way the Eco 2 burned but it was a little hot.....and didn't have any Eco 1's....would love to try those. I did switch from the wick stick-ums to the Silicone II since they are tins. I am not really sure if anyone will be interested in receiving these things as samples. They are so small they can't be expected to cover much area as far as hot throw goes. Perfect for a small bathroom I guess.

Enchanted, I feel your pain, and have been in your shoes before. When you get to this point, you need to have a serious "PowWow" with DH. Make your list...Pros...Cons. Determine your goals. Short Term, Mid Term, Long Term. DEFINE what you want the outcome to be. Start with the end in mind. I responded to your post because I saw a red flag when you mentioned your solution being to "cut back" on various products you are offering. In all sincerity, I do not believe this is the answer. It is not logical to think that the answer would be to "cut back" on what is SELLING! I really never think that the solution is to sabotage the business you have worked so hard for and sacrificed many things for. Repeat after me. D E L E G A T E. One more time. D E L E G A T E. And yes, throughout history it is well known that there are challenges that arise when you step back from doing everything and start "trusting" your new employees to do much of what you are doing. The quality control MUST be in place....obviously that will be your job. You will spend most of your time INSPECTING. You get what you INSPECT, not what you EXPECT! Your inspecting will never stop...even once you have managers in place to inspect....you will be inspecting the managers. Training is worth its weight in gold. Take the time to train your tribe properly, and than hold them accountable for their jobs. Of course in the beginning if you do not already have your systems down IN WRITING, you will need to do that. If it is not in writing, it doesn't exist. I, for one, do not believe you should take a vacation or time off. Not now. While business is booming! That will come when you have your systems in place, staff hired and well trained etc. I just don't grasp the concept of a "company" taking a vacation. ..and now, you are the company. KWIM?? ( I am sorry, you can not spend your money with my company this week, my products are on a vacation and are not sold from _May___ until _June__ because the owners are burned out???)..I think that Floyd The Barber did that in Mayberry (Gone Fishin') but it doesn't make sense in a competitive market you have worked hard to grow in. As far as the customers complaining about your slow shipping. Step it UP. Don't make excuses to the client just assure her that fast customer service is paramount with you and you will assure her in the future it will not be an issue. Make notes on these customers and make sure their products FLY out that door. Believe me...they WILL be talking about you if you turn this around and ship in record time.! Nine times out of ten when small businesses get into this mode it is because they are still thinking small and their businesses are not. The rationale is off kilter. One of the biggest mistakes a company can make is to say "We have always done it that way". You have new challenges from the ones you once had...with new solutions. Sometimes one or more partners are not receptive to hiring more people because they do not want to "share the wealth...let go of the $$$$! You Must let go of the money in order to grow enough to make big money. The more money you make...the more you will spend on people to help you build and grow. Trade secrets? There are many things you can put in place to guard trade secrets...none of them perfect, but that can't stop you from growing. You must define your goals. If your goal is to have your company working for you...you have no choice but to bite the bullet, hire some GOOD help (they will not be perfect...look for the ones that are eager with good hearts...dependable with good job histories. I hope this has been helpful. I certainly intended it to be. A Happy life is about Balance. Work/Play/Spiritual/Giving back to the community/Relationships/Family....it is all a juggling act...with the goal to be balanced. If you are fabulous at your job, but you relationship is suffering, you can not be happy because you are out of balance. If you are great at your job and your relationship is awesome, but you have neglected your body (diet/excersice)...than you can not be happy because you are out of balance. KWIM?? You MUST manage your time where you contribute in every area of your life to be balanced. I KNOW you can do it! Rethink the way you are doing things...Write out your plan... Make the changes you need to free up your time so you can concentrate on other areas that need your attention. You will see.....you CAN have it ALL......but you have to let go of a few things to LET it happen! Good Luck to you. You deserve the best. It is there for the taking.

Its been awhile since I have had a wicking challenge so I managed to find me one. These little tins are making me a little crazy. I am just getting started....testing a blend with Ecos, Htps, Papers and Superior wicks. Anyone messing with these little cuties?

I think choosing a name is very personal however it is extremely important that the name is "memorable". If the name of your company is similar to one that has been seen or heard before...it has a tendency to get lost in the mix. I really like Luna Blu!

Life always looks a little rosier after chocolate. HTH

Top, get on back to wax!

You KNOW I couldn't have passed it by!! Your products look GREAT! I am loving the professional packaging. They look really good Trish!

YIKES! ...canes....baloons... AND in the creative clutches of Donita ? Trouble at the Ponderosa! Run for your life!!

I think you have done a nice job. Clean and easy. I like it.:highfive:

"No Muff too tough"

I have no idea where to post this or look for these so I am going to try here....hopefully the crafters will know:-) I need to find some letters. Metal, Plastic...it doesn't really matter but they need to be fairly small... 1/2 to 3/4 inch. I have had a request to put them on a carved candle so I will be glazing over them. I do not need anything expensive...like used for jewelry....just something I can apply to wax and glaze over. Any ideas where I can start looking for these?????

I couldn't be happier with my Oki Data C3200. If I had to replace it tomorrow, I would go with the same thing. LOVE it!

I use liquid dyes from AAA & pigments from BC and JEpolish....however when I do play with the blocks, I just use a regular ol' potato peeler. Works like a charm. Slice, weigh, COLOR!! I do actually prefer the block for Turquoise.

"The final cost of my order (again for only 5 oz of oil) was a about 40 dollars!!" I have yet to find a Candle Fragrance Oil worth this. I think you need to "rethink" purchases like this one. It just doesn't make sense to me. Keep us posted!

For a long standing professional company to just cease doing business with no notice or reply seems unprofessional and bizarre to me. This is something "fly by night" companies do; certainly not a company like I considered Pourette to be. Very odd.

I used a long "chefs spoon" from the restaurant supply for the longest time. I found a silicone whisk somewhere and use it most of the time now. (unless the pour pitcher is too full....hence back to the long spoon) I checked out the metal whisks from Sam's Club. They are weighted nicely and mix well with very little effort but it sure whips alot of air into the wax quickly! ( I guess that is what all those tiny bubbles were when I poured the wax)

Speaking from a liability issue, I would remove this. Someone might get the wrong impression. It is much better to lean on the side of caution. "Burns cooler than parrafin - less likely to burn if spilled or knocked over." . Personally, I would go back when I was feeling a little less..um...playful...and change many of the Incense names. You might find people that are amused, but without the ability to discern who might stumble onto your site, you well could be offending someone. Of course it is your decision.

if I ever decide to make soap, please, just shoot me.

mystic,your soap is SO GOOD!!!! I mean it!!!:highfive:

Congratulations Craig! I wish you the BEST of luck!!!!