E-Guide: A Guide to creating a Sustainable Candle Brand

This e-guide is designed to be a comprehensive resource for aspiring entrepreneurs who are interested in starting a sustainable candle business. Having built a small candle business from scratch in the last 5 years, getting to a six figure turnover and with a 25 year career in marketing and PR I wanted to share my journey to help you avoid the mistakes I made, and help you achieve your dream faster.

Whether you’re a novice or have some experience, this guide will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to create a successful and eco-friendly candle business from scratch.

The guide has 10 chapters covering the below topics in detail.

Chapter I: Why sustainability matters in the candle industry 

Chapter II: A Practical Guide to Making Vegetable Wax Candles and Refill Candles 

Chapter III: Creating a Solid Business Plan

Chapter IV: Setting Financial Goals and Pricing for Profit 

Chapter V: The Importance of CLP Certification in the Candle Industry

Chapter VI: Manufacturing and Production 

Chapter VII: Tracking Inventory Effectively in Candle Making 

Chapter VIII: Branding and Marketing 

Chapter IX: Running a Profitable Business and Overcoming Challenges 

Chapter X: The Importance of Work-Life Balance When Running Your Own Business 

Excerpt:

Introduction

I’ve been a candle maker for some 15 years, having started to make candles for myself and my massage clients (I studied massage and aromatherapy about 20 years ago) after realising the ones I was buying often contained paraffin wax.  Being an asthmatic, and a believer in the power of essential oils to change the mood - I was keen to help my clients avoid the toxicity of paraffin candles, by making them something more natural alongside an aromatherapy blend made individually for their needs.

As time went by I started to get a larger customer base, so I invested more time in social media with a Facebook and Instagram account and eventually a website.  I rebranded because my initial look was far too handmade, and realised quickly the value of investing in good photography, a graphic designer and a decent website platform (I use Shopify). 

I initially blended just  essential oils, but realising the limitation they offered - I slowly added some fragrance oils which I sourced from a few different suppliers.  But I still wanted to create much more bespoke scents, so I studied perfumery and I was hooked! This led me to being able to be far more creative with my scents and offer something truly bespoke to my customer base.

It was exciting, lots of my customers loved the unique scents.  And I grew rather quickly.  But I always felt that with the use of candle jars with lids (I used amber apothecary jars to start with), the options for more sustainability was limited because I couldn’t every make a refill candle for them. So I started to do more research into the recyclability of candle vessels and was shocked to learn that around 35 million candle vessels end up in landfill each year.  This is mainly due to the fact that a lot of candle glass can’t be recycled due to the heatproof treatment they go through.

I realised there was an opportunity to be more environmentally friendly, and I noticed some candle businesses using ceramic jars that could be refilled, however I felt that the ambiance of a candle is created when being able to see the flame flickering in the jar.  So I investigated using candle glass  - and that’s when I decided that we should print our own glass branded vessels and make refills for them.

In July 2023 I launched my first refillable candle range, with refill candle options.

At first I was afraid that our customers just wouldn’t understand the concept, but I recorded a few videos - collaborated with influencers - and created postcards with instructions in each parcel and on our packaging. And it seemed to work.

Today, refill candles are our biggest seller - and luckily also offer the biggest profit margin! We have now reached a six figure turnover, but achieving the right level of profitability is the next goal - read on to make sure you’re not blindsided by talk of turnover.  The real value is in profitability and cashflow.

Despite the success of the last year or so, things haven’t always been so fruitful.  I struggled to understand the finances initially which meant I ploughed in far more of my savings than I should have.  Plus, the processes and the realities of running a retail business were totally new to me. So I had a lot of learning to do on the spot.  But I was fortunate enough to work with an amazing business mentor, plus have support from other small business owners who are going through all the same challenges as me! And things have now become easier - although we still struggle with meeting demand - that’s something I’m working on.  

In the last few months I implemented a new software called Craftybase, which has been a game changer for me to help manage our time, be more efficient and generally more aware of our financial position - more on that later.

I wanted to write this guide to help anyone who was venturing into candlemaking and particularly more sustainable candlemaking. There’s nothing more joyful than doing a job that you love!  And despite the candle business being incredibly saturated, I still believe there’s always room for one more.

I hope this guide gives you the insights and knowledge you need to succeed, and enjoy your business whether your plan is to remain small or you’d like to achieve global domination!

Here’s wishing you all the luck!

Nicky