If you're starting out or thinking about beginning your very own candle making business, here are the four most important things you'll need to do to make sure you are successful.
1. Test Everything
Candles need to be tested before entering the market. When testing your candle you are looking to first make sure they are safe, that the glassware you have will withstand the heat of the flame. You'll also test the hot and cold fragrance throw to make sure it smells beautiful. You also need to ensure you have the correct wick for your jar and that it is reaching it's full melt pool and how many hours your candle will burn for.
2. Get Insurance
Candles are a huge fire risk and are one of the top causes of house fires. This is because people leave them unattended, put them near flammable objects like books, tissues and curtains. If the candle you have made, makes a bigger fire than expected in your friends or customers house, their insurance company won't be easy on you. Therefore, you must have insurance if you are selling your candles to protect yourself and your business. There are many insurance providers out there that will cover you, do a bit of research to find the one that will suit you the most.
In conjunction with your insurance you need to have your warning labels attached to your candles. It is a legal obligation to have a warning label on every candle. We also recommend to include a candle care card so your customers know how to properly look after their candles.
3. Work out Pricing
You need to price your candles so that you have all your costs covered, plus the profit you are after from each candle. You need to consider the cost of the supplies, your packaging, labour, website or third-party (like Etsy) fees, marketing materials, shipping etc. You will then need to divide these costs up to your candle. You also should look at the prices other candle makers have their products at. To be competitive, you need to know the competition. Once you work out the ideal price for your candles, you should work out how many you need to sell to breakeven. This gives you an aim for making some profit.
4. Love the Craft
Starting your own candle business isn't easy and you need to be prepared to put the hours in to make the candles, advertise your business, find supplies, and research the best places to sell your candles. This, of course, is all worth it if you love making candles, love being experimental and trying new waxes, fragrances and methods. Candle making is one of our favourite hobbies and to succeed in a candle business, it should be one of yours too.
We wish you luck on taking the step into candle making. Remember, at Wickii, we have all the high quality candle supplies you need, at wholesale pricing. We ship Australia wide so the you can get your favourite candle supplies, wherever you are in the country.
Please remember this advice is general in nature and may not apply to your personal circumstances.
