Welcome to The Candle Couple Podcast, where we spill the tea on how we scaled our e-commerce brand, Fontana Candle Co., from a basement hobby to a nationally recognized seven figure business. As founders Katie and Eric Roering, we understand the struggles of growing a brand and we're here to share our experience and tips to help you do it too.

We've gone from selling candles at craft shows and maker markets to running a successful online business with 11+ employees.

This is Season 2, Episode 2: Progress Over Perfection - Launching Your Business with a Minimum Viable Product

Are you waiting to launch your business until your products are perfect? Perfection isn't possible (and is truly in the eye of the beholder) and you may just be stifling yourself from trying anything new. We believe in launching with A minimum viable product (MVP). This is a version of a product with just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development.

This strategy aims to avoid building products that customers do not want and seeks to maximize information about the customer with the least money spent. This helps us to determine that our formulas are good, without spending too much on expensive custom packaging until we were sure that we were ready. It also helps us to see what will go wrong in manufacturing and fulfillment at scale. You can't test out or anticipate all the things that will go wrong without launching.

By incrementally focusing on each stair in front of us, instead of the whole staircase, allowed us to make progress and eventually we had a candle brand that looked good, smelled good, and sold well. IF we would have expected to be perfect right away, we would have given up pretty quickly.

We've also learned to block out the unhelpful criticism, and hone in on the feedback that we can use to actually improve our products and our company. Is there a pattern to the feedback you are getting or is it one off?

There is actually a joy in the journey of learning and growing.

So if you're ready to learn how to grow your own seven figure candle business (or any business for that matter), hit that play button now! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment below with your biggest takeaway from this episode. Let's light up those sales together!

Timestamps:

0:44 Striving for perfection will stop you from launching

1:25 What is perfection? It is a personal preference

1:55 Minimum Viable Product for feedback

3:40 Testing manufacturing and fulfillment at scale

4:10 Don't go too big too fast

5:00 Our Product Development Team for honest feedback

6:04 MVP for a candle: safe and quality burn

6:40 Pumps/Sprays and other packaging needs to work

8:00 Evaluating feedback for repeated patterns

9:28 Continuous Improvement

11:37 Skip the process? Use a professional co-man

13:13 The joy in the journey of creation

14:25 This podcast is a MVP

15:50 Makers Markets as a market test group

16:30 Customer surveys via email are invaluable

Disclaimer:

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.

Welcome to The Candle Couple Podcast, where we spill the tea on how we scaled our e-commerce brand, Fontana Candle Co., from a basement hobby to a nationally recognized seven figure business in just 4 years. As founders Katie and Eric Roering, we understand the struggles of growing a brand and we're here to share our experience and tips to help you do it too.

We've gone from selling candles at craft shows and maker markets to running a successful online business with 11+ employees supporting not only our family but also 12 others. In this episode, we dive into the nitty gritty of our journey and discuss the importance of focusing on what truly matters in order to scale quickly. Trust us, we've learned this lesson firsthand.

Join us as we reflect on the most challenging year yet for our business and share how we pushed through it all. So if you're ready to learn how to grow your own seven figure candle business (or any business for that matter), hit that play button now! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment below with your biggest takeaway from this episode. Let's light up those sales together!

Timestamps:

1:06 Our business needed us more than we need this podcast

2:40 We moved to a 6500 sq ft facility, doubling our size

4:40 Cash flow got really tight in Q3. Growth consumes cash

8:30 We invested heavily this year and took big risks

9:50 Pros/Cons of using a Co-manufacturer

11:20 The year of custom packaging

12:40 Barriers to entry are low, but now we see how funding truly helps scaling

15:00 You're never off. Losing knowledgeable employees

16:50 Managing a 7 figure candle business: experience matters now

19:50 Should we spend time doing this podcast?!

20:40 Broaden your circle for new ideas and ask for help!

23:00 Data driven decisions

27:00 Focus on quality and building processes

30:00 Goals for 2024

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.

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 14 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.

Its the end of June, and our facility is smelling like Fall and Christmas. So why are we starting production for "candle season" so early? We discuss how our peak season is getting earlier and earlier for us, and how with forecasting we know we can't pour everything we need to in October, November, and December. Instead of losing out on sales at our busiest time of year with out of stock scenarios, we are using our cash and excess capacity now- during our slow season.

Welcome to Episode 26: Should You Get Ready for Candle Season in June and July?! We are!

