What I Have Learned In My First Year As A Small Business Owner
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- ❤️My Etsy Shop For Business Owners: www.etsy.com/shop/MBCCDesigns
(I sell editable digital templates for candle business owners such as warning labels, candle label designs, business card designs, thank you cards, and more!)
❤️Candle Business Printable Workbook: etsy.me/3sWHwEK
❤️My Business Website: memoryboxcandleco.com
MY FAVORITE BUSINESS TOOLS:
✨My Bookkeeping Software: quickbooks.grsm.io/memoryboxc...
(This is quickbooks, I use the online version!)
✨My Inventory Software: inventora.co/memoryboxcandleco
✨My Email Marketing Software (This link gets you 50% off!): flodesk.com/c/RQF26E
✨Background Boards I Use For Product Photography: www.replicasurfaces.com/memor...
🎨Design Your Own Brand Shirt: www.printful.com/custom-produ...
🎨 My Design Software Canva (I use the pro version so I can upload my own custom fonts): partner.canva.com/qn6qPL
📱Follow Me On Instagram: / ericamariemorris
📱Brand IG: / memoryboxcandleco
🕯My Candle Making Playlist For Beginners: • STEP BY STEP: How I Ma...
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✨All The Supplies I Use or Recommend For Candle Making: www.amazon.com/shop/memorybox...
MOST POPULAR CANDLE MAKING SUPPLIES:
✨Respirator (Size Small): amzn.to/3qPPNaY
✨10 Qt Presto Pot (NO SPOUT):amzn.to/3fVK1iH
✨Ladle For Presto Pot: amzn.to/3qaqcZZ
✨8 Qt. Presto Pot Melter (WITH SPOUT): amzn.to/3pyc9wq
✨6 Qt. Presto Pot Melter (WITH SPOUT): amzn.to/2KEIIte
✨Pouring Pitcher: amzn.to/307aeG0
✨Gram Scale For Weighing FO: amzn.to/3GqV4OE
✨Silicone FO Measuring Cups: amzn.to/3xIqX2W
✨Shipping/Kitchen Scale (11 lb max weight): amzn.to/3o3ls7J
(50 lb max weight): amzn.to/350Lpfj
✨Portable Electric Burner: amzn.to/2OaPOpa
✨Heat Gun (similar to mine): amzn.to/2O2cQwZ
✨Thermometer (similar to mine): amzn.to/2SVmeVM
✨Laser Thermometer: amzn.to/2FxXdwV
✨Large Rotating Wax Melt Holder: amzn.to/32e0D0B
✨Small Rotating Wax Melt Holder: amzn.to/3wVcu2R
✨6” Pegs For Pegboard: amzn.to/3nYTTvc
✨Wax Warmer Rack/Stand: amzn.to/35vbsvd
✨My Candle Making Kits: memoryboxcandleco.com/collect...
✨Beautiful Unique Vessels (Sixteen Seventeen): bit.ly/39wymG5
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PRINTING:
🖨My Laser Printer: amzn.to/2PJKGI6
🖨Inkjet Printer Recommendation: (I have not personally used this printer, but it is recommended by the social media manager, Johnny, from Online Labels): amzn.to/2WexNKo
🖨Dymo 4XL Label Printer: (not a necessity but it helps when you have a good amount of orders going out): amzn.to/2YrcBCp
🖨Dymo Shipping Label Refill Rolls: amzn.to/36wu6VS
MY TECH GEAR:
📸My Camera: amzn.to/3uzxAk0
📸Lens For Product Photography: amzn.to/2ZR3wlI (If you have a Canon M50 you will need an adapter: amzn.to/3bBWUNG)
📸 Lens For Filming Videos: amzn.to/3aJEKKE
💻My iPad Pro: amzn.to/3ssJk5P
💻My MacBook Pro: amzn.to/2NxgVNr
✨Become A Channel Member: / @memoryboxcandleco
✨My Merch: teespring.com/stores/memory-b...
DISCLAIMER: Everything shared in my videos is my own personal experience and is for educational and informational purposes only. If you are wanting to start a business, always seek legal guidance from a local business attorney and certified public accountant to make sure that you are running your business legally. Everyone is responsible for their own product testing and business structure and I will not be held accountable.
*Some links are affiliates. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
I do not own the music in this video, all attributions:
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chill. by sakura Hz / sakurahertz
Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/chill-sakuraHz
Music promoted by Audio Library • Chill - sakura Hz (No ...
