For whatever reason, you have found yourself here. It may be you need a side hustle for extra cash, or maybe you want to be your own boss. You might have remembered what products people sell at craft shows, like candles, soaps, or even bird houses and started down the proverbial rabbit hole. You asked yourself: "What can I make and sell that won't be that hard". And here you are. Let me filter through some of the craziness out there about starting a candle business, remove those barriers, and get you started.
You will need to decide if you want to make and sell candles, or just sell candles. If you decide to make the candles yourself, you will need to decide on plenty of different items, like:
- Type of Jars
- Type of wicks
- Type of wax
- Which fragrances
- Color or no color
- Types of lids
- What equipment to buy
- And which suppliers to get all of this from
And then you need to buy it all and start testing. This process can be very time consuming and expensive. Most people want to get started right away and this can take months to start to narrow down which products you will sell.
If you just want to jump right in, then the easiest method for entry to selling candles is to purchase from a wholesaler. Most of them have already done the hard work of testing. They also have a decent selection of jars, wicks and fragrances to choose from. And with companies that also provide free shipping, you know your exact cost of each candle before you even purchase it.
Another option is to get the candles with No Labels or Custom Labels. With no labels, the candles will arrive blank, allowing you to design your own labels and apply them yourself. If you go with Private Labels, then you can have the wholesaler work with you to design a label. They will then apply the labels for you. In that case, when the candles arrive, you can go straight from the box to the table or shelf and start selling. You can literally have your business up and running in a week with products to sell.
Marketing will be entirely up to you. There is Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok which are all free. You can start posting your products there from day one. I will not go into the specific marketing as it can vary by locations and exactly who your audience is. Just know that the marketing and advertising portion should be free to get started.
So, to summarize, the quickest method to start a candle business is to purchase from a wholesaler who can ship no label candles or private label candles. No real up front costs except for a finished product. No barriers, no confusion, no excuses. Find a wholesaler and get started with your candle business today.