Starting my own business and really nervous about choosing the wax for candles...

[so-soy]

Gosh everyone, l was so saddened to read some of these replies. Some of you have been really harsh and unnecessarily abrupt, some really condescending and rude. Do you have any idea how intimidating this forum can be for a newbie? Yes, we may come across as sounding incredibly dumb and downright stupid, (l didn't know there was a defined season of the year for doing it in either!?) and we may have more blind misguided enthusiasm than technical knowhow, but in my case l am here because l really do LOVE what l have learned so far, l love it, and l WANT to learn more.

And here's the typical 'other newbie' coming in to chastise the veterans for their comments. Oh so much to learn. Your response here has been heard a million times! Everyone that posted to the original poster did exactly what they should have in this case. That is point out how dangerous this person is being and how you don't just 'open a business' over night. Like has been posted already, they didn't even know what wax they were using and has already sold these candles. That's insane! Someday when you have been around the candle world long enough you will realize a newbie like this has the potential to destroy all of our candle businesses with shoddy homemade candles. Every bad candle, every candle that burns something down, every candle that smells like crap and looks like crap and is put on a table to be sold to the public gives ALL OF US a bad name! We work to dang hard and put in way to much money to have some fly-by-nighter destroy that for us. We have alot at stake here, maybe its just a hobby you have found you love, but its a business to alot of others. So before you start chastising the veterans of this board for being 'rude' or nasty or whatever, stop and think of whats at stake here!

[PurpleHippie]

Unfortunately this type of practice is one of the reasons the FDA is trying to put a stop to B&B at home business. If the Globalization act is passed(and it looks like it will be) there will be such high fees, red tape and restircitions that most small business can not afford. This relates to candles because I get this strong feeling that as soon as they have put this into law they may start investigating the candle industry. I do not support the fee requirements that most of us could not afford. I do however think some sort of competency test and safety measures should be enforced before a candle product can be sold. It is truly frightening to know what's being sold and how little testing some people put into producing a product that could possibly contribute to someone's home burning down or loss of life.

With that said, ordering supplies as I am sure you already know can become very expensive. The shipping cost as well as the wax cost continue to rise with no end in site for the near future. To anyone out there considering this as a business my advise would be to please check your market/selling area. See what's available and the prices. Right now my area is over saturated with candle and home fragrance products. There are people at craft shows selling large candles for 3 dollars or less. I don't know where they get there supplies but it isn't worth my time and effort to sell a large candle for those prices. It cost more than 3 bucks for me to make a candle. My area loves Walmart and people here compare selling prices to what is available at Walmart. You can explain tell the end of time the difference in quality and people here still want a bargin. That's just my area and yours may be completly different. With the wax I use currently being sold at 99.00 a case plus 26.00 shipping to me, price of FO per ounce, wicks, labels, time and effort to produce the product...selling a quality product that can compete with the low cost products that are available in abundance here is almost impossible. After all of the time and money I put into testing this wax, FO's and wicks I really do not want to start the whole process all over again with another wax that might be cheaper. There is no such thing as a perfect candle. I have never made nor used one! I've purchased craft store home made candles, expensive designer candles, discount store candles...they all have their good and bad qualities. I do think sometimes we candle makers can be a bit too critical when it comes to the competition candles. However, the most important issue is if the product is safe!

Once again my experince is based on my area but it the over saturated market is something that you might want to consider. I wish you good luck.

[Guest scrapgabbie]

Right. l totally get it now, this *is* a place for experts, and l will go and be ignorant and enjoy my hobby elsewhere.

[AntoniasCreations]

Right. l totally get it now, this *is* a place for experts, and l will go and be ignorant and enjoy my hobby elsewhere.

