Amy Pigott Candle-making has become a popular hobby in the last few years, with many people selling their wares to others for profit, either in real life or online. If you want to join their ranks and create a sustainable business out of candle making, check out our suggestions below.
Practice making candles
Before you do anything else, you must get good at the practical art of candle making. After all, you don’t want to sell candles to others if you can offer a consistent and high-quality product, as this will lead to many unhappy and unsatisfied customers.
During this practice stage, you can also experiment with different types of candles including ones made from vegan ingredients, scented candles and carved candles. Although, before you choose which type to focus on it’s a good idea to do some customer research.
Estimate your startup costs
Once you have mastered the art of creating candles you’ll need to consider how much making them to sell will cost. This estimate is crucial because it is the figure you will use in the calculation of your prices. Remember that your prices should be at least cost to produce (which includes, materials, labour and overheads) X2.
During this stage, you’ll also carefully break down all the materials you’ll need to make and package your candles. For some businesses, this means investigating not only the costs of the raw materials that go into making the candles but also the glass jars they will be made in and the labels you will use. Where possible be sure to look for a provider like this labels printing service that offers specialty heat-resistant options. The reason is that these are ideal for products like candles that will be hot while in use, and come in a range of shapes and designs too.
Make your business official
In addition to sorting the practical side of your business, you will need to adhere to regulations and make your enterprise official. Indeed, if you make more than £1000 you will need to register with the HMRC for tax purposes. You may also wish to set your business up as a limited company by registering with Companies House, which can help you better separate your personal and business finances.
Create your online store
While there are some opportunities to sell candles to customers in real life such as pop-up shops, and craft fairs, you’ll also need an online presence. The good news is that it’s never been easier to set up an effective and great-looking website as there are a wide range of providers that offer templates with drag-and-drop functionalities.
Your online store will also act as the foundation of your branding and marketing strategies. This means it needs to represent your brand visually and in a written tone. It also needs to be SEO optimised which will ensure that customers looking for the types of candles you make can easily find you in the organic search engine results. Although many businesses also use paid advertising methods such as PPC to help drive traffic to their stores.