Timestamps:

00:40 Our peak is getting earlier

1:14 Wholesale is several months ahead

2:25 Pouring Christmas in June: our forecasting

3:27 Mitigating burnout for our team

4:40 This is cash intensive

5:00 Room for storage

5:50 Know your numbers

6:30 Opportunity cost of selling out during high volume seasons

6:50 Were moving in August

7:45 Launching new scents

9:10 Hiring temp staff?

9:50 Protecting our team and company culture

11:19 Opportunities for overtime

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.

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.

We avoided selling on Amazon for 5 years and we're talking about why it took us so long to get over our fears and join the platform. We discuss why we finally made the decision to sell on Amazon, working with an Amazon agency, and we talk about how it's going so far. Katie and Eric have different takes on how it's going. If you've been thinking about selling your candles on Amazon, this episode is for you.

Welcome to Episode 25: Arguing Over Amazon: Should You Sell Your Candles on Amazon?

Timestamps:

00:58 Avoided Amazon for 5 years

1:18 Fear of high return rates

2:00 The convenience factor

2:27 Satisfy the customer

3:30 Our decision to sell on Amazon

4:50 Using an Amazon Agency

6:03 FBA vs FBM: following the chocolate schedule

7:20 Speed of shipping

9:18 Trialing Amazon? The argument

10:24 Eric's take: Amazon is painful

11:02 Our Margin & running ads

13:27 This is an omnichannel world

14:38 We need volume

15:24 Our return rate

17:00 Let's reevaluate

19:40 Reviews are everything

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.

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.

Launching new candles is a big part of running a successful candle business. What is the best way to manage these launches?

We really streamlined this process in the last year, which now allows us to crank our new scents and products much faster than ever before, using collaboration from our entire team. We attribute having a process and a procedure which allows us to launch new scents several times a month to our engaged and enthusiastic community of customers. This has attributed to our 2x revenue growth YTD 2023, even as the economy is in turmoil.

Welcome to Episode 24: The Steps to a Successful New Candle Launch

Timestamps:

00:40 From struggling to streamlining the process

1:30 Use Tech to help you

2:00 How do we know when and what to launch?

3:20 Our scent development is complex

4:40 Scent Testing

5:50 Variability in formulation timelines

6:40 Caution when mixing fragrances

7:30 Candle Burn Testing/Wick Testing

9:05 The step you can't skip!

9:50 Building the Bill of Materials (BOM)

10:15 Determining the prices

10:50 Buying raw materials for production

11:05 Marketing: label design, barcodes, product copy

11:40 Start teasing the product

11:50 Label printing & photography

12:20 Professional contractors a key to our success

13:20 Identify a launch date

14:00 You want your customers anticipating the launch

14:20 Klaviyo waiting list

15:15 Using footage from production on Social

15:20 Our launch timelines

Resources:

The Software We Use:    • The Software We U...  

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.

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.

We just got back from our first vacation in almost 3 years, and were talking about why it took us so long to go away, and how we're feeling about returning. We also discuss burn out, and our goals for the remainder of 2023.

Welcome to Episode 23: Real Life: Our First Vacation in 3 Years, and our Business Goals for the Remainder of 2023

Timestamps:

00:42 Still in vacation mode

1:30 Never fully disconnected

2:20 Why we didn't go on vacation for so long

4:46 How has the business affected Eric's family life?

7:40 Course correcting

8:02 Were you burned out?

11:20 Eric's business goals

14:04 Katie's business goals

Resources:

Visit Gatlinburg, TN: https://www.gatlinburg.com/

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.

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.

Everyone has an opinion, and every follower and customer has a voice now with many avenues to express them on. Social media has erased so many barriers for customers to share their thoughts and feelings with companies. This can be such a positive thing for companies to listen to - you can spot problems and mitigate product and service complaints. However, this can be completely overwhelming and not every piece of feedback has merit, because your customers do not know the inner workings of your business, or even bother to read your business polices.

We discuss the issues we receive negative comments for the most, and how we try to respond to mitigate the issue.

Welcome to Episode 22: Responding to Negative Customer Feedback

Timestamps:

00:50 Katie' struggles with this this most

1:50 Customers are closer than ever to companies

2:30 You hear negative feedback far more than positive feedback

3:30 Managing customer expectations

3:51 Personal opinion vs. a mistake

4:20 Apologizing for mistakes

5:10 Policies: guaranteeing defects

5:50 Policies: dislike of scent

6:20 Scaling customer service for consistency

7:40 Peak times for negative customer feedback

8:30 Policies: Products not arriving in time

10:45 Negative comments on social

11:58 Thank customers for their feedback

12:12 Identify problem SKUs from patterns in feedback

12:58 No knee jerk reactions

13:22 Managing unrealistic expectations

14:58 Customers that don't reach out to customer service for a resolution

16:49 The internet is always on

17:00 Any 3rd party companies that can help with your problem areas?