Wow you really are not getting what anyone is even saying. :tiptoe:

Antonia

[MissMary]

Unfortunately this type of practice is one of the reasons the FDA is trying to put a stop to B&B at home business. If the Globalization act is passed(and it looks like it will be) there will be such high fees, red tape and restircitions that most small business can not afford. This relates to candles because I get this strong feeling that as soon as they have put this into law they may start investigating the candle industry. I do not support the fee requirements that most of us could not afford. I do however think some sort of competency test and safety measures should be enforced before a candle product can be sold. It is truly frightening to know what's being sold and how little testing some people put into producing a product that could possibly contribute to someone's home burning down or loss of life.

While they've reduced fees, with no set fee (it's current state is how many facilities, size of facility, etc.), I have said the same thing about the B&B side. It's not even necessarily anyone HERE at THIS, but there ARE those people out there that put a wick in something and sell it. So many kit stores want you to believe that. But it's not THEIR butts on the line when you burn down someone's house.

I did hundreds of hours of testing and pictures - damn near burnt myself out (pun intended) and never DID get pillars right. I also spent more than $3000 dollars to get supplies to test this way - several cases of wax in different types, molds, containers, FO's... I had to pull back, got 3 containers and 10 scents figured out and started there.

I took my reaming too. However, at the time, I was able to devote 16-18 hours a day at the time for almost 3 weeks straight. I got insurance the same day I got a website. Insurance specifically to cover candles. I didn't put a product up until the completed policy was in my hands. Not "on the way", but in my possession.

BUT, again, I too, took my lumps. It's because of the same argument people are here with - it's FIRE. It's not just home decor - it's FIRE and CHEMICALS. The wrong mixes, and not having a clue can KILL someone.

There is a huge gravity in this. It's not merely a craft or a hobby. So you knit a few wrong stitches, big deal. So you paint something a wrong color. Oh well. This is BEYOND a craft or a hobby, and frankly, anyone who labels it as such does NOT have the time, nor the patience to be into it with the full safety they need. Woodworking, knitting, sewing, dollhouses - those are hobbies. No one gets hurt if you screw up the product.

[Jane42]

I don't know if this will help any, but I am going to give it a go......

We started our candle "business" several years ago with high hopes of making the perfect candle, selling bunches and bunches and living happily ever after. We made a few scents, thought it looked good, and sold at a small craft fair. We felt we were ready to design labels, get a website, wholesale, do fundraisers........

Then I found this site.....WOW

After reading for days, I burned one of our candles again to see how it compared to what I was reading as to how a good candle burns. We had chosen IGI4630, which most people know that have tried it or read these boards, tends to smoke. Sure, our candle burned great for the first few hours...even smelled nice....but the soot that formed when we "power burned" (which is what I have found alot of our customers do...one person even fell asleep and it burned all night!), our jar was blacker than black. I was so disappointed - not only because we had to start from square one with our testing, but that we had sold some and now our name was going to be associated with a candle that was totally inferior! Luckily, that show was very small, but I personally knew some of the people that purchased from that show and they have never contacted me to reorder, nor have they purchased anything from me at the craft shows we now do. I probably not only lost them as customers, but anyone that they talk to.

We learned a tough lesson, but it was a lesson worth learning! We are very confident with our product at this point, and it has taken us years, but we know it is a safe product. Sometimes it doesn't take years...some people do "luck out" and get it right the first few times, but I remember that we thought we had it right too......

I guess I just want to say that rather than get defensive, I would open yourself up to reassessing what you are doing. You have to know your product, and what you are using, to feel confident that it is a good product.

Good Luck on your venture....

[earthfriendly]

Come on everyone!!! :tiptoe:We can all help by giving constructive criticism. There really is no need to be so rude, condensending and sarcastic on this board. We are all here to learn, ask for and give advice in a friendly manner. I have a saying I like to live by and that is (Treat everyone like you would like to be treated, with dignity and respect.)

Be stern but courteous in your replys. Yes she needs to learn a lot before she starts selling her candles. I'm sure she will think twice before asking any of us for advice because of the responses she received. That would be a shame, to scare someone off this board that is in need of friendly advice.

