How to Start a Candle Business: Practical Q&A on Pricing, Time Management, Hiring Help, and More

How to Start a Candle Business: Practical Q&A on Pricing, Time Management, Hiring Help, and More

Hi, I'm Sabastian from Candle Business PRO. If you want to learn how to start a candle business and grow it without burning out, this post is for you. I answer real questions I get from makers and small business owners about balancing a candle business with a full-time job, time-blocking systems that actually work, pricing for profit, when to hire help, outsourcing ideas, and how to deal with imposter syndrome as you scale.

Why this Q&A matters if you want to know how to start a candle business

Starting a candle business isn't just about pouring wax and picking scents. It’s about understanding customers, designing systems that free your time, pricing for sustainable margins, and building confidence while you grow. In this article I'll walk you through the practical steps I use in our business — the exact routines, spreadsheets, decision rules, and mental shifts that helped us move from making candles in the kitchen to running multiple retail locations and selling in over 140 wholesale stores.

If your goal is to learn how to start a candle business that lasts, this guide will give you a mix of strategy and tactical how-to that you can put into action this week.

Outline

• Balancing a candle business with a full-time job
• Time-blocking strategies that actually work for candle makers
• Wholesale outreach and batching tasks efficiently
• Production workflow and inventory planning
• How to price your candles for profit (real numbers and margin rules)
• When and how to hire help or outsource
• Overcoming imposter syndrome as you scale
• Tools, templates, and checklists you can use right away
• FAQ: common questions about starting and running a candle business
• Action plan: next steps for your candle business

Balancing a candle business with a full-time job

One of the most common questions I get is: how do I do it all as a one-person show while working another job? I get it — I did it too. We started our candle business while working 9-to-5 jobs and kept going until our first brick-and-mortar opened. You can absolutely learn how to start a candle business without quitting your day job on day one, but you need systems.

Key principles that make juggling possible:

• Time-blocking beats multitasking. Set specific blocks of focused time for different parts of the business instead of trying to do a little of everything every day.
• Batch like a pro. Batch social content, emails, product making, or wholesale outreach into single sessions to build momentum and finish tasks faster.
• Design your minimum viable schedule. Know the absolute minimum time each week you need to move forward (e.g., 6–10 hours) and protect that time.
• Set rules for when to outsource. Outsource tasks that steal time but add less value, like product photography, social media posting, or website fixes.

Concrete weekly plan for someone with a full-time job

If you work weekdays and have limited evening and weekend hours, here's a sample routine you can implement right away. This is the same idea we used when building our wholesale accounts and market schedule while working other jobs.

1. Monday (1–2 hours): Plan and schedule social posts for the week. Research 10 potential wholesale accounts to add to your spreadsheet.
2. Tuesday (2–3 hours): Production night — pour one scent in volume (24 jars) and label. Clean up and note any process improvements.
3. Wednesday (1 hour): Answer customer emails, review inventory alerts in your store platform (Shopify, etc.).
4. Thursday (1–2 hours): Wholesale outreach time block — use your research list to write personalized emails or DMs.
5. Weekend (3–4 hours): Shipping session or markets prep. Replenish slow-selling SKUs or photograph new products for listings.

Do this for 4–6 weeks and you'll create a rhythm that scales. The trick is to treat your candle business like the job you’re trying to exit into — with discipline, clarity, and measurable goals.

Time-blocking strategies that actually work for candle makers

Time-blocking is the single most useful productivity habit we use. It transforms scattered work into consistent progress. If you want to know how to start a candle business and survive the early years, learn to time-block.

Why time-blocking works

• It reduces context switching, which boosts deep work time.
• It makes progress visible — you can see what you’ve scheduled and when.
• It allows batching: you do one type of work in a big chunk and get into flow.

My time-block worksheet: what it includes

We created a time-block worksheet for our inner circle members because it’s been so effective. You can recreate it quickly:

• Weekly grid with hourly blocks
• Priority labels: Production, Marketing, Wholesale, Admin, Customer Service, Finance
• One “batch day” per week for pouring or photography
• One “outreach day” per week for wholesale or sales activities
• Two micro-blocks per day (30–60 min) for smaller tasks like emails

Example: On a single evening block, I research and compile a list of 30 potential wholesale stores. I don't email them yet — I build the list. The next block is dedicated to messaging them. The week after, another block for follow-up. This three-step time-block approach yields higher response rates and less stress than one-off outreach.

Batching examples specific to candle businesses

• Make one scent in volume: pour 24–48 jars of the same SKU in a session instead of making a few of each scent.
• Photograph product line in one afternoon: set up your backdrop and shoot everything at once.
• Write a month of social posts in two evenings: craft captions, select images, and schedule them.
• Wholesale outreach: one block for list building, one block for sending initial emails, one block for follow-up.

Wholesale outreach and batching your sales efforts

We reached over 140 retailers without hiring an external sales team. How? Deliberate, consistent outreach while running everything else. If you want to know how to start a candle business and expand into wholesale, the process is simple and repeatable.

