Newbie here

[Debbie25]

hi this is my very 1st post, i've been reading a little and i cant believe all the things that you guys make. My hobby is cake decorating but i dont sell my cakes so no $ from that. I am thinking of getting into the candle & soap making business but i dont have much experience at all. I'm getting some supplies this weekend and i am going to try to make a few just to see if i like it and if i have a chance with doing this. so my question is about how much did you guys spend to get started with this. Is it very expensive to start up. I am a SAHM and i wanted to do this to get some extra $ but if its very expensive then it may not be the right thing for me. Thanks in advance & i'm excited to get started with this even if it becomes a hobby instead. :smiley2:

[country creek]

Welcome Debbie!!!! It is nice to have you with us! If you are just going to play around you can do that for under $100 but if you are anticipating making money then there are a lot of things you will need to get started......but the biggest thing you will need is time. Time to test and re test and test again to make sure you have a product worth selling to others. Safety first!!!!

It will take you time to learn the ins and outs of candle making and then you have to learn all of the techniques. BUT with pursaverance and time you will master the art.

Let's see with cost......

$60.00/case of wax

$50.00 FO (just to start)

$10.00 Wicks

$6.00 Jars

$10.00 Color blocks

$24.00 heat gun

$ 19.99 Presto Pot

$20.00 additional pots (4lb) sold in craft stores

$5.00 thermometer

$5.00 wick holders

Wow....that is alot

GOOD LUCK!!!!

[gmp]

Hi Debbie,

Welcome to the board!

I am also a newbie and have spent lots of $$ in materials, and that's just in the testing. (You will hear from lots of people about the importance of testing). Shipping costs are a downer, too. But it's a fun hobby and you can build a market, as you may have seen from other posters.

Just curious, since you already have a head start on cake decorating, why not sell those? (A SAHM in my town does this out of her home)

[Debbie25]

Thanks for all the info, that is alot country creek. Where do you guys typically get your supplies? I've seen candle making supplies at michaels, do you guys think they are good? I usually get lots of coupons for them so i was going to pick up a few things there to try to get started.

gmp i love cake decorating but i live in florida and i have no friends or family here so no one to order and get the word around for me. I'm not licensed so i really dont want to advertise i was hoping to go on word of mouth but since i know no one its hard to get word of mouth around. I know i can always donate to churches and things like that to begin with but i dont go to church and its kinda weird just to walk in and donate a cake, KWIM?

It sounds like it takes more time for candles than cake decorating. with cake decorating its really not so much of a science. You guys definately gave me something to think about. Thanks.

Any more help will be appreciated so i can decide if this is right for me.

[gmp]

Candlemaking is a combination of math, science, art, time and money.

A good starting point is to get a candle making kit from one of the suppliers like Bitter Creek, Candles and Supplies, Nature's Garden, Peaks, etc...a kit will give you early success and the suppliers are always great about offerring customer service, answering candle-making questions, troubleshooting, etc, things you won't get from Michaels.

You probably want to buy supplies from Michael's b/c you don't have to pay for shipping and it's an easy place to start as a beginner. That's what I did. It is a good way to get your feet wet, however, the stuff at Michael's is not good quality and now that I've bought from other suppliers I've thrown out my Michael's stuff. I would not buy from them IMHO. it would be like making a cake with Easy Bake oven..."not that there's anything wrong with that"!

Good luck and there is lots of good info on the board!

[Everito Bandito]

Not to knock Michaels stores but, I recommend doing a lot of research on candle boards. (learn to use the *search* feature and then read until your eyeballs bleed...lol..) Then buy supplies from a candle/soap making supplier. Figure out what is near you (that carries your selections) in order to save as much as possible on shipping.

There is a lot of testing to be done when making candles and/or soaps and you might as well start your testing with high quality supplies, since your ultimate goal, is to make high quality products.

You can start small and work your way up. It takes a lot of time, testing and yes, a good bit of money, to develop high quality products.

It can be fun and enjoyable, but it can also be trying and frustrating. It takes a personal commitment to succeed through the trying times, but from my experience, that holds true for about any business venture.

Candle making is just a hobby for me, but in the past I have owned two small businesses, one with employees and one not. I don't own either now due to health reasons, but I do know what it takes to make a small business successful and one thing that is of the utmost importance is to have a positive cash flow. The other is to work first and second shift..:smiley2:

I'm not trying to discourage you from your dreams. By all means go for it. Just understand that if/when you resources are limited then your dedication and creativeness has to be very strong. I started my first business that eventually had employees from a next to nothing shoestring budget, but I was a young man then...lol...

You can start small and work your way up to whatever size you have the energy for..good luck and best regards. OH yea, and think of the definition of the word...LUCK. as L-abor U-nder C-orrect K-nowledge. That always seemed to help me to look at it that way.

You can start now and stay small. Take notes and build knowledge.

Welcome to CT. Have fun!..:smiley2:

[prcandles]

Hi Debbie,

I am in Florida also and there really aren't any suppliers for much to do with candles here. I have ordered supplies from Candles and Supplies in Pennsylvania and the shipping wasn't too bad. Kentucky Wax is also close and shipping isn't as bad as some. It also gets to your door pretty quick. Just check under suppliers link and I am sure you will find something that will work for you. Lots of luck and keep reading.

Pat

[Josette50]

New here also

Give Candlechem.com a try, they charage a flat fee of $5.00 for shipping except for Wax and Glassware

Have fun

[country creek]

Debbie by no means do we want to scare you away and on the positive side it is totally theraputic and the most wonderful feeling to just sit back and relax and smell the wonderful aroma of what you made.

On the other side....I WOULD NOT BUY MY SUPPLIES FROM MICHAELS!!!!

If you want to truly know what it means to make a great candle, buy you a slab of wax and your favorite scent and a sample pack of wicks and use what jars you have at home and make them that way. If you have an old pot at home you can melt in / or buy a pot from Michaels and double boiler it and go from there. Michaels sells a kit that contains the pot, wicking and a thermometer. OR you could buy a candle making kit from any supplier.

Oh and you will need a scale to weigh your FO's I forgot that one thing....

This way you can actually see the difference between what you can do from good quality supplies and you will know if this is something you want to do.

I really hope you try it!!

[debscent]

Welcome Debbie. My first candle kit was from Michaels, and it is what gave me the bug. But I strongly suggest a candle kit from Peaks or another reputable supplier. You may think it's expensive from these suppliers, but a slab of plain paraffin wax without additives is around $24.95 for a 10 lb. slab. It typically costs 50% less from a supplier. Good luck, and your eyes will go cross reading everything. I've been doing this for over 3 years and I still read like crazy.