Thank you,

[Kimberly]

I am sorry but I have not found a rude reply in this thread. Like Deb stated HARSH is not RUDE. If you do not want the harsh reality then dont ask. Especially when you come on and ask our opinions on starting a business that most of us has worked on for yrs.

Yes, this is a learning community, however, some do not want to learn or even try...they want everything handed to them. I do not mind helping but I am not going to hand over all of my hard work just to make a newbies life easier. It is called trial and error. What works for me...may not work for you. We cannot tell someone what wax, scent or supplier to use....you have to figure that out on your own. I love Tristate oils...some people here dont. Just like a lot of people here swear by Just Scent....I wont touch those FO's with a ten foot pole! We can make suggestions...state what works for us...but the cold hard fact are...you have to learn on your own!

If a new crafter come on with a question because they have tried and tried but just cant get it right...I will be the first to jump in and try to help. But just because you made one batch of candles out of a 10lb slab of unknown wax does not make you a Chandler. Hell, I have been doing this for several yrs now and still do not consider myself a Chandler.

BTW...I did offer some suggestions to her on the type of wax she had picked. It didnt work for me...but others here make great candles from it.

[theresa t]

These are posts that I myself tend to stay out of also. I guess because there are so many of you out there that know so much more than I do when it comes to making candles etc. I have been doing this for about 9 years now. I, like a lot of people on here started out with this as a "hobby", albeit a very expensive one at that. I have spent many hours reading on these boards the advice, information, techniques, suggestions, waxes, wicks, fragrance oils, this board is a wealth of information. I have learned alot also just by sitting back and researching the threads on here.

Whether we agree with the "tone" of those that are offering their years of expertise/advise or not, it just boils down to the simple fact that it is an industry that can be a dangerous one to be in. I can honestly say that when it comes to threads like these it does get scarey to realize how many people do not test, that just melt the wax, add the oils, wick the jars, pour the wax in them and send them out the door before they know what the candle will do. I have found myself at times thinking some of these answers can come across as being rude, on the border of being out of line. When you step back and take a look at the big picture of things these responses are just trying to stress that all important point of you just can't do what was mentioned above with melt, add oils, wick, pour and out the door. Read between the lines with what is being said, it is safety. Safety is what is really being stressed in these responses. Ok, so maybe it might be able to be worded a little differently but in the end this is the gist of the whole point of what is being said.

I don't think anyone is trying to be malicious in their responses. I just feel that safety can not be stressed enough with this industry. I've had posts I made with questions or posts I made where I was excited over something when I first started out that made me want to crawl up and go elsewhere. Once I really thought thru what had been said to me I made sense of it and understood. Points were made, valid ones, to make me rethink what I was doing wrong.

In the end what I am trying to say is don't let it get to you. If you really love what you are doing as we all seem to, take the advice being given. Take the time to test, test, test and test till you think you can't test any longer. For me, this has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I miss doing what I used to be able to do before my back finally forced me out of the candle side of this business.

Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and candles that are safe to go to the public will not happen in a day. Like everything it takes time, money, effort and the willingness to learn. I'm by no means as experienced as some on here but, I do read the advice they offer and try things for myself. Research, patience and time, in the end it will all pay off for those willing to put forth the effort. Good luck to those that are new to this. I wish you much success but don't get discouraged if you are not hearing what you want to hear. Be open to learning b/c this board, as well as others, have a wealth of information available to all of us.

[earthfriendly]

Kimberly, you are right about people just starting and wanting to know everything without doing their own research. Even if we gave them all the info, they would still have to test, test and test. You cannot become a candle maker over-night. I have been making candles for years now, and I still learn something new all the time.

RNSandSCENTS- You have a long way to go before you can consider selling your candles. It takes patience, money and I mean lots of money and most of all time and testing over and over and over, before you can begin to sell candles.

