Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What kind of supplies do you need to get started?

A: In general, when you’re starting up your at-home candle making business you’ll need to have good quality supplies. Though you’ll eventually amass all the tools, accessories, and stand-by’s you need—here’s a list of the following staples you’ll need to have to get you through:    

• Waxes: paraffin, beeswax, or soy
• Fragrances
• Colorants
• Molds
• Wicks
• Wick holders
• Books
• Dye additive
• Stearin 
• Thermometer (You will need one that has a temperature range of 100 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Pots and bowls
• Knives, stirrers, and ladles
• Scales
• Jars
• Plenty of shipping supplies (or at least a designated area in your home that you can dedicate as a shipping and receiving room)  

Q: How much money is needed to start up?

A: Much of your initial startup costs will depend on what you may already own. Any home business needs a good computer, high quality printer and separate phone line. If you already have these items, your start up costs will be considerably lower. The Actual candle making supplies are relatively cheap and can be purchased at discounts depending on where you shop.

Q: Can you really make enough money making and selling candles from home to cut out your regular job?

A:  The difference with a home candle-making business as opposed to a direct sale/party line candle making business/retailer is that you as the business owner also do all the labor. So in a sense, you’re like a one-man band; however, with a additional help from friends and family to help out with miscellaneous tasks and shipping (which is a big one) —you can easily make enough steady income to stay at home.

Q: How can you effectively market your home candle making business?

A: There are a number of ways to market your home candle-making business to get your business on the radar. The first step is to start out locally. You can advertise on bulletin boards, at schools, local markets, fairs, flea markets and on local web classifieds. Once you start generating positive feedback and a steady stream of local customers—you might want to start marketing to a broader audience.  List your business in the local and national website directories like business.com and Yahoo. After you’ve got a website that’s up to date and demonstrates your business’s strengths—you may want to write a press release and distribute it to PR Web. An effective press release with links to your business website can greatly amp your sales.

Q: What is the best type of candle to sell?

A: The best types of candles you can sell are simply the candles you can best make. If you’re unsure about whether your candles will sell, there are three things you can do to improve your selling ability:

1.      When you first start, simply just zero in on a few types of candles that you can make well and look good. Make sure you can make that type of candle on a fairly large scale in case you get the chance to start wholesaling them to gift stores.

2.      After you’ve got a few candles down to a science, you’ll want to hone in on making a candle that can become your trademark and publicize it as your exclusive candle line.

3.      If you want to expand your product line, the best step is so go talk with stores in your local area and find out what type of candles they could use at what price. Then, all you have to do is plan your candle production with that information in mind.

Q: How can you turn small ticket sales into large income?

A: One of the best ways to turn small ticket sales into large, steady income is by knowing the angles you should take when starting off. Generally, all your first sales will be small ticket; however, the more you keep over delivering with quality—the more your name is going to get known. Though you may start off with small ticket clients, word-of-mouth (which is the best kind of marketing you can get) always spreads. Many small-ticket buyers may turn into steady buyers, while simultaneously referring your candle-making business to big retailers who need the volume!

Q: Where can I find the best candle-making supplies?

A: There are literally thousands of places to buy candle supplies for your candle-making business. While you may find a few that you really like, the truth is that good supplies are only half of what will make your candles stand out. The main thing that will make your candles amazing is knowledge. Read and research others who have been successful at making their own candle-making business. Learn what they did right and what they did wrong. You can also learn  a great deal of information as well as age-old tips and tricks to making candles by reading books on the subject. Having the knowledge, firsthand, will undoubtedly help you choose the best ingredients to make a highly desirable candle.

Q: How can you be sure that your candle-making business will stick out from the rest?

A:  One way to make sure that your candle making business stands out from the plethora of competition on the web is by focusing on making a good quality product. Once you’ve built your website with pertinent information about your business and your candles, a good starting point is to list your business on Google and Yahoo maps. By doing this, you’ll come up in the search results on the side when someone in your local area does a search for candle businesses. Not to mention, the more content you have on the site that is authoritative, the easier it will be to rise above the competition and stand out from the ubiquitous candle-making websites over the web.

Q: What makes your candle better than ones people by at the retailer?