Anyone who tells you it isn’t a good time to start a business will never start a business because they will never find a good time to do it. A good business first starts with a product or an idea. To sell that product the entrepreneur has to develop a business plan and a marketing strategy. To put it simply, the business plan will outline how your business will operate and produce an inventory for the product. Your marketing strategy will outline how to sell it.
Candles are an economical home decoration item and they have a huge market. Candles can be purchased in bulk inexpensively on line, at flea markets, at home decor stores or you can opt to make the candles yourself. One of the key’s to marketing an item is its uniqueness. If you are going to offer an item anyone can get at a store they shop at regularly, you will probably get nowhere fast. But if you have a hook, your product will hook your customers and you just have to reel them in.
Now comes the making money part. There is a variety of ways to sell your candles. Marketing is the key to selling anything. As long as you know who your customer base is and where to find them, you are halfway home.
Word of mouth is a good way to start. Mention to family and friends that you are starting a business selling candles and perhaps give them a business card. If you have a day job, be careful about talking to coworkers about your candle selling venture. Your company may frown on that and you may find yourself transitioning from part-time to full time candle seller.
Offer your candles as fund raiser items. A lot of organizations from schools to the scouts to sports programs are always looking for ways to raise funds for their programs. The organization can earn a percentage of the sales or you can sell the candles to the organizations for a cost that will bring you a profit and they can sell them for whatever they think they can get for them and make a profit for themselves. It would be beneficial for you to create a fund raising program complete with a theme for the event and a training program to teach the sellers ways to be more successful in their fund raising.
Mailing flyers, brochures, catalogs or postcards of your product is another option. That requires a mailing list that you can buy. As you sell your candles you can develop a mailing list of customers who just might become repeat customers with an occasional reminder such as a postcard.
Home parties are a fun way to market your candles, especially if you are a people person. Ask a friend to host a party to help get you started or even host one yourself. With some party host incentives and a fun approach to selling it will be the ticket to get your business going
