Anyone actually make a living doing this?

[pixie]

For me, candle making is a hobby (a very expensive one). I love love love making candles for just me and my family. I like everything about learning the subtle and sometimes not so subtle differences in the many available waxes and figuring out the fickle nature of certain jars and wicks. I hope to one day try selling some of my candles at my existing business but if that never happens, I would be perfectly okay with that too.

However, I dont think I could ever see supporting myself through candle sales. With that being said, I'd like to ask, how many here are able to support themselves through their candle sales? For how many here is it your main source of income? If not you, do you know of someone who is successfully supporting themselves through their candle business? Im not talking the big candle corp like gold canyon, yankee, scentsy, etc. I mean a small crafter that grew their business.

[bells4shells]

Candle making started as a creative outlet for me. That and I am obsessed with fragrance. I do sell what I make, but right now I'm back at the creative grind trying to give myself a focus (too many choices in supplies for this!). While working on my candles as a whole - including packaging - I was able to put my art/design background to use as well as marketing/advertising. Overall, it's been really fulfilling. So while I'm hesitant to say candle making is all I do, I do know I'm working on finding my focus. I'm interested in hearing how others got into this as well as those who have been able to make it a career.

[funkymonkey66]

I do, but my husband has a great paying job so even if I didn't make my goal I'm not too worried about it. I did a little over 50 last year according to my accountant. Considering the economy sucks I guess it's still pretty good. I've done better previous years. I don't wholesale, I don't do ebay or etsy, avoid social media. I guess I could push harder but I'm a mess at the moment health wise ( I have RA and now the dr's are thinking Lupus) so I'm taking it easy.

[tam1116]

funkeymonkey That is wonderfull!!! where do you get all of your sales from?

[laurenscandlebakery]

I do, but my husband has a great paying job so even if I didn't make my goal I'm not too worried about it. I did a little over 50 last year according to my accountant. Considering the economy sucks I guess it's still pretty good. I've done better previous years. I don't wholesale, I don't do ebay or etsy, avoid social media. I guess I could push harder but I'm a mess at the moment health wise ( I have RA and now the dr's are thinking Lupus) so I'm taking it easy.

That's awesome, funkymonkey66! I hope one day I can reach that level of success. Btw, I have RA as well and have had a lot of problems with my vision and memory lately that I think are being caused by it or my medicine. Hang in there!

[JanetsCandles]

I do. Most of mine is wholesaling, and I want a store badly, but just can't see paying over $1000 per month for it quite yet. Hubby has a decent income as well, so it isn't a huge concern for me right now, but I'm working on expanding as much as possible.

[funkymonkey66]

Thanks : ) I get them from the internet and local business. I haven't done a craft show in years. I'm in NY, it seems like alot but it's not. NY is very expensive.

I'm sorry to hear you have it too. Ugh, the medications! Most of them got me sick and I had infection upon infection this year because it weakened my immune system so bad. I'm miserable and trust me it shows. I can be such a b/tch lately, not intentionally but when you feel like you have the flu all the time it's hard to be perky.I don't have memory or vision issues, (yet) It's hard but you know, I have a great life in every aspect except my health, I'm grateful and I know things will get better.

[lovemylabs]

We do...Our Candle and Soaping business has picked up tremendously this past year. My husband and I do this together. And aside from him working a couple of months during the summer, this is the only thing we do. We started this business while he had a full time job...thank goodness, because last July he became an unemployment statistic. We got into a couple of gift shops, started doing festivals and farmers markets. Then the wholesale accounts started coming in....we just picked up another one today. Also today, the owner of one of the shops we're in, contacted us telling us she wanted to hook us up with someone starting up a high end gift shop and would be interested in our soap and candle line. When we go to the Farmers Markets, people ask "do you wholesale"...and the next thing you know they fill out an online app and place an order. Others will tell us about gift shops we should go to...so we make some cold calls and a few times, we've gotten in. I don't know what I'd do without my husband. He does our website, our label design/layout, our sign design for banners for festivals/events and he's a chemistry major. Even though it's obviously not necessary to have a degree, it's nice having that on board. I feel blessed to have come so far with the business. As it continues to grow, it made me realize that I don't want to open a shop/have a store front. I'd rather wholesale/retail and do a few festivals and farmers markets...and have the rest of the time "free".