Yes it is ok to make candles for yourself and family to begin with as a hobby. Before you even consider selling to the public you have to have perfected the right wax, wicks, and fragrances. You have to be able to stand behind your finished product 100%. Believe me, and everyone else on this board it is not something you learn in a couple of months. It is very frustrating, expensive and enjoyable at the same time. But you have to be realistic. If this is something you like then stick with it, you will learn by your mistakes and your testing.

Like I said earlier, be prepared to put a lot of money into learning because that is the only way you will perfect your candle. First do a lot of reading. You can actually learn a lot from this board. You will get an idea of what waxes to start with, wicks, and fragrances. Then take it from there. If you don't like the wax, go to another wax, etc, etc. That is something you will have to learn on your own.

When we first started with soy, there was not a lot of info as it was fairly new to the market. We went through a lot of trial and error. But we began to get the hang of it and got better and better at it. When we started there were only a handful of companies making soy candles, now there are hundred's.

It is a very competitive market so start with your testing and have fun while you are at it. You can do it just be patient:highfive:

[RNSandSCENTS]

I wanted to first start by saying that, I am really glad I posted this thread. Although some of the responses were, in my opinion, a little harsh, they were truthful and I have to respect that. That is exactly what I came here for. I don't want anyone to just hand over to me years of blood, sweat and tears that they dedicated to perfecting their business, just looking for direction and making sure that I am on the right track. My intent truely was not to make it seem like this business is at all easy and I can see where some took it that way. For that I apologize, sincerely. Now that I have had time to take it all in I have made the decision to keep candle making purely as a hobby and stick to testing my b&b, which is allowed by my insurance. Candles are not and to add it would quadruple my insurance rate. So again, I am glad I posted this thread. Thank you everyone for their input.

To those of you who have so kindly emailed and pm'd me, your words moved me to tears. Somedays it just seems like the world is so cold and mean and harsh. It is nice to know that there are some really kind hearted folks out there....even if the words posted on this forum are a little tough to swallow. I cannot thank you all enough.

[CareBear]

Gosh everyone, l was so saddened to read some of these replies. ...

If this is meant to be a business only forum, or for experts only, then maybe it should be closed to new members and us newbies can go and be ignorant elsewhere.

oh jesus christmas.

what, you want folks here who KNOW their stuff to give the OP pat on the back and a good job??? and send this person off to do damage?

think again. folks here are RESPONSIBLE ADULTS and expect others in the craft, and god knows IN THE BUSINESS to behave as responsible adults themselves.

you think if some kid finds some keys on the ground they should be driving a school bus the next day? cause that's what this is akin to.

[Wick'n'Wax]

I can remember coming on here and asking newb questions quite some time ago, the main one being how soon can I sell.

To say I was shocked by the replies I received is an understatement, I sat and cried, I put all my 'stuff' back in boxes and left it. Then a few days later, I thought booger 'em.

I came back on, and I soon realised that what I thought were harsh and even nasty comments, weren't!

People on here, can be very forthright, but they are 1) looking out for your best interests and 2) trying to keep the reputations of serious chandlers intact!

Don't forget, 1 novice chandlers product burns down someones house, it hits the news headlines and we are all tarred with the same brush for a while.

Ok, some people could perhaps be a little better with their wording of critiscism, but hey, everyones different.

I suggest you spend a while reading everything you can, if you have a specific question ask, but ask after you've tried to do something yourself, like you say don't expect others to give your their hard earned secrets on a platter.

Insurance, please check this out, its just sooooooo not worth going without it.

Good luck

[Meridith]

Gosh everyone, l was so saddened to read some of these replies. Some of you have been really harsh and unnecessarily abrupt, some really condescending and rude. Do you have any idea how intimidating this forum can be for a newbie? Yes, we may come across as sounding incredibly dumb and downright stupid, (l didn't know there was a defined season of the year for doing it in either!?) and we may have more blind misguided enthusiasm than technical knowhow, but in my case l am here because l really do LOVE what l have learned so far, l love it, and l WANT to learn more.

l've already been lectured by someone here who knows nothing about me and my background and has made assumptions about why l make candles and what l am doing with them. lt's not nice - l was really enjoying posting my pics and my adventures so far, but now l hesitate before posting anything and find myself worrying that l am putting me and my creations up for criticism - am l going to get picked on for using xyz wick in abc wax, and what if my wick has toppled over a bit, heck, is someone going to jump down my throat because it might look like it is not centred perfectly?

