A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO START YOUR OWN CANDLE BUSINESS
Turning your hobby into a business can be a great side hustle but you can also expand it and work full time to do what you actually love. We can call candle making a profitable hobby because you have so many chances to win at this if you make a proper candles business plan and keep growing. How to make that plan, you may ask? This is the ultimate guide you need to understand all the aspects of starting a candle business and how you can do that.
Why is Starting a Candle Business a Good Idea?
There are a lot of reasons why you should start your own candle business but here are a few you would definitely consider.
You get to be your own boss with your candle business
Yes, you don't have to wake up at a time others decide, you don’t have to face the mood swings of your boss because now you get to be in charge. Starting a candle business from home can be a great opportunity for those who are tired of the nine-to-five system and want to change for the better.
Easy to start
From low startup investment to the easy process of production, a candle making business checks all the boxes an entrepreneur would look for. Not much equipment is required and all the material is easily available at fair prices in the market.
A thriving market for a candle business
The expected growth of the candle business is £10.26 billion by 2028. As self-care is a lot more popular after the pandemic, you can definitely benefit from this situation and start your scented candle business. All you need is a unique product that outshines those on the candle market, or lower pricing than your competitors and gets on top of the game.
You will need a candles business plan
Your business will be as good as your candles business plan so make sure to invest your time, do your research and make the eCommerce business plan that works perfectly for you.
Do your research to identify market gaps
In the candle business market, people are giving their best and exceeding the expectations of buyers especially because it’s a trend now and everyone wants to enjoy the aroma of candles. However, there are some gaps in the market that your product can fill and you will have to identify those. It will require detailed research; you can compare what your locals are offering to that of international candle businesses to be a step ahead of your competitors and offer some unique blends. Trying new aromas can be a good idea, vegan candles are also trending so you can research that.
Tips to Find Market Gaps
Here is a detailed account of how you can be better than your competitors by identifying gaps in the market.
1. Analyse the 1-star and 2-star ratings of other stores
Such reviews are left by the disappointed shoppers of different candle businesses and you must know what the market is lacking so that you can offer it. You must make sure that you are not making the same mistakes as your competitors. Here are a few reviews to give you an example.
2. Check the pricing strategy of your competitors
You will have to check the price range for each type of product with the competitors and you will have to keep this factor in mind while pricing your candle business. You can either offer the same range or reduce the prices for a better impact. Here is how The Botanical Candle Co. has priced its products.
3. Study the successful candle businesses and try to incorporate their strategy into your business
You will have to find the candle businesses that are flourishing in this market and try to find their business strategy. You can apply their techniques to your business and hopefully, they will show better results for you too. You can use Yankee candles as your case study here.
4. Hire a freelance market researcher
If you are on a low budget and cannot hire a full-time employee, you can always get help from freelance market researchers from Fiverr and UpWork. This person would have specialised in marketing research and will help you analyse the market much better and find the gaps that you can fill in with your product.
Define your budget and analyse target price
You must know how much you are going to invest in your candles startup and then decide the scale of your business. Estimate your production cost including all the resources that go into the making of your candles. Then you can analyse your target price that will add up the input cost, shipping charges, and profit margin. You can check the price ranges of different companies and offer a competitive price that matches your candles business plan and budget.
Tips to Create a Budget for your Online Candles Store
Here are a few ways you can decide your budget for the online candle business.
1. Pin down your expenses
Predetermine the expenses before you start the business and keep a certain amount for all the expenses. For example, if you fail to pay for the hosting, your website will no longer stay online and it might be suspended.
2. Predict the revenue of your candle business
Estimate the expected income for the upcoming months and for that you can use different tools such as Futlri. It is software that will help you forecast and report the finances of your business.
3. Track the net profit margin for your candle business
Just making money doesn’t mean it’s profit because you might just be getting the investment back. To measure your success, you will have to calculate the net profit margin. This is also important to avoid running your business at a loss.
Define a Set of Products for your Candle Business
You don’t have to choose just one type of product, in fact you can offer something for everyone and categorise your products in high end category, mid category and low category depending upon their quality, pricing and size. This will make sure that every visitor to your website gets something to choose from and increase sales.
Here is a case study of Yankee Candles that would help you understand what type of products you can work with.
Here are some of the candles you can work with.