Sorry to hear you guys have RA...my mother had that. My brother n law has Lupus and he's tired allll the time. He gets very frustrated...but between the illness and meds, I think he's doin' pretty amazing.

Edited September 14, 2012 by lovemylabs
Wanted to add the last paragraph

[FaithfulScenter]

Mine started out as a hobby, then turned into a business venture in my sil's flower shop. Turns out the only thing she sold was my tarts, and that wasn't enough to keep her open. So she closed the shop without telling me, just came with a truck and dropped my stuff off at my house. Super sweet of her I know! Anyway, I didn't want to handle the business side of things myself, but had so much money invested in supplies and equipment, as well as a steady, yet small, customer base, so here I am!! Is it enough to support us? No, not by a long shot. But I have a husband that makes great money, and is willing to support my candle "habit". He gets just as excited as I do! I am a stay at home mom, so it is really nice to have this little release! As long as I come out $1 ahead, I'll never quit!!

[glowworm]

I just started breaking even not long ago and for now i'm happy with that. Hopefully, someday I will be able to make a living at it so I can say nananananana to my hubby who thinks i'm absolutely crazy. We have another retail business where I sell melts and small candles. I also have a couple of stores that I have my stuff on consignment in and those do ok, but by far my biggest sales are still to my family and friends. I wish I had more time to devote to this because I just love it.

[TammyGCC]

I am trying to make it a business for me (making candles) I have a web site and I was recently hacked by probably some one that has to much time on their hands so I have been working hard trying to put all my product back on my site. I use Soy wax and my company name is greencountrycandles. I really hope I can make this endeavor into a full time career. I will say this candles are taking over one side of the living room. LOL

[redraider]

I am in business with my sister. She makes most of the candles, tarts etc. I handle the sales, marketing, materials ordering, delivering, customer service, website etc. For my sis it is the only source of income. For me I work full time as an accountant so no the candle business would have be really grow to replace what I make doing my day job. However my day job is my fathers company so I do get to spend alot of my day time taking care of the candle business, so I guess in a way I do make a living doing this.

[chuck_35550]

I have been in business (side line) for about 4 years now. I have a seasonal wholesale account and the rest is word of mouth and occasional special orders. I'm behind in orders for soap cupcakes, soap cake slices, bar soaps, container candles and melts; because summer makes me lazy. If I retire anytime soon, this would be a full-time job and I would acquire more wholesale accounts. I did not like shows, festivals or flea markets. Its much simpler when the account orders 10 cases of this and 10 cases of that and with this color or no color. I haven't done fund raisers but understand its a good way to make money and tear out most of your hair. The cost of license(s), insurance, bank account fees ect. makes it a real hassle to do do business but otherwise it can be very rewarding all the way around. I always wish for a business partner but know that would be a major mistake; so its all me from the ground up and that is a lot of work. HTH

Steve

[David Fields]

My wife and I do (sort of). I get a pension, and my wife get Social Security. That amounts to about 20% of our yearly income; the other 80% comes from our candle business. We have been full-time in the business for eleven years. We have a store and a warehouse/factory. Three employees work for us at the store, and one works at the warehouse/factory. We started our selling to friends and family, then graduated to craft shows, fundraisers and candle parties. At the time we lived in the country and later built a building because we had outgrown our home. About this time we both retired (2001) and started candle pouring full-time. We opened a store in 2002 and closed it in 2006. We opened another store in 2005, and that's where we are now. We quit craft shows, fundraisers in 2006 (no time). Presently we have a bunch of wholesale accounts, but still get the majority of our business income from retail sales. We should gross a little under 400K this year. BTW, the couple who started Circle E candles started out about the same way. We have learned a lot over the years, but give God all the praise. We have been able to see His Hand in so many of the decisions we have made. We are truly blessed.

[scifichik]

Outstanding! What a wonderful success story and I love that you give praise to God!

