Candle Making, Entrepreneurialism and You

Many home-based candle makers find the transition from amateur candle maker to professional candle maker difficult. Pleasing friends and family with well made candles is a good start, but how does one turn a hobby into a candle making business?

Going into business can manifest itself in many ways. You can make a few candles and sell them at a flea market or to friends and neighbors. You can do fundraisers with local schools/sport teams/dance schools, etc. which are very popular and lucrative means of growing a business, or you can become a manufacturer and sell candles on-line, through retail shops, as a wholesale supplier, or through rep firms. Many people start small and almost stumble into a business by following one or more of these paths.

If you wish to expand your hobby into a business, you really need to think the process through and decide how big and how many headaches you want to tackle. Do you want to do this yourself or hire employees? Are you going to work from your home or set up shop in a rented or purchased facility? Will you make small batches, similar to what you probably do now, or invest in large production melters, filling and labeling equipment? Many things to think about! The cool part is that whatever your future plans may entail, the process of producing a quality candle is basically the same. The challenge comes in being able to control quality and production, with yourself or others, as you increase the volume of candles so that you can assure your customers that they will get the same fragrance and color in your candle each and every time. If you can master this, it will be your greatest selling point and eliminate your largest headache and time waster that may otherwise keep you from running a successful business.

The Candlemaker’s Store services all levels of candle makers from the occasional hobbiest to mid-sized and large candle manufacturers with an extensive offering of candle making supplies and volume price points to allow you to select the appropriate quantity price point to maximize your buying opportunity to reduce and control costs in these difficult economic times.

The best advice to amateur candle makers considering turning pro is to first come up with a plan of attack. Like any business endeavor, starting your own candle making business takes considerable thought and preparation.