Evergreen Candles
- Soy candles
- Scented candles
- Aroma therapy candles
Trendy Candles
- Decorative candles
- Funky shaped candles
Work out your online candle store
You will need a perfect online eCommerce store to offer your fragrant creations. This store will be your full-time employee to sell candles online so make sure it's flawless, matches your theme and works perfectly fine.How to find the best online candle solution?
Here are a few features of the online solution providers that can be a good choice for you.• The companies that offer reasonably-priced packages with detailed features are the best choice.
• It offers complete security for the candle business solution.
• You get competitive features in the package.
• The online candle website must be mobile friendly and also work fine on other devices.
• If your candle business offers easy checkout process, the convenience will attract more users so you must look for this feature.
• A website that allows you to display reviews and testimonials is always a feasible option.
For a bespoke, on-point, and outstanding website, you can get help from WowCommerce for candles eCommerce solutions. The team will understand all your demands and bring your imagination to life in the best way possible.
Sell offline
There is no doubt that online sales are hiking up and it’s the best way to sell but the traditional retailers and merchants still hold their place so try to contact them to sell your products as well. This way you can increase the exposure of your candle brand and hopefully more people will know about it. Make sure that you place your details including website and social media on the packaging of product to direct those customers to the site.Check legal requirements for a candle business
You will have to choose a business entity to register your candle business. Also make sure to get insurance for your business to stay safe. The government of the UK has provided a detailed document to set up a business with all the information you need to know.Check the General Product Safety Requirements to keep up with the laws and make sure your consumers are safe. You are good to go for your business after to complete all the requirements to sell candles.
Get supplies for candle business from a reliable vendor
For your candles supplies, look for different options and choose a vendor who is the most reliable and reasonable. For a startup, save as much as you can so you know your choices and select the most suitable one. You can choose wholesale candle sellers in the UK to get readymade candles or contact a supplier by searching for "Candle supplies near me” on Google. 
Build your brand
Parallel to developing the right product and choosing your target audience is building your candle brand. The brand image will tie all your efforts together and give life to your candles business plan. This will be the face of your brand and what you offer so you must put the effort into it. Play with colours here, learn what’s popular and offer what people would actually appreciate. Use fun fonts and interesting designs to appeal to your potential customers.Start with the right name for your candle business
Your name will define your brand and most likely it will stay so take your time and choose the best name that defines your theme and goes perfectly with your branding. There are free business name idea generators that you can get help from and get new ideas.
Develop a touching brand story
Your brand story will sell your crafts online and give life to your candle brand. You will not be running just a profit-oriented business but there will be more of an emotional idea behind it. You can check out other brands sharing their stories to give a personal touch to your candle brand. Here we can see how Cairn Candles has shared their story.
Define the aesthetic and visuals of your candle business
Choose your aesthetic and stick with it throughout the design. From logo to website visuals and design, this theme will stay with you so make sure you find the right one. You can use Canva to design your labels because startups must go for free resources wherever they can to ensure high profits. You can play around and design your logo, packaging and branding from this source. Here are some free and some paid designs that you can use by searching for “Candle”.
Offer some unique blends
Being special and unique is the only thing that can help you beat your competitors so offer something that no one else is offering. Experiment with some unique blends, colors and designs that will attract more customers and when someone buys your product, it makes sure that they will buy again. Aim at developing customer loyalty from the very beginning with your unique taste.
Market your candle business
You need to find the best way to sell candles because all the planning, production and designing can go in vain if your marketing is not good enough to sell your product. Here are a few ways of candles marketing to achieve the goals faster.
Social media
Social media is the best marketing platform in this era because your target audience is there, looking for the best candles and your ad must make its way to them. All the new offers, newly launched products and interesting content must go on social media to engage and attract buyers and sell candles online when you promote your candle business online. Here we have a post from the Facebook page of Yankee Candles as an example of Mother’s Day promotion.
The right product photography
We can’t emphasise it enough, your product photography defines the quality of your product and this is where you must not shrink your investment. Aesthetic backgrounds and beautiful pictures with the right theme have an unmatched effect on your impression. Here are some aesthetic photography ideas that you can work with, use different props, play around with lighting and backgrounds and create something special.