Resources:

The Software We Use: https://youtu.be/U1YjZazTJKo

Scaling Customer Service: https://youtu.be/gHCb2y9wC00

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.

Welcome to The Candle Couple Podcast, I'm Katie Roering... Eric looks a little different today...He is sitting this episode out because we have a special guest on our podcast today.

If you've never gone viral before on social, the allure is there. You think this may be your one big break for your business to really make it.

And it really could be.

But is going viral once the answer to growing a sustainable business?

Today we talk to a master of organic social content, Cameron Broadhurst.

Cam has gone viral on TikTok more times than he can probably remember, for the cookie company Taylor Chip, where he is the Creative Director.

We have a special relationship with Cam, as he also works on our social team, as one of our independent contractors. He is trying to create our own magic formula to keep our candle company going viral too.

Timestamps:

00:49 Cam's background: self taught social media

4:00 Collaborative Content: CEO swap

5:27 Storytelling to grab attention: Cam's viral videos

7:20 Donald the Mailman

8:45 The first video to hit a million views: Jim

10:17 Best performing video

11:00 The barrier to entry to TikTok success is now really high

11:30 Cam's idea for our TikTok

13:49 Our biggest videos

15:00 Responding to comments on Tiktok

15:40 How did the viral videos effect the business?

17:30 Driving conversions from the video views

20:11 Going viral is a good foundation

21:20 Constantly driving traffic: 48-72 hour window

22:45 Cam's favorite platform

Resources:

Taylor Chip Cookies: https://taylorchip.com/?sscid=51k7_him6l&

CEO Swap Video: https://youtu.be/lEXg-6AFjJQ

Taylor Chip TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorchip

Cam's most viewed video: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorchip/video/7097018511436074286?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7227793734669551147

Donald the Postman video: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorchip/video/7093994243168963882?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7227793734669551147

The Original Jim video: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorchip/video/6984927473397959942?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7227793734669551147

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.

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.

This is Episode 20: How to Market Your Candle Business Using Influencer & Affiliate Marketing

An influencer program can be a strategic channel for growth, if done right. Today we're discussing how our Affiliate Program started very organically with product seeding, and has grown into a full time program with over 100 active affiliates. We get candid with our frustrations with the program, our wins, and how we are continuing to learn what works best for our company!

00:41 Whats the difference between Affiliates and Influencers?

1:30 A strategic channel for growth

2:00 Product Seeding

3:53 Budget your gifting

5:00 Every candle matters. Or does it?

6:25 You need lots of eyes on your business

7:05 Finding influencers in your niche is key

8:50 Outreach in the beginning

10:10 Our first big campaign: a turning point

11:40 Loyalty?

12:40 Current Market Rates

13:20 Over saturation of the market?

15:12 Take control of the deliverables

15:40 Top of funnel vs. bottom of the funnel

17:20 Time consuming program

18:38 Our KPIs

20:56 We're still learning

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.

This is Episode 19:The Biggest Challenges Running A (Million Dollar) Candle Business. Spoiler alert: our challenges are no longer about crafting the perfect candle anymore.

Timestamps:

00:25 The challenges continue to grow and change

1:20 Failure is not an option: 12 people depend on us

3:00 Employee challenges

3:30 Hiring and firing

5:00 Know your weaknesses

6:49 Processes and standards for multiple candlemakers

7:40 Growth consumes cash

9:00 Seasonal Business

13:00 We operate off 2 budgets

14:00 Tax Implications

16:00 Sales Tax

18:25 We are no longer makers and artisans

20:25 You can't do it all

20:45 Work life imbalance

23:00 Embrace the suck

24:18 The love affair of entrepreneurship

25:00 Starting with more money?

25:35 Looking back at the last year

Resources:

Quitting Our Jobs and Going All In On Our Candle Business: https://youtu.be/FFw95o81M1k

How to Weather Seasonality in Your Candle Business: https://youtu.be/wRpSR_slmLo

What Is It Really Like to Run a Candle Business with Your Spouse: https://youtu.be/QSga_Ieh48o

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.