#031. Ready to turn your candle hobby into a business that pays for itself and then some? We tackle the maker questions that matter most: when to formalize your business with an LLC, how to register for sales tax so you can buy supplies tax‑exempt, and what kind of insurance protects you once you start selling at markets, online, or in a storefront. We share the practical steps we used, the providers we tried, and the costs that actually make sense for a young brand.

From there, we get tactical with sourcing. You’ll hear our approach to labels and packaging—separating smart design from affordable printing—and how to find unique vessels without locking yourself into massive custom minimums. We talk timelines and freight tradeoffs, including when a split shipment by air and sea can prevent stockouts without destroying your margins. If you’re planning holiday inventory or a new launch, these details will save you time and cash.

We also map out a focused five-scent launch lineup that converts: a bright citrus bestseller, a masculine wood note for gifting and household consensus, a spa-inspired blend for daily burn, a recognizable mint-eucalyptus profile that reassures cautious buyers, and a versatile lavender that sells online because shoppers know the note. Then we go deep on confidence and pricing. You’ll learn how to choose your niche, study the shelves you want to be on, pick your retail first, and engineer costs to hit at least a 4x multiple—so wholesale, marketing, and growth stay within reach.

If you’ve wondered how to host profitable candle pouring parties, we share our playbook from mobile events to store-based workshops and explain why experiences can become a powerful revenue stream. By the end, you’ll have a clear path to structure your business, source smarter, pick scents that sell, and price with conviction. Enjoy the conversation, share it with a maker friend, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a quick review so we can answer your next question on air.

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#030 Are you stuck in the "testing phase" of your candle business? Do you feel like you can't launch until you have the perfect logo, a $5,000 website, and custom packaging?

In this episode, we’re busting the myth of the "Perfect Launch." I’m sharing the story of how Garnet Beacon Candle Co. launched with a choppy, blocky Canva logo and still grew to over $550k/year in retail sales. Perfectionism is just procrastination in disguise, and it’s killing your momentum.

We cover how to let the market become your teacher and the exact "Minimum Viable Launch" checklist you need to start making money.

In this video, we discuss:

Why your logo and branding don't matter as much as you think (at first).
The danger of "Follow loops" on social media.
How to launch with a small scent collection (and why 10 scents was a mistake!).
The 6 Essentials you MUST have before launching.

The 6 Launch Essentials Checklist:

Safety: Candle testing must be locked in.
Legality: Business registration & Sales Tax setup.
Protection: Business Insurance (it pays for itself!).
Sales Channel: A working website (Shopify recommended).
Trust: A basic social media presence.
Retention: An email capture system (Klaviyo or Shopify Inbox).

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#029 The clearest sign your candle business needs help isn’t a feeling, it’s a pattern: you’re saying no to great markets, customer emails are slipping, or sales have flatlined because you’re out of hours. We break down a practical path to hire with confidence, protect your quality, and regain capacity to grow without jumping straight to a full-time payroll commitment.

We start by separating working in your business from working on your business, then pinpoint the first tasks to delegate for quick wins: wicking, labeling, vessel prep, packing, and booth setup. From there, we walk through building part-time production support and training market staff who can tell your story, explain wax and fragrance choices, and sell with your standards. You’ll also get fulfillment shortcuts that boost customer satisfaction immediately—Pirate Ship labels at home, free USPS pickups, quick UPS drop-offs, and using local pack-and-ship stores to cut your errand time to minutes.

Looking beyond your neighborhood, we share how to leverage virtual assistants and creatives for customer service, social media assets, basic Shopify updates, and email scheduling. You’ll learn why solid SOPs and a clear brand guide are the secret to consistent results, how to test a $50 design batch before you commit, and which roles to keep in-house until you can replace them with equal or better skill, like wholesale outreach and partnerships. Throughout, we focus on ROI, time saved, and momentum gained—so you can buy back hours and reinvest them where growth actually happens.

Ready to stop turning down opportunities and start compounding wins? Hit follow, share this with a maker who needs it, and leave a review with the first task you plan to delegate. Your next stage of growth starts with one smart hire.

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We walk through the 15 real reasons candle businesses stall and how to fix them with clear actions. From niche and numbers to branding, email, and mindset, the aim is a repeatable plan that turns great candles into steady sales.

• defining a niche you belong to and customer research
• building systems for batching, production, budgeting, inventory
• tracking analytics to spot trends and pivot
• realistic effort in a saturated market
• collecting emails and using content pillars
• seeking education, mentorship, and SEO basics
• cohesive branding beyond a logo
• showing your face and story to build trust
• avoiding trend chasing with a core line
• switching from hobby effort to business habits
• launching before perfection and iterating
• diversifying channels beyond social posts
• testing markets and getting trusted feedback

If you've enjoyed this, I would love it if you would just subscribe.

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#027 We answer real maker questions on scaling a candle business with practical tactics: diversify sales channels, build a quality email list, test wicks with confidence, and choose the right places to sell. Clear steps, real numbers, and tools you can use today.

• diversifying beyond social into website, wholesale, private label, and fundraisers
• using email as the primary promotional tool with quality list building
• setting lucrative pop‑ups around 25% to convert site visitors
• wick testing with three‑candle method and half‑inch melt pool rule
• choosing markets over random fairs and when Etsy fits
• standing up Shopify early to build SEO and conversion
• realistic view of Facebook ads for break‑even acquisition
• free calculator for candle math and available courses
• wholesale playbook highlights and local PR flywheel

Come hang out in our free Facebook group and drop your questions. I’ll answer them on a future show.

