From hobby to retail

[xxxAlpha71xxx]

I need some help (ammo)  here.  My wife is a bit impatient and as much as I've stressed it honestly doesn't seem to realize just how much there is to *successfully* make candles.  I told her once I got into it that this would be a long, expensive road to travel.  She seems to have forgotten that conversation.

 

For those of you that moved from hobby to retail roughly how was long was it from when you made your first candle to when you sold your first candle.  Roughly how long was it from when you sold your first candle to when you actually moved from the red into black.  Just looking for close approximations here to help me explain that expecting to be in a position to go retail in four months is unrealistic.  

[Karen Ov]

Lol  sounds like my sister. I started making candles in march   she says I should be selling them already. I don't feel at all like I'm ready for that at all.  So this is a good question.  

[Crafty1_AJ]

Yes, four months is pretty speedy, IMO.  It's difficult to give a precise timeline that fits all though, because some people dabble now and then, while others research their brains out and then dive in headlong, full throttle, with maximum intensity.  (I'm in the latter category.   )   Some people are quick learners, some are detailed perfectionists, etc.  Lots of variables.  But it just takes time to see how candles will perform under varying conditions, and over time.

 

I poured my first candles when I was a teenager, but didn't start selling until much later.  I quit making candles for a while, then resumed as an adult when my kids were old enough to ask me if I would teach them how to make them.  But before selling, I did a LOT of research/homework and a LOT of testing; keep in mind I'm a "go big or go home" kinda person, so I was pretty intense and determined and focused.  I'd estimate it was about one year of intense research and testing until I sold paraffin jar candles.   I started with just a few basic scents that I felt I had under my belt, and added a few now and then along the way.   Now when I decided to try soy candles...bigger learning curve.  That takes longer to master, and I use the phrase "master" loosely, because as TT says, it's kind of a moving target.  So the type of wax can be a variable in when you are ready to sell, too.

 

My goal was to be in the black in a year, but I did not quite hit that goal.  I made back my seed money, however, in a little over a year, then started seeing profits after that.

 

To be honest?  I'm still learning.  There isn't a year that goes by where I am not figuring new things out, tweaking, adjusting, adapting, refining.  You're never really finished learning.

[bfroberts]

I started dabbling back in the 90's...just enough to know I had a lot to learn.  Picked it up again about 8-9 years ago to pass the time.  I took a supplier's recommendation re: wax and wicks and was actually able to make a pretty good product with that info.  It only took a few months to start selling those.  It's when I started changing containers and waxes and buying FO's out the wazoo that I realized it truly IS a hard thing to master.  Just cause I could wick one jar with one wax and a couple of easy FO's didn't mean I was qualified to make anything else.  The other stuff took much, much longer.  I have one container now that I've been trying to wick for a year.  Seriously.  Yes, your wife is being unrealistic.  

I'm pretty sure I'm still in the red.
 

[xxxAlpha71xxx]

1 hour ago, bfroberts said:

I started dabbling back in the 90's...just enough to know I had a lot to learn.  Picked it up again about 8-9 years ago to pass the time.  I took a supplier's recommendation re: wax and wicks and was actually able to make a pretty good product with that info.  It only took a few months to start selling those.  It's when I started changing containers and waxes and buying FO's out the wazoo that I realized it truly IS a hard thing to master.  Just cause I could wick one jar with one wax and a couple of easy FO's didn't mean I was qualified to make anything else.  The other stuff took much, much longer.  I have one container now that I've been trying to wick for a year.  Seriously.  Yes, your wife is being unrealistic.  

I'm pretty sure I'm still in the red.
 

Four months in and I can make a heck of a wax melt.   I actually have a pretty decent handle on the 8 oz elite jars from FC, pretty much CD8 or CD10 gets me across the finish line with 6006 and most scents.  Those size wicks don't give me a lot of heartburn, it's when I move on to other containers that I start worrying about torches because I'm seeing wick requirements much larger than I expected for this wax type in these containers.  That might be another annoying post I can make in just a few minutes.