Title: chill by sakura Hz
Genre and Mood: Hip Hop & Rap · Calm
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Just remember a business is a marathon breath and take it one step at a time. It will turn into a good hour, then day, week, and soon you will be like Erica posting a year video update
❤️
frist thing I learned at a very young age, from an employer, " your profit is in your buying ". I have been in business for 30 years and always have turned a profit . You have the right attitude, you'll do well.
I am just about to launch (July 1st 🤞🤞🤞) and I'm finalizing all my testing of wax/wick/FO% right now. I cannot believed how much I've spent and how much I still have to spend on supplies before I launch. And then what I have to spend on ads before I make any money at all! This is crazy! Pressing that "Pay Now" button is hard! Especially before you even launch.
Good luck, that’s so exciting! ❤️
😃 This is amazing, good luck!
Good luck!!! I'm in the testing stage
I actually wrote down most of what you said. I’m trying to start my business this year and all that you’ve said made so much sense to me. Thanks for sharing and happy one year anniversary ❤️
Go BIGGER Erica, especially on the FO. I just started buying that way and it saved me a ton. Thanks for always being transparent. Continued blessings to you.
YES! I really have to 😅
Good advice! I buy 16oz at a time and I haven’t even launched yet. I hope that’s the right amount!
I can relate. I struggle with spending money on my business as well and I it's something I'm going to have to get over and just do it.
I’m the exact same about buying in bulk! I recently started only buying the 16 oz FO and cases of wax and THAT was hard for me. I guess it took me a long time to be totally sure I would sell enough to justify it. Great video!
When you get your warehouse and start making candles in Mass. I'll come work for you :) Congrats on your journey!
Recently bought 44 pounds of coconut oil for soaps and thought I was gonna need oxygen LOL But it cut my cost down sooo much, still though lol What i'm looking for right now is just some organization, you know, like knowing where the tape dispenser is lol today i couldn't find my phone for almost 5 minutes, that was in my hand, owning a business really jello's your brain doesn't it? LOL
Thank you for all the information you provide. You have been my candle business mentor without you even knowing it. I appreciate you 👏🏼👏🏼❤️
I struggle with 2 things one is definitely buying in bulk and the second is finding consistency in scents people like and want more of , I seem to caught up in the making so many different scents or random ones here and there because someone asks for that specific scent , which kind of goes hand in hand with either having too many candles / wax melts that didn’t sell or not having enough candles for a specific scent , its like a roller coaster , not to mention trying not to judge my candles negatively because I can’t stand one that particular scent (that’s the worst ) lol so I totally walk around feeling like a hot mess a lot 🤣 but I love what I do ❣️ Thank you as always for another awesome video 🥰
I cannot express to you enough how much of an absolute Angel you are for making these videos! Your amazing!! And it’s been so nice to watch you grow, ❤️❤️❤️
Man love this video so much and it has been amazing to see where you have grown it! The part at @8:03 hit me and it is so important to reiterate, you can change anything you want to and you shouldn't feel stuck into one route. Thank you for sharing.
I don't have a business yet, but may in the future. I think my strength would be time management, but creativity would be where I would struggle. I definitely agree that producing in bulk is an absolute necessity. That's one place to cut corners, but not affect quality and customer satisfaction. You have to have product available to sell. Otherwise, you are losing sales. There will always be aspects of business that are your least favorite. Maybe in time, those are the parts of the business you can hire part time or full time to help. Eventually you have to think big if you want to continue to grow and it's probably scary. Maybe you can watch some videos on time management on how other business owners plan their day and run their business. Time is money in business. You have done a great job learning and growing in the last 14 months and I've enjoyed watching!
You're such a genuine and humble person. Thank you for your videos. I have a lot of respect for how you operate, and you inspire me!
Thank you so much! ❤️❤️
100th comment!!!
Totally agree! As long as you are having fun and enjoy what you do it’s a win-win!!!
Your sharing is really encouraging me to take that next step to start my candle journey. Bless you!
You have covered exactly what I needed to hear. I am so the same way with buying and purchasing supplies and materials. I’m glad to know I’m not going crazy. Thank you once again for sharing your life with us. As always blessings to you
Thank you so much for watching ❤️
I broke down and spent $210 on jars a fragrance oil and a mold. Look at me. I feel like I needed to think bigger. Blessings to you once again
I love how honest and realistic this video is I appreciate this information! Thank you!
You have been such a blessing. I’m still in the first step lol 😝 but I’m already anxious about all the stuff I buy and the scents and how expensive I see everything.