[SherriLynn]

Yup.. I do. I quit my full time job 2 years ago,, I still do some accounting/mailing/etc for a local business (bout 8 hours a week) the rest of my time is dedicated to my candle/gourmet/B&B biz. I started out with soy candles in 1999 (actually I stated making paraffin candles in the early 70's when I was a poor college kid and needed to earn extra money. My roomie and I made little candles in baby food jars and soup cans. The 70's was the era when everyone was trying to cover up some sort of smell coming out of dorm rooms,, end of story.. LOL)

I added waxed critters in 2001. After attending many crafts shows (like 35 a year) I found there was to much "copycatting" in products, advertising etc. So I switched gears in the business and added "gourmet food" in 2003. I created my own recipe line that includes soups, breads, dips and brownies. There is alot of hoops to jump through and licensing needed to make foods to sell to the public, but the reward has been worth it. In 2006 my daughter graduated from college and partnered with me doing shows and making product. We added lotions to the line in 2007,,, 2008 added soaps and 2010 added lip balms. We took our time growing the biz,, customers are always looking for new products so we rolled them out one at a time. All of our products are made with locally grown beeswax, sunflower oil or dehydrated veggies, which is our niche in the market place. We've wholesaled for about 8 years and have been on the road at shows for the last 12 years.

I could have never done this venture alone... God blessed with a family that was supportive of my dream... In my early biz years my kids were in high school..they worked with me at shows to help me set up and sell. In return they earned money to pay their car insurance and college funds were set up. Other times my mom came with me cause she didn't want me traveling alone, when kids had school things to do. My husband, sister in law and my daughter spent several weekends last year helping me put together a $5000 basket order. I could have never grown the biz without the help of so many others.

For years we have been in everyone else's stores and boutiques across the state. Next month will open our own storefront boutique in our hometown selling mainly our products, plus a few friends that do some wood work, fleece, quilting and a few wholesaled dishes/textiles/decor. Gosh what a blessing that will be not having to carry products everywhere we go. Like bowling nights, shopping nights, getting our nails done nights, seems we're always meeting someone to deliver orders. Now they can come to us at the store. We will now have more storage space, to build more product, to do more fundraisers. We've done fundraisers for the past 6 years,, awesome way to sell product! We will still vend at our largest shows throughout the year (hard to pass up those $2000 a day shows) and we'll still be in the major boutiques that run from Sept - Nov in the major cities. Mom said she'll run the store when we're doing the shows, she's 77 and still crafting. Livin' the dream....

Edited September 18, 2012 by SherriLynn

[Dana]

I too am a sole proprietor, wishing for a partner, but realize that would be a huge mistake. I have been doing this for 9 years and have had other part time jobs off and on along with it. It is very difficult to work another job with this business. It consumes your thoughts and time, but when slow season begins I feel I should be helping out more financially so I work a part time job. I think I have settled into a good job that fits well with the schedule of this business. I gross about 35K a year and could do more, just get burned out. As we all know 35K doesn't get you very far with all the expenses. The only way to make decent money (I think) is to purchase in huge quantities and you have to build up to it. I have never had to borrow money for my business. (yet), lol. In fact, I have taken previous years earnings and put it into financial investments which continues to earn money for me without me doing a thing. Luckily, my husband works and with this and my part time job and his other part time job we can help our 3 college girls out once in a while!

[TheCraftersNook]

Im lucky also that my husband has the major job in this house where i can do this for a side job an work local craft shows .. it does not pay the bills at all .. it just helps out once a year with santa LOL ! an thats a major Help

[mzphee]

My wife and I do (sort of). I get a pension, and my wife get Social Security. That amounts to about 20% of our yearly income; the other 80% comes from our candle business. We have been full-time in the business for eleven years. We have a store and a warehouse/factory. Three employees work for us at the store, and one works at the warehouse/factory. We started our selling to friends and family, then graduated to craft shows, fundraisers and candle parties. At the time we lived in the country and later built a building because we had outgrown our home. About this time we both retired (2001) and started candle pouring full-time. We opened a store in 2002 and closed it in 2006. We opened another store in 2005, and that's where we are now. We quit craft shows, fundraisers in 2006 (no time). Presently we have a bunch of wholesale accounts, but still get the majority of our business income from retail sales. We should gross a little under 400K this year. BTW, the couple who started Circle E candles started out about the same way. We have learned a lot over the years, but give God all the praise. We have been able to see His Hand in so many of the decisions we have made. We are truly blessed.

WHERE IS THE LIKE BUTTON, Phil 4:13...