 

@bfroberts   Thankfully, that new case of wax I opened seems to be pretty similar to the one I just finished off.

[bfroberts]

2 minutes ago, xxxAlpha71xxx said:

 

@bfroberts   Thankfully, that new case of wax I opened seems to be pretty similar to the one I just finished off.

 

That's good to know because
A:  You won't have to retest.
B:  I don't have to regret kickin' it to the curb.  😜

[xxxAlpha71xxx]

11 minutes ago, bfroberts said:

 

That's good to know because
A:  You won't have to retest.
B:  I don't have to regret kickin' it to the curb.  😜

What wax did you end up moving to from 6006?  I've got a 10 pound block of ProBlend 600 I'm going to play around with over the next week or two.

[bfroberts]

2 hours ago, xxxAlpha71xxx said:

What wax did you end up moving to from 6006?  I've got a 10 pound block of ProBlend 600 I'm going to play around with over the next week or two.

CBL 130 from Candlewic

[BusyBee]

You will need to understand the fact that anyone, who does not make candle, will never understand how hard development of decent candle is going to be.  So, don't blame your wife for being impatient.  Take your wife out to dinner, and just tell her that you have totally underestimated the candle making thing.  Also, tell her about story of guy like me.  I thought I could open up my candle business in about 3 months, but it took me 20 months from the start to opening up my candle business.  Development took about 6 months, coming up with company logo took me about 3 months, marketing research was another couple months, coming up with marketing strategy was about 4 to 5 months, & finally the label design took another few months.  This was done in my spare time working 50 hours full time job, and it might have taken a lot less time if I had more time and resources($$$).  I did started to sell(test marketing) candles from about 9 months from the start.

 

Being from red to black will depend your marketing plan & your ability to succeed with it.  

 

This is going to be long challenging journey, but it should be fun and very rewarding venture.

Are you trying to opening up a retail shop?  Have you come up with any marketing plan?

[TallTayl]

Haste makes waste. Nothing worse than learning how to fix mistakes or raw material problems while under pressure.

we’re heading into cold weather when manufacturing (and shipping) of candles becomes extra tricky. I like to have experienced all 4 seasons with products before diving in. Manufacturing in cold can be as problematic as manufacturing in hot, humid weather.
 

Shrinking candles in frozen airplanes can cause candles to rattle in containers, wicks to come unstuck, etc. I received a set of coconut candles from a trendy seller that arrived without the wicks.  The wax shrunk enough to allow the wicks to pull back through the entire candle in transit. The wax tipped out of the jars leaving wicks as if they were never in the candle to begin with. Bizarre! 

 

The year when soy began to change drastically I learned that some “dependable”  soy blends cracked right through the whole candle while it cured on the shelf.  Looked great when it went on the shelf.  Picked it for an order and it was in 2 pieces with a vertical crack across the wick. the wax at that time contained water injected during the hydrogenation process and was no good. Thankfully we had enough experience with other waxes to get back on track fairly quickly. 
 

it’s nice to know how your products age. If you made and tested your candles in summer, how will they burn in winter and vice versa.  I tested my summer tins in northern Illinois winter.  Was super proud.  Sent one to a trusted candle friend in spring as I was rolling them out and they were over wicked by a lot fo warmer weather.  Conversely, wicking a fresh candle and not testing it several months later can find your candles underwicked by a lot. 
 

when you think you’re ready to sell professionally, factor in the business costs and product liability insurance. Those add up quick. Not every hobby needs to be a hustle. You can just enjoy making and burning candles for the craft.

[TallTayl]

Short reply for those who ask why you’re not selling XYZ yet...

 

would you open a {pick one from the list} after only doing it for 4 months?

 

- restaurant

- bakery

- auto Repair shop

- hair salon

- vet practice

- coffee shop 

- make up studio

- child care/preschool 

 

don’t be beholden to anyone else’s time line. 

 

[xxxAlpha71xxx]

I told her yesterday that she needs to just slow it down some.  Not even considering the candle making process there has to be a business plan.  Not only does haste make waste it also causes mistakes and some of those mistakes can get right costly.