Develop an email list for your candle business
The email list that will be the first recipients of your new offer is your most targeted audience. They are most likely to purchase from you so make sure to collect the emails of each buyer and send them the new offers. You can also send them some personalised discounts to promote brand loyalty. Some online candle business solutions offer this feature to develop an email list. If not, you can use tools like MailChimp for your candle business.
Hype up the little jars with compelling content
Your candle jars need some hype because of all the effort you have put into creating them. You can write blogs and other content that will not just promote your brand but also attract more traffic to your website with respect to SEO.
Create opportunities to sell
Gift packs, deals and discounted offers are some of the ways you can sell more than you normally do. A person would most likely buy a deal with more products for a discount instead of getting one product at the regular price. Upselling this way will prove to be the best way but make sure to market these on your social media.
Offer sales at special events
Who doesn’t love a heartwarming Christmas gift from their loved ones? Your candle company has all the potential to sell this Christmas but to overcome the threshold, you can offer a discount or make gift sets for your customers to make their holidays warm and fragrant. Have a look at Root Candles offering a huge sale and promoting it.
Stay trendy
The idea of scented candles itself is a trend and in order to stay in the market, you must follow all the upcoming trends. Offer some cool decorative candles that are most likely to sell and people are talking about them. You can easily follow Twitter trends to find out what’s popular at the moment. There are other tools like Google Trends and Buzz Sumo.
It All Starts With the Right Craft – Learn Candle Making Art
When you have developed the set of products you will be offering, the next step is to make them at home. At least you would have to make the candles at home until your business grows enough to afford a production site. This is how to make candles to sell for your small business.
The types of candles range from scented candles, soy candles, decorative candles, vegan candles and many more. You can choose any one of these types and be creative with the designs and scents to attract more customers. Or you can offer more than one type of product for a diverse range so that you cater to the preferences of all of your website visitors.
Gather all the material
Here is a list of candle supplies you will need before you get to the next step.
- Candles wax
- Candle wicks
- Essential oils
- Candle jars
- Double boiler
- Thermometer
- Spatula
- Superglue
- Sticks or pens
Melt the candle wax and prepare your jars
Use the double boiler to melt the wax that you are using for candle making. You will need some kind of spatula to stir it around to break down any chunks. To prepare the jars, you will have to superglue the wicks at the bottom of the jar and hold them in place by using any stick or pen.
Do some testing to find the best blends
When you melt the wax, you can add essential oils in different ratios to get the preferable scent. This is where you can mix and match and make sure that you note down the proportions to use these formulas later. This is the testing stage so be creative and doesn’t restrict yourself and customise your candles. Not just for scents, you can use different dyes to make the color of your choice and give a hint of specialty to your creation.
Create a batch for each blend
When you are happy with a blend, you will be making batches for it so at the end, you will have to make complete batches for each blend.
Clean up the jars
The next step would be pouring so prepare the jars before that. You can use mason jars and you will have to clean them up. Wash them first and let them dry so that there aren’t any residues in the jar when you pour your candle.
Start pouring and wait for the drying
So here is the satisfying step where you get to pour all that melted wax into different containers. Place the jars on a stable surface when pouring and make sure you don’t spill. Place them for drying on a leveled surface so that they dry off evenly.
Finish off the jars
When the candles are dried and ready to go, you will cut the candle wick from the top of the jar leaving a small strand to burn. Close the lids and put your label on the jar to keep the brand name on the show. Make sure all your information is mentioned on the label along with an attractive logo and design.
Final Word
When someone wants to sell crafts online, candles are the most easy and practical choice for a small business. There are many candles business ideas that you can go for but first make a solid business plan and budget for reference. Be creative and offer a product that surpasses the market expectations but make sure to keep up with the marketing of your candle business so that your efforts to design a perfect product don’t go in vain. Once you learn how to make candles from home, you are a step ahead to having your own business. Make sure to run the candle business on the right platform and get the best eCommerce solution.
About the Author: Rupert Richard
With a seasoned pen and deep insights into the e-commerce realm, Rupert Richard seamlessly translates industry nuances into compelling content. Specialising in e-commerce strategies, he guides businesses toward success with a wealth of knowledge in online retail, technology, and market trends. Interested in seeing value-adding content about e-commerce? Click here to check the profound Twitter presence, where he regularly shares informative content.