[David Fields]

We would like to help others with their business decision making so you don't repeat our mistakes. So, please ask. I hesitate to offer, because in the past when I did, we got a flood of people who wanted us to turn over formulas, suppliers lists, etc. A couple drove to see us, but only wanted some kind of help to jump over all of the learning/growth steps to grossing 150-200k/yr. That does not happen. We have seen lots of candle makers try to make a living with their craft and failing. It is heart-breaking for us. I can't help you with why your candles don't throw or where to sell them or which jar to use or which wick/wax to use; we had to figure all of that out ourselves, and so should you. It's like trying to teach Algebra. A teacher can teach the concepts of Algebra or give out formulas where you plug in the variables, turn the crank, and the answer spits out. The first time something goes wrong, you don't know what happened or why. Spend the time learning the concepts of the craft. I pray I don't sound arrogant or prideful. It is not intended. If you want to make a living out of your craft, you have to realize that 1. You cannot work full-time or maybe even part-time and nurture a full-time business. 2. Decide how much you would like to make before taxes, then back into how many units of your product (after cost of goods and your other expenses) you would have to produce and sell. It's a scary number. 3. Don't have a Field of Dreams business (pour the candles and the customers will come). 4. You have to have either a product that is better and/or cheaper than your competitors or unique. You fill a nitch that no one else has found. Otherwise, you are going head to head with others just like you trying to make a buck. What I am talking about is a business plan. It does not have to be formal; it is just an exercise to get you to think about what you are doing.HTH, looks confusing to me. lol

[jeniryan]

David, I think everything you laid out makes perfect sense. I started making candles three years ago (as a SAHM) with the hopes of eventually turning it into an income source. Invested quite a bit into supplies, pour after pour, test after test, trying to acheive my idea of perfection. Needless, to say, we are our own toughest critics; so most of my creations during that time were gifted (happy friends and family) Then, I started school, now have a part time job, while my candle making supplies sit and collect dust - there's not enough hours in the day, topping it off with three kids! I truly enjoy the candle making process, and attempting new things. It's just a matter of time vs money vs time and so on - if that makes sense? I hope I can one day get the opportunity to just go for it! Maybe, just maybe, the economy will turn around and allow me the chance to go at it again. It is my dream!

[dcroome2005]

I started as a hobby and grew into a business. I do fairly well but I cant say I make tons of money. I do tons on the internet with fundraisers for animal rescues so I get a lot of repeat business,but as long as I make enough to give to animals and have enough to replace my supplies , then I am in heaven. My husband makes a lot of money so if I ever come into trouble, he is always there to help me. I wanted a store front but dealing with health issues myself . I have lost 77.4 lbs since July 2nd gastric bypass yet my entire body hurts the more I lose. /sigh Pain management, vicodin and lots of sleep helps me get through it all. But I'm all about saving animals so I just keep plugging along. I'm very happy where my business is.

[HorseScentS]

We would like to help others with their business decision making so you don't repeat our mistakes. So, please ask. I hesitate to offer, because in the past when I did, we got a flood of people who wanted us to turn over formulas, suppliers lists, etc. A couple drove to see us, but only wanted some kind of help to jump over all of the learning/growth steps to grossing 150-200k/yr. That does not happen. We have seen lots of candle makers try to make a living with their craft and failing. It is heart-breaking for us. I can't help you with why your candles don't throw or where to sell them or which jar to use or which wick/wax to use; we had to figure all of that out ourselves, and so should you. It's like trying to teach Algebra. A teacher can teach the concepts of Algebra or give out formulas where you plug in the variables, turn the crank, and the answer spits out. The first time something goes wrong, you don't know what happened or why. Spend the time learning the concepts of the craft. I pray I don't sound arrogant or prideful. It is not intended. If you want to make a living out of your craft, you have to realize that 1. You cannot work full-time or maybe even part-time and nurture a full-time business. 2. Decide how much you would like to make before taxes, then back into how many units of your product (after cost of goods and your other expenses) you would have to produce and sell. It's a scary number. 3. Don't have a Field of Dreams business (pour the candles and the customers will come). 4. You have to have either a product that is better and/or cheaper than your competitors or unique. You fill a nitch that no one else has found. Otherwise, you are going head to head with others just like you trying to make a buck. What I am talking about is a business plan. It does not have to be formal; it is just an exercise to get you to think about what you are doing.HTH, looks confusing to me. lol

Great post! Thank you so much! You confirmed my thoughts that my candles/melts will have to be better and/or cheaper or unique, that's what I want to do. I'm interested in whatever advice you feel it's appropriate to share, and you're right to withhold the types of info you described.