Lucrative Candle Side-Hustle

$500 Startup

Introduction

Colina Bruce's incredible journey started right at her kitchen table, armed with just $500 and a batch of candles that flew off the shelves within a mere three hours of launching! But how did she transform from not having any experience to a renowned premium candle maker featured in publications like Oprah magazine? What's the secret ingredient that sets her apart in the competitive homemade candle market? And how did she scale her simple side-hustle into a thriving business that generates over half a million dollars per year?

Starting The Business

Starting a business like Colina Bruce did and scaling it successfully requires careful planning and strategic decisions. Colina initially started her business with online sales, generating around $150,000 in revenue. This allowed her to establish her brand and build a customer base from the comfort of her home.

However, when Colina expanded to a brick-and-mortar store, her business experienced exponential growth. In the first year alone, her revenue doubled. Opening a physical location gave her the ability to order supplies in bulk. By ordering larger quantities, Colina was able to reduce the cost of goods, resulting in higher profit margins. Additionally, the brick-and-mortar store opened up multiple revenue streams, such as offering classes, rentals, and retail space. These additional streams of income contributed to the overall success of her business.

Her business began when her former employer, the College Success Foundation, approached her with the idea of doing a virtual candle making class. Colina put together candle making kits and mailed them out to participants. Then, everyone gathered on Zoom and made candles together. The cost for participants was around $45 to $50, with the option to either pick up the kits or have them shipped.

To make her workshop successful, Colina did a lot of research and watched videos to learn how others had done similar virtual classes. People loved it and started asking her to come to their homes or workplaces to do more workshops.

If you're interested in starting your own workshop or business, you can follow Colina's footsteps. Begin by identifying a topic or skill that you're passionate about and that others might be interested in learning. Do some research to see how others have approached similar workshops or classes. Then, consider offering a virtual option to reach a wider audience. Create kits or materials that participants can use, and think about the logistics of either shipping them or providing local pick-up options. Finally, promote your workshop through various channels, such as social media or word of mouth.

Growing The Business

Colina Bruce initially started her business by focusing on building an amazing website. She understood that for items like candles, many people prefer to smell and see them in person before making a purchase. To address this, Colina made sure to have clear descriptions and attractive pictures of her candles on the website. She even went the extra mile and set up a light box in her living room to take professional-looking product photos.

In addition to the online platform, Colina also explored selling her candles at vendors markets. Although it required a lot of work, she developed a strategy to make it worth her time and resources. She calculated how much money she wanted to make at each market and determined the number of candles she needed to sell to reach that goal. This allowed her to assess the success of each market and decide if it was worth continuing or if adjustments needed to be made.

By focusing on both the online presence and physical market opportunities, Colina was able to reach a wider customer base and grow her business.

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