We might not have posted here as much as some of you, and we may not be business people, manufacturers or experts, but we are doing the best we can, enjoying ourselves, and learning as we go. l think to assume that someone has done no research because they haven't described it in detail or been a member here for a long time is just really wrong.

When l read the first entry of this thread, even little old me of 23 posts picked up on a few mistakes that l was glad l never made, but l would never assume it okay to jump down anyone's throat about them, especially not on a public forum.

Someone on this forum has a fabulous quote in their signature that goes something like this and says it all for me:

'Be kinder than necessary because everyone is fighting some kind of battle'

If this is meant to be a business only forum, or for experts only, then maybe it should be closed to new members and us newbies can go and be ignorant elsewhere.

My guess is that the person that lectured you only did so out of jealousy because the stuff you make is top notch! Keep posting your pics and let them be jealous. You do great work.

[RNSandSCENTS]

Gosh everyone, l was so saddened to read some of these replies. Some of you have been really harsh and unnecessarily abrupt, some really condescending and rude. Do you have any idea how intimidating this forum can be for a newbie? Yes, we may come across as sounding incredibly dumb and downright stupid, (l didn't know there was a defined season of the year for doing it in either!?) and we may have more blind misguided enthusiasm than technical knowhow, but in my case l am here because l really do LOVE what l have learned so far, l love it, and l WANT to learn more.

l've already been lectured by someone here who knows nothing about me and my background and has made assumptions about why l make candles and what l am doing with them. lt's not nice - l was really enjoying posting my pics and my adventures so far, but now l hesitate before posting anything and find myself worrying that l am putting me and my creations up for criticism - am l going to get picked on for using xyz wick in abc wax, and what if my wick has toppled over a bit, heck, is someone going to jump down my throat because it might look like it is not centred perfectly?

We might not have posted here as much as some of you, and we may not be business people, manufacturers or experts, but we are doing the best we can, enjoying ourselves, and learning as we go. l think to assume that someone has done no research because they haven't described it in detail or been a member here for a long time is just really wrong.

When l read the first entry of this thread, even little old me of 23 posts picked up on a few mistakes that l was glad l never made, but l would never assume it okay to jump down anyone's throat about them, especially not on a public forum.

Someone on this forum has a fabulous quote in their signature that goes something like this and says it all for me:

'Be kinder than necessary because everyone is fighting some kind of battle'

If this is meant to be a business only forum, or for experts only, then maybe it should be closed to new members and us newbies can go and be ignorant elsewhere.

Scrapgabbie, while I agree with most of the points in your post, I still understand some of the not so nicely formed thoughts of those who have been making candles longer than the both of us. What is wrong to some is just normal for others. I take all these things into account when making decisions about what anothers opinion is about me or what I do.

Having said that, I have looked at your work in the gallery and it is beautiful. It would be a shame if you stopped posting your work. I tell you it has really inspired me and I am sure there are lurkers here who feel the same way.:highfive:

[Smacky]

There is not one bit of rude in the replies on this thread!

I suppose...ignorance is bliss, but what about the person that buys something possibly dangerous?

How would they feel if someone caused them to lose a home or be burned because of someone not being knowlegeable of their own product?

Sorry but this thing makes me nervous and scares the beheebies out of me!

Sad to say I have seen this same type of question out of people over and over.

Not just candles, in bath and body too.

Take the time to reseach any product you sell on the open market, or even gift to people.

If I'm a bitch for saying this, then so be it. :rolleyes2

Ican live with, and take pride in my words and actions.

People that get offended so easily such as in this thread need to learn and develop a thicker skin.

We ain't your mamma! Grow up.