Step-by-step wholesale outreach workflow

1. Research list building (1 block): Find stores that align with your brand. Add columns to a spreadsheet: Shop name, owner/manager contact, Instagram, Facebook, website, email, notes.
2. Personalized outreach (1 block): Draft an outreach template and personalize 5–10 lines per shop. Send the initial outreach.
3. Follow-up (1 block, 7 days later): Send a short follow-up message. Track responses in the spreadsheet.
4. Orders and onboarding: For stores that say yes, send wholesale terms, create line sheets, and set reorder alerts in your system (Shopify has inventory notifications).
5. Repeat: Repeat the sequence weekly. Consistency compounds into a pipeline.

Tip: Don’t try to do all parts of this in small scattered moments. When you block time just for research, you’ll find you can create a substantial pipeline in an evening. When you block time to send outreach, your response rate will be higher because your messages are consistent and well-constructed.

Spreadsheet columns to track for wholesale

• Shop name
• Contact person
• Email
• Instagram handle
• Website URL
• Wholesale interest (Y/N)
• Sent initial email date
• Follow-up date
• Order date
• Notes (preferred SKUs, pricing, special requests)

Production workflow and inventory planning for candle makers

Production isn't glamorous, but it's where reliability is built. Treat production like a mini-manufacturing line. Don’t mix and match unless you have to. Pour one SKU in bulk, label, sticker, lid, box — done. Then move on.

How much inventory should you keep?

Your stock levels depend on sales velocity, storage capacity, and cash flow. When we were small, stores only needed six units of each SKU. Now, across three stores and online, we maintain backstock of 24–48 for our best sellers. Start small but predictable:

• For a new SKU: keep 12–24 units in backstock for a month of testing.
• For a fast seller: ramp up to 24–48 units.
• For slow movers: keep 6–12 units to maintain presence in-store.

Use inventory alerts in your e-commerce platform to tell you when to replenish so you can schedule a production block rather than panic-making on demand.

Packing and shipping tips

• Test shipping in small batches to identify breakage risk. We shipped to friends first to see how candles arrived.
• Invest in reliable protective packaging and testing. Don’t skimp when it comes to preventing shattered candles.
• Create a consistent packing station so orders move quickly during shipping sessions.

How to price your candles for profit: rules, real numbers, and examples

Pricing is often the number-one decision that determines whether your business survives. If you’re asking how to start a candle business, the pricing strategy is non-negotiable. Your price needs to match the market and your margins must support growth through sales, discounts, wholesale, and advertising.

Start by knowing your customer

First ask: who is my customer and what are they already buying? Visit shops your target customer shops in. Compare sizes, packaging, scent styles, and price points. That’s how you find the price range that feels right for your buyer.

Example from our business: our target customer was buying 10 oz straight-sided candles in shops for roughly $25–$32. We positioned ourselves at $26 to fit into that market. The product backed up the price: attractive packaging, strong scent throw, and good presentation.

Cost of goods and margin rules

We work backwards from the customer price. If customers buy in a certain price range, figure out how to build a product that gives value for that price while keeping your costs low enough to leave healthy margins.

Our example numbers:

• Retail price (example): $26
• Cost of goods for that SKU: $5.00–$5.50 (includes vessel, wax, wick, fragrance oil, lid, label, warnings, bottom sticker)
• Gross margin: well over 5x markup on COGS

We aim for 4x–6x markup on COGS depending on the SKU. Why? Because that margin allows you to:

• Offer wholesale discounts
• Run occasional sales
• Pay for advertising (Facebook, Instagram), which requires margins to absorb CAC
• Cover other fixed costs and reinvest in growth

If your buyer only spends $10 on candles, it will be very hard to make a sustainable business with maker-grade materials and room for wholesale, advertising, and growth. In that case, either find a different target buyer or design a different product that fits that price point (e.g., smaller tins, different wax, lower-fragrance load).

Wholesale pricing considerations

Wholesale typically sells at 50% of retail or uses a tiered discount structure. Make sure your retail price gives you enough margin to offer that kind of wholesale pricing and still cover overhead. If you’re selling retail at $26 and your COGS is $5, you have enough room to offer wholesale at, say, $13–$16 wholesale and still profit after fulfillment and overhead.

Sample pricing worksheet

Create this simple spreadsheet to validate any SKU price:

• Retail price
• COGS (broken down by item)
• Gross profit ($)
• Gross margin (%)
• Expected wholesale price (typically 40–60% of retail)
• Estimated advertising budget per sale
• Net profit per unit after ads and overhead

Only move forward with a SKU if the net profit per unit aligns with your revenue goals and gives you room to run promotions and pay for growth.

When and how to hire help or outsource

Every maker thinks, "When do I need an assistant?" The short answer: you need help when hiring that help will allow you to make more money or buy back time for high-impact activities that only you can do. Realistically, most of us could use help from day one, but you must be able to pay them.

Signals that you need to hire

• You’re turning away sales because you can’t keep up with production.
• You’re spending time on tasks that aren’t moving the business forward (e.g., editing photos, posting social) instead of tasks that will grow revenue (e.g., outreach, product development).
• You have regular backlogs in shipping, wholesale fulfillment, or customer service.
• There’s measurable ROI if you hire someone — you can forecast how much more revenue you’ll generate or how many hours you’ll reclaim.