 

I shared the experiences you guys have had and she seems to have settled down somewhat.

 

I basically told her that while I've made candles that we burn around the house what I've actually accomplished so far is getting a fairly decent grip of how the making and testing process should go but the mainly I've learned how much I don't know.

[TallTayl]

The quickest way to hate a hobby is to “have” to make something versus “want” to make something 🤣 

 

the fun hobby becomes a j.o.b.

[bfroberts]

11 minutes ago, xxxAlpha71xxx said:

I told her yesterday that she needs to just slow it down some.  Not even considering the candle making process there has to be a business plan.  Not only does haste make waste it also causes mistakes and some of those mistakes can get right costly.

 

I shared the experiences you guys have had and she seems to have settled down somewhat.

 

I basically told her that while I've made candles that we burn around the house what I've actually accomplished so far is getting a fairly decent grip of how the making and testing process should go but the mainly I've learned how much I don't know.

TT if full of excellent advice.  
Haste does make waste.  I'm still sitting on several cases of candles I made when I started working with 6006. When I opened them a few months after I made them, I found they were under-wicked, even though they had burned great when I tested them. That's when I learned how 6006 acts over the long haul.  An eye-opener, for sure, and totally changed the way I test.
 

[iansmommaya]

I don't make candles, I'm an Herbalist and soapmaker, and if you remove all of the time for state and federal regulations, it was a goodly amount of time. There isn't really a comparison in Herbalism but in soapmaking a year, but I actually dont think the length of time is the only factor, it's also the number of batches the amount of soap one makes. And also all you learn when Sunshine goes wrong. The amount you learn when you stretch your skills. I imagine the same or similar learning process applies to candle making.

[Sarah S]

15 hours ago, bfroberts said:

CBL 130 from Candlewic

That is a lovely wax, and if I didn't detest soy I would use it more often. The texture is just gorgeous.

 

5 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Short reply for those who ask why you’re not selling XYZ yet...

 

would you open a {pick one from the list} after only doing it for 4 months?

 

- restaurant

- bakery

- auto Repair shop

- hair salon

- vet practice

- coffee shop 

- make up studio

- child care/preschool 

 

don’t be beholden to anyone else’s time line. 

 

 

Good lord, that sounds like common sense! 😂

 

I will confess I began selling candles after about 6 months of serious testing, BUT:

- I use an easy paraffin wax

- I only tested one container, one wax, and one wick series

- I only offered 4 fragrances that I was super confident about

- and I only sell locally on a very very small scale, I'm not trying to run a full-scale business

It's been about a year for me, maybe a little more, and I am in the black. But my initial investment was small, and "in the black" for me is a few hundred dollars. I'm not sending the kids to college on this income. 😄

 

I strongly believe that the size of your goal directly impacts the amount of resources you need to commit to achieve that goal. If you're dreaming big, you need to invest big. And that includes your time more than any other resource.

[bfroberts]

50 minutes ago, Sarah S said:

That is a lovely wax, and if I didn't detest soy I would use it more often. The texture is just gorgeous.

It truly is.  It took me a while to land on a wick, but I've got it licked now.  I do love the performance of the 125 better, but the aesthetics of the 130 are hard to beat.  

[NightLight]

I like the slow method of testing. You really need to see how your candles or products work in all seasons. From product to shipping your product should be able to handle the temps. And yes, you need to sit on product to see if it frosts, leaks fragrance oil puddles, color morph, split candles etc.

 

Classic example was an Etsy seller saying her customers were complaining about her dog balm melting in Summer.

She didn’t formulate for all types of weather.

 

[xxxAlpha71xxx]

I started playing with that ProBlend 600 that I had laying around.  So far, I really like it.  It's very early in the testing process but the pour was great.  No wet spots to speak of and the flame is just perfect.  No issues with HT, at least with this scent (FC Apple Cinnamon @ 6.5%).  Crossing my fingers that it nothing falls apart a few burns in.