I loved your attitude and despite of the fear you keep moving. One day at a time.
When you said "am I even doing anything right" has been me this whole time!! I just started to do all the legal stuff with my business and wow it's way more stressful than I thought. Thank you for this video!
Yesss! Girl it is A LOT. Honesty I had no idea how intense/complicated/confusing all the legal stuff would be 😬
@@MemoryBoxCandleCo your videos help me!! Still trying to mastery the shipping stuff as well. I've been watching that video over and over 💜
I’m the same way. Especially hitting that pay button 😂
Yess there’s something about it that hurts my soul 😆
I just want to say thank you so much for all your videos. I’ve learned so much from you. You are appreciated!
Thank you for sharing your tips! Your candor made me laugh and was so inspiring. I'm glad you mentioned how it's okay to make changes. I spend so long making decisions because I think it's forever. Best of luck and continued success for you!
Yesssss! You are not alone with the spending money. I need a coupon code, a special or a BOGO for it to make sense to buy that much lol. I think because we are adults and have been doing it for so long in our regular daily life, that we are just creatures of habit and rationality. So this business part of our lives is still so new, that it takes some adjusting and retraining of our brains. What I do to help it make sense, is I use a lot of the payment sites like Klarna, Afterpay, Quadpay to break my bulk purchase payments up into 4 monthly payments. I don't have a credit card or business credit account, just straight outta pocket. So not only does it make me feel more comfortable making a big purchase, but I don't have to spend so much in one transaction at that time. Especially if I need to shop at various suppliers.
Girl, you hit the nail on the head! It's super hard for me to make purchases. I'm glad I'm not the only one lol but I do realize the benefit from it. I'm just frugal af! Lol
Yes!! 😅
This video was made for me🥰 Thanks for posting it!
I relate to this so much! Thank you for sharing!
Omg I have been I’m business (SHE CANDLE CO) for two years and I Still order the 16 oz FO too😩 I’m reordering ever week it sooooo much money! We’l get there! Love your videos! That inventora app is changing my life! Thank you 🖤
Amazing advice, goes hand in hand with our soap business. Same rule.. need to make stock in advance as up until now I have operated on a made to order basis.. it's been exhausting.. thank you for your help x
Thanks you again Ericka, it's awesome hearing your insight. I too am trying to not have a heartattack when buying in bulk. I haven't done it because I'm in the testing phase but the day is coming soon that I will buy my old in bulk. I want everything needed without me having to worry about inventory, at lady for a month. With life and kids and homeschooling bulk buying will be my friend 😊☺
I love your channel! Thanks so much Erica for sharing all of these useful tips :D
Thank you so much for watching! ☺️
So proud of your success!
Omg I love watching your videos Erica and this one motivated me even more!!
Omg I really love how transparent you are. Regarding FO’s, haha same! I guess we’re stingy in natural 😅
You inspired me today. Thank you!
Love this video! thank you for keeping it real and honest your such a sweet soul x!
Thank you for watching! ❤️
Thank you for making this video. You have taught me a lot. My daughter and I want to start a candle business. I've been brainstorming. Thank you again
Thank you for watching ☺️
I really liked this video! It was very personable and relateable
Thank you! ❤️❤️
Oh my gosh! I totally shop the clearance section of Ross too!! And yes, it's actually painful to buy in bulk even though I know I'm saving money in the long run. All the $$ makes me hyperventilate! 😄
Yes 😆😆❤️
I can relate sm with the inventory buying! I spend so little daily like youu and it so hard for me to get bulk inventory seeing the amount I have to spend lol
Congrats on your new business!!!
Thank you! ❤️
I live in California. If you would like. We can see what the same FO's we like and split a 5 lb.
“Do you guys have issues too?”
Yes I have tons of issues.
Jk I knew what you meant but I’ve just been trying to deal with my issues lately and i FELT THAT IN MY SOUL!😅
Lol 😆❤️
You are not the only one. We will take it slowly.
I am still in a testing stage this 2022 that's why I can't buy bulk for now coz it might not be the right material or final choice. When I partially check the costs individually, it's really expensive 😁. But I want to think beyond that. I know things will be different when I arrange everything after this stage 🙏. Looking forward for a good turn-out with the small business in the future. Thank you for the inspiration. ☺️
I’m the same way when it comes to purchasing inventory, I will go all in with marketing but purchasing jars or fragrance takes me 24-48 hours.lol. Also bad at making in bulk
My biggest struggle so far has been finding the “right” way to market my business. I have been officially selling for a months, and haven’t made that many sales. I also struggle with the business side of things... You always give great tips 😇🙏🏼
Do you have any videos on coloring your wax? I’m brand new and my sister bought me a bunch of stuff to get started including some colored powder. I’m not sure how to use it or if I can even use it in my wax.
where do you buy your packing supplies for your candles?
