Hi, we’re Katie and Eric Roering; the founders of Fontana Candle Co. In 4 years we took our hobby of making candles in our basement, and selling them at craft shows and makers markets and we turned Fontana into a nationally recognized eCommerce brand. This year we are doing 7 figures of revenue and have 12 employees. So how did we do it?

Welcome to The Candle Couple Podcast, where we will share the nitty gritty of scaling our e-commerce brand quickly. We are spilling the tea, so hopefully we can help you scale your brand quickly too.

Today we are sharing how our wholesale business has changed as our business has grown, how to protect yourself with large wholesale orders, and what it is really like to talk with big wholesale buyers. We're talking the BIG ONES. You will learn why we said no to Anthropologie, Whole Foods, and Thrive Market. And how saying no to one of these is one of Katie's biggest regrets in the business to date.

Welcome to Episode 15: Selling Your Candles Wholesale: The Journey through Consignment, Faire, and why we said no to Anthropologie

Timestamps:

00:59 Sales reps for ourselves

1:30 Wholesale pricing

2:12 Drives volume

2:40 Loss of control

3:00 Networking through Makers Markets

4:00 Consignment

4:50 Risks of consignment

5:40 Benefits of Consignment

7:40 Paying rent for a retail space

9:20 Don't shotgun every opportunity

10:00 Stock for the season

10:18 Our biggest order ever

11:00 Logistics for palletized orders: INCO TERMS

14:40 Scaling Wholesale: Faire

16:40 When we turned off new wholesale accounts

17:00 Wholesale packouts for shipping

17:50 Large retailers: we said no

Resources:

How to Price Your Candles for a Profitable Candle Business: https://youtu.be/Ap6vodBP3dE

Apply to sell on Faire: https://www.faire.com/apply/fontanacandleco

Disclaimer: Everything shared in our videos is from our own personal experience, and is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Always seek legal guidance from a business attorney and certified public accountant. Everyone is responsible for their own business structure and business practices, and we will not be held accountable.

Since we love the companies we talk about so much, we may have an affiliate relationship with them. If you make a purchase through the above links, we may earn a small affiliate commission. There is no additional cost to you.