sprthg2001 Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 My wife and I are thinking about starting a candle making business on the side and we were wondering if it is worth it!We both love candles and why not profit from somthing we enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeriM Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I'm sure it can be eventually.... I will tell you that this is by no means a cheap hobby..... I know I have spent thousands in testing and trying to perfect what I do... it took me over a year before I even thought about selling.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debscent Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 If you are passionate about it, yes it's worth it. Can you live off of it? I don't know, some do well, others don't. It is expensive to start off, but if you enjoy candles, etc., go for it, but don't expect to be in the Forbes 500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrown Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 If you are passionate about it, yes it's worth it. Can you live off of it? I don't know, some do well, others don't. It is expensive to start off, but if you enjoy candles, etc., go for it, but don't expect to be in the Forbes 500. :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: LMAOSO TRUE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
so-soy Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I guess I would add, if you enjoy candles and want to learn to make your own, to enjoy 'better candles' then go for it! But if your interested because you 'want to make money' then this probably isn't what your looking for. Its very costly, there is months and months of learning and testing that HAS to be done to make sure your candles are SAFE, and it can be years before you ever see any kind of 'profit' off it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logcabinmomma Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I do this because I homeschool my 6 young children alllll day long (love it, but draining!) and this is a great hobby. I'm home all day and burn candles and HATE the fact that I was paying so much for such crappy candles. I sell to friends and friends of friends almost exclusively through home parties which is an awesome excuse to get out of the house and have fun. Every "season" I am just trying to break even, maybe get a little bit ahead for the next season... but not even trying to make money here (although I'm priced at 3 times cost for retail- I just sell 1/3 of product, plus enough to cover testing and "R&D"- aka- just buying new fragrances lol- and have lots left over for gifts and to keep if it works out that way). I love approaching it this way cause I'm not rushed and I'm just having fun with it.I looked into doing our city's farmer's market this summer, but I just don't want to commit a full day each week to selling yet- I have babies at home and want to take advantage of my weekends as a family. :smiley2: -Kristi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarysweet95 Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Yeah, i think it can be profitable, I've been making candles about 3/4 year now and have sold a few this christmas to friends, but not made anywhere near a profit yet! Though i think that's more my own fault! I spent loads of money buying erverything i could when i first began, so now have loads of bits and bobs! I also tried making loads of different types of candles at once, so took much longer to get them working great, and some aren't still anyway! So i think if you want to make lots of money, it's prob not the right venture, if you enjoy candles and just want to make a lil money on the side, i think it's very good. What I'd recommend first though i stick to one type of candle and a few scents. Decide in advance what you want and just get the absolute minimum! Then you can focus all your attention and testing on just afew candles and be ready to sell much sooner than if you take on too much at once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 If you are passionate about it, yes it's worth it. Can you live off of it? I don't know, some do well, others don't. It is expensive to start off, but if you enjoy candles, etc., go for it, but don't expect to be in the Forbes 500. Oh heck no. Shoot higher Eventually it can be. Depends on your attention to detail and the type of product you develop a name for and how much you're willing to invest in not just money, but in time and comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Fields Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 I definitely agree with Scented. We've been doing this for over ten years. Full time for the past five. We now make a living from our craft, but we both put in lots of hours. More than when we worked for the "man". From my opinion it takes big, big bucks invested to make serious profits. To compete you have to buy in bulk, which means large areas for storage of raw materials. Then you need upgrades in equipment for processing and storage of finished goods. Next you have to have consistent sales. "Nickle and dime" sales take up lots of time. Time is a commodity you fast run out of. Now, to make candles and sell whereever as a hobby is no problem. But, again looking back at all of our mistakes, when you really want to make enough to make a living, you must treat it like a business and make business decisions. No love of the craft, pie-in-the-sky ideals, no cutting corners. It is lots of hard work with no guarantees. We know many people who invested 20-25k to startup and lost it all after a year. Would we do it all over again? YOU BETCHA. IT'S A TRIP!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickyWick Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Odd you should ask. I am asking myself the same question. On a VERY recent trip, a friend of ours told us about a store that she just opened and asked if we would make some candles for her to use as displays for her furniture (antiques) and to sell as well. Of course I said yes, and will begin pouring hot and heavy tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 It's profitable for me, but I agree with the others. You have to be prepared to spend long hours in research and testing. Then you'll spend long hours in promoting/marketing/selling. You have to wear many hats if you're doing this on your own (r&d geek, marketing director, planner/visionary, accountant, set-up & display designer, if you're going with farmer's markets or craft shows, html/Internet geek, assuming you're going the website route, etc.) You'll need some drive and determination. I recouped my start-up costs in about a year & a half, then the biz started paying for itself and getting profitable. I'll never be filthy rich, but that is not my goal. You have to really love what you do, or it can come back to kick you in the pants. LOL Not to discourage you, because it can be done! But I just wanted to give you an honest overview of all that's involved so you can make an informed decision. Best of luck to you if you decide to take on this new venture! It's a lot of work, but plenty of fun and personally satisfying too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgirl Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Yeppers... Crafty summed it all up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Odd you should ask. I am asking myself the same question. On a VERY recent trip, a friend of ours told us about a store that she just opened and asked if we would make some candles for her to use as displays for her furniture (antiques) and to sell as well. Of course I said yes, and will begin pouring hot and heavy tonight.Hopefully not for a few months at least... :tiptoe: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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