I don't think of it as *spending* a lot when I buy in bulk, I think about how much money I'm *saving*, which adds to my profit margin, and how much time I'm saving by not having to place orders all the time, and then extra time entering a bunch of little orders to track in a database. Although I'm still very new at this, I bought my wax and vessels by the pallet, wicks and labels by the thousands, and when I narrow down my FO I'll buy in 5-10 pound jugs. My time and money are valuable, so I never want to waste either.
Erica, it's time to put on your big girl pants! :-)
I totally agree regarding buying in bulk, but... I want to open my shop in the near future and I'm worried that if I buy large volumes of FO (it seems to be the most expensive ingredient unless I buy in bulk and I can't afford buying i.e. 20 scents in bulk before I even started) I'll end up not selling candles and having a lot of money spent on something that will not give me any profit. Can you give me any advice on how to get started? Is it better to start with, let's say, 5 scents that I buy in larger volume or to produce some minimum safety stock of larger amount of scents and then treat the ones that don't sell well as an "investment" and focus on the best selling ones? Thanks in advance for any advice. :-)
@@wildhog4251 One of my favorite brands is Outdoor Fellow. They started with 5 scents that were totally on target for their niche. I think when you target a narrow band of customers, you can easily choose a handful of fragrances that will appeal to them, instead of trying to be all things to all people. Then you can add one or two limited edition or seasonal fragrances every 3 months or so to keep your selection fresh.
Thanks for sharing! 🤗
You’re literally the sweetest Erica 💕 Thank you for this video and everything that you share. Can I ask, when you said to make your products in bulk, I agree with that. I haven’t started yet, still in the testing stage but want to ask how long can you keep your candles or melts on a shelf before it’s used. Aside from curing time, you’ve made them in bulk but after a month or more it hasn’t been sold does it affect the candle or melts? Xx
I think most candles have a shelf life of 1-2 years depending on the combination of wax/oil (of course this can vary but this is a rough estimate❤️)
@@MemoryBoxCandleCo ah that’s good to know. Fantastic, no problems there then. Thank you so much for your response xx
Thank you for making this video
I am trying to make candles, roll-on since last 10months
But still getting scared to start my own website even when i have previous experience for managing website , managing social media ads. Shopify website. I really to start making out samples. Confused while selecting which scent to go initial
My candles have turned out well with apple & cinnamon, coffee brew. But i need more. Fragrance to launch the website. If you could help me out
I struggle with social media. I'm sooo bad about using Instagram and Facebook 😔
It can be challenging but it’s so important to be active on social media because that’s where people’s attention is ❤️
Me too! The thought of making a video freaks me out. 😳
Lol we are soul sister it's so hard for me to spend money I am a thrifty shopper so to so to drop any amount of large money on things I know I need for my business is so hard 😩 😂
Hey I do have a question. I am testing fragrance for my 8oz candles and I also want to do a 2oz tins. I am using the same wax as the 8oz. All I’m Changing is the wick size and smaller tins. Do I still have to test the fragrance in the 2oz tins even though it’s the same wax,same type of wick but different size.
Whenever you’re changing any variable it’s always best to test ❤️
One of the problems is cheap shitty candles people can buy at Kmart, they don't realise the difference in quality!
Wow US fo pricing is so different from us in the EU I pay like $100 for 16 oz fo 🥲
i think i finding i not great at the marketing side of my business and have to keep telling myself it not going to happen fast. i know i got amazing scents and products but i get people just see wax melts all the time and so they are dubious. I am on month 1 of launch and i just need to over thinking it all time
I make coconut wax candles and they are very fragile and can not get to warm... any tips on shipping them and keeping them from sweating while being shipped?? I haven’t shipped yet because the thought of them getting to hot terrifies me!!!
She has a video about shipping candles in summer. Tiana Coates also has a good one too.
Your videos have very instructive contentan. Can you add subtitles to your videos please?
i can't imagine spending that much 😳 hahahaha so no, not just you! lol
Hahaha it can be hard sometimes!
Erica you are amazing, I have learned so much from you! I love watching your videos.
Thank you so much!! So happy to hear that you enjoy my videos! ☺️