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An effective small business idea is one that takes advantage of skills or expertise that you have and makes it marketable. You might already be able to make fantastic candles at home and have enjoyed doing so as a hobby for some time now. However, it takes more than a great-smelling candle to make a successful product. Otherwise, we would be buried in homemade candle businesses. Here, we’re going to look at some ways how to pour that wax into the mould of a good business.
Make a repertoire of scents
Of course, if you have been making candles for any period of time, then you likely don’t need anyone to tell you how to make your own scents. Indeed, your business is going to depend on whether you’re able to deliver scents that people want to have in their own homes. However, when developing a line of scandals, you need to think about your target market and which fragrances are going to best suit their tastes. You should think about the entire range, making sure that you’re able to hit different “sweet spots.” Coming up with creative names for each fragrance is important, too.
Think about the physical properties of the candle
The candle is more than just the scent, of course. It’s the whole physical product. There are a few different things that you need to think of. For instance, you need to consider what type of candle wax you’re going to use as the foundation for your candles, whether you go for the nature soy wax, or the more mass-marketable paraffin wax, or even a blend of the two. Think about the size and shape of candles you want to sell, as well. You want people to get good value for money but you also want to make sure that your candles are easy to transport and sell without taking on huge costs. Do your research into which candles sell best and what their physical attributes are.
Invest in the right packaging
In most cases, you’re not just selling a lump of wax with a wick when you sell a candle. You’re going to sell its packaging, too. This might include a build-in candle holder to make the product more accessible for your audience. When investing in candle packaging, you should think about whether you’re just selling a box to ship and sell it in, a container, be it of glass or other materials, a lid for that container, and the decorative elements such as ribbons, paper, or other things that will wrap the package that your candles come in. Presentation and practicality are just as important as each other when it comes to candles.
Develop the right look for your candles
Aside from the scent, the physical candle itself and the container that it comes in, the last attribute of the physical product that you need to invest in is the branding. There are different ways to brand your candle, but candle making stickers are some of the easiest and most cost-effective. You need to think about the brand image that you want to have on all of your candles, and you also need to think about what designs will fit individual scents. For instance, there will be different colours that might be more easily associated with one scent than another, such as deep reds for cherries, light blue for fresher, more airy scents, and purple for lavender.
Consider the brand for your candles
It’s not all about the physical product itself, of course. It’s also about what people associate with those physical products. This is your brand, and it’s going to determine the kind of reputation and image that your business grows. Think about what your candles represent, whether you want to focus on their handmade nature, the luxury they represent in the home, the connection they provide to the natural world or whatever else their scents are connected to, or otherwise. Come up with a great logo design for your business and make sure that it’s able to fit on your candles just as easily as your website, social media, and wherever else it might be. Once you come up with your brand story and theme, sticking to it becomes vitally important.
Get invested in marketing
Once you have the best products and best branding, you need to make sure that you work to get your candles out there. Your marketing methods are likely to be much the same as for any business: taking advantage of social media, content marketing, search engine optimization, and PR opportunities, for instance. However, candles are a lifestyle product, meaning that they’re going to work best when people come into contact with them in real life. Find opportunities to get your candles out there, be they at pop-up store appearances, craft fairs, local business trade shows, or otherwise. You need to invest in selling the brand, not just the products, so make sure that you take what opportunities you can to get out there.
Present yourself as an entrepreneur
Investing marketing into the candle business itself is important, of course. However, when it comes to creative and lifestyle businesses, personality is important, as well. Not only do people like to get to know the creative mind behind the products that they enjoy, but you can also take advantage of the meetings that you get to help drive sales for your business. Printing out some business cards isn’t going to cost a lot, but it can encourage people to check out your business without you having to deliver the whole pitch to them right there and then. It will also help to build a little brand recognition around you.
One of the good things about making candles is that it’s relatively easy to scale, so you could start it as a side-hustle at the start, building the capital with your first few sales to later help you establish it more as a business. Hopefully, the tips give you some ideas on how to get there.
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