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We map a clear path from retail maker to confident wholesaler with a six-part readiness framework, real pricing math, and a simple outreach system that lands reorders. The focus stays on consistent sourcing, fast fulfillment, and building fewer but better accounts.

• shifting from retail mindset to a wholesale model
• choosing stable jars, waxes and oils for consistency
• pricing cleanly for true 50 percent margins
• aligning packaging and branding to target stores
• using a credible website and linkable catalog
• shipping within one to two weeks reliably
• setting terms, minimums and refund policies
• simplifying ordering without losing margin
• three‑touch email outreach and monthly follow‑ups
• prioritizing reorders over store count growth

Learn more at Candle Business Pro.com/wholesale or come hang out with us inside the Inner Circle
Leave me a note in the comments below. I would love it if you enjoyed this to subscribe and maybe even share with others that you might think would enjoy it just as well

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#025.  Shoppers are sprinting for 50% off electronics, but your candles can still win the weekend with one bold, simple offer, fast shipping, and a clear story. We break down the exact Black Friday-to-Cyber Monday system we use to spark action, reduce friction, and turn first-time buyers into repeat customers through December.

We start with discount psychology and why 25% often blends into the noise while 30% creates a meaningful pause and 40% unlocks fence-sitters. From there, we design a single storewide offer and explain how automatic discounts and clean banners speed decisions. Prep is everything: lock your inventory and graphics by mid-November, test codes end-to-end, and structure email flows that welcome, thank, request reviews, and drive bounce-back purchases with expiring incentives.

Then we map a practical marketing cadence. Tease the sale without details, grant VIP early access on Wednesday, and schedule four emails across Black Friday to match shopper behavior. On social, repeat the core message with straightforward visuals and heavy use of Stories, knowing algorithms limit reach. Keep operations tight with simplified packaging and same or next-day shipping to build trust that fuels December reorders for last-minute gifts. As momentum shifts to Small Business Saturday and Sunday, reuse strong assets with new subject lines and keep your story front and center. When Cyber Monday hits, refresh the creative and switch the offer—think buy two get one free or a new percentage—to keep attention high as people shop from their desks.

We close with a December plan: a 12 days sequence that rotates incentives and ends before the USPS cutoff so delivery is guaranteed. The through-line is simplicity: one clear offer, consistent messaging, and speed. Subscribe, share this with a maker who needs a plan, and leave a review telling us the offer you’re running this year.

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#024. This is Part 2 with tips 6-10. To get tips 1-5, check out episode #010. 

We share tips six through ten for building a real candle business, not just making candles. We break down niche selection, email-first marketing, market feedback, legal musts, and why social followers don’t equal sales, then wrap with a bonus mindset shift.

• choosing a niche that creates superfans
• defining target customers and price anchors
• writing copy and designing packaging for one person
• collecting quality emails from day one
• using email for reliable revenue spikes
• running markets to read reactions and adjust
• keeping what works and pruning weak scents
• setting up EIN, business banking and insurance
• treating social as trust, not sales
• avoiding follow trains and bad audience data
• thinking like a business, not just an artist

If you could like, subscribe, leave us a review out on Apple or Spotify
Again, come hang out with us inside of our private Facebook group, completely free for anyone
And if you want to take your business to the next level, come and join us inside of the inner circle

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#023 We map out every sales channel that keeps our candle business profitable, from storefronts and Shopify to Amazon, wholesale, markets, parties, fundraisers, subscriptions, private label, email, and press. Along the way we share pricing rules, calendar timing, and systems that turn interest into daily sales.

• separating home and work to avoid burnout
• setting up Shopify with strong photos and pop-ups
• offering meaningful welcome discounts tied to margins
• building email flows for welcome, cart, post-purchase, re-engagement
• deciding between FBA and FBM on Amazon
• timing wholesale outreach with the buyer calendar
• using markets for scent testing and price confidence
• running mobile pouring parties with host-paid minimums
• designing fundraisers with partners who have an audience
• launching a simple monthly subscription for recurring revenue
• landing private label, weddings, and corporate gifts
• pitching local media to compound visibility

Download the free list of sales channels at candlebusinesspro.com/daily. You can also grab free resources at candlebusinesspro.com and use the Shopify link in the show notes for the best current deal.

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#022 We shift from making more to selling better and lay out a practical plan to build a timeless candle brand around a classic line. Trends fade, but focus, systems, and the right sales channels turn a small catalog into real growth.

• why a classic year‑round line beats seasonal hype
• letting customers decide your signature scent
• the real costs of adding more products
• supplier turnover risks on oils and vessels
• focus, repetition and recognition in marketing
• reusing content assets every 60–90 days
• three growth levers: customers, AOV, frequency
• sales channels: markets, wholesale, parties, fundraisers, subscriptions
• email automations that convert and re‑engage
• time blocking and simple systems that scale

Thank you so much for tuning in today. If you have found this episode helpful, I would love a like and/or subscribe to this podcast or if you're watching on YouTube. You can always get our free downloads at our website at candlebusinesspro.com. And we would love to see you inside of the inner circle if you want to become a member today.

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