Hiring strategies for tight budgets

You don’t need to hire a full-time employee right away. Consider these cost-effective options:

• Freelancers for photography, social media management, or web fixes (pay per project).
• Part-time help for production and packing (local students or part-time staff).
• Barter — exchange product for services. We traded candles for product photography early on.
• Internships — for people building portfolios (make sure to follow labor laws).

How to decide what to outsource first

Start with tasks that either:

• Consume a lot of time but can be done by someone else (photography, editing, data entry), or
• Produce low revenue relative to time spent (social posting without strategic planning), or
• Are necessary but not core to your brand value (packing, shipping).

For example, swapping candles for product photography was a huge leverage play for us: it removed a major bottleneck while keeping costs down.

Hiring checklist: how to onboard your first assistant

1. Forecast the hours you need and the budget you have.
2. Decide whether the role is project-based, part-time hourly, or contract.
3. Write a clear job description with deliverables and expected outcomes.
4. Prepare onboarding docs: step-by-step SOPs for tasks (packing, making, labeling, social posting).
5. Start with a trial month to ensure fit and results.
6. Measure the ROI after 30–60 days and iterate.

Overcoming imposter syndrome while scaling your candle business

Imposter syndrome is normal and it never really goes away. Every time you reach a new level, a fresh wave of doubt can show up. The key is to manage it so it doesn't paralyze you.

A realistic mindset to combat imposter syndrome

• Accept that imposter syndrome is universal among entrepreneurs. Knowing you’re not alone normalizes the feeling.
• Focus on evidence: customer orders, wholesale accounts, positive reviews. Concrete validation helps quiet doubt.
• Practice small experiments before big commitments. If you're unsure about a $10k trade show booth, attend first as a visitor to learn the landscape.
• Use repetition to build confidence. Test small, iterate, and let repeated wins compound.

Example: before shipping to strangers, we mailed candles to friends and known customers to test packaging and shipping resilience. That eliminated a big fear: will candles arrive intact?

Actionable techniques to reduce doubt

• Do reconnaissance: attend trade shows or markets before committing to a big investment.
• Set measurable small goals: get five wholesale leads in 30 days rather than "get into trade shows."
• Document wins: maintain a file of testimonials, orders, and milestones to look back on when doubts arise.

Tools, templates, and checklists

Here are practical tools and templates you can implement right away as you learn how to start a candle business:

• Time-block worksheet: Weekly grid with labeled blocks (Production, Marketing, Wholesale, Admin, Shipping).
• Wholesale spreadsheet template: Columns for contact info, outreach status, order history, notes.
• Pricing worksheet: Retail price, detailed COGS, gross margin, wholesale price, ad budget, net profit.
• Packing checklist: Protective wrap, bubble, box size, return label, packing slip, sticker.
• Production SOP: Step-by-step from melting point through pouring, cure time, labeling, and storage.

Common mistakes to avoid when you start a candle business

• Underpricing products and squeezing margins.
• Trying to do everything every day instead of batching and time-blocking.
• Hiring before you can sustain payroll (make sure the hire makes you more money or buys back valuable time).
• Skipping shipping tests — broken products cost more than protective packaging.
• Ignoring customer research — price and product must fit the buyer who will pay for them.

Sample scenarios and decision rules

Use these quick decision rules adapted from our experience when making choices in your candle business.

Scenario 1: You want to expand into wholesale but you're overwhelmed

1. Set a target number of new wholesale leads per month (e.g., 10).
2. Block one evening to research and compile a 30-store list for the month.
3. Block one evening to send personalized outreach to 10 stores.
4. Block one short session for follow-up the next week.
5. If you get 1–2 wholesale orders from that pipeline, scale the time blocks and consider hiring help for fulfillment.

Scenario 2: You're losing money on promotions

• Audit your pricing worksheet. If COGS × 4 is greater than perceived market price, your SKU is underpriced for sustainable advertising.
• Reduce frequency of discounts and instead focus on perceived value: better photos, stronger product descriptions, and packaging.
• Test a small ad budget on a single SKU and measure CAC vs. profit. If CAC > profit after ad spend, stop the campaign and revisit price or targeting.

FAQ — Answers to common questions about how to start a candle business

Q: How much time does it realistically take to start a candle business while working full-time?

A: It depends on your goals. To get to a sustainable hobby-level business, plan on 6–10 focused hours per week for the first 3–6 months. To scale and sell wholesale, expect to increase to 15–25 hours per week until you can hire help. Use time-blocking to protect the hours you have and prioritize high-impact tasks.

Q: What should I price my candles at when starting?

A: Price based on your target customer's expectations. Visit local shops they frequent, compare sizes and packaging, and match the market. Work backwards from that price to ensure a 4x–6x markup on your COGS so you have room for wholesale and advertising. An example: if your customer is comfortable at $25–$32 for a 10 oz candle, position your product at $26 and build quality and branding to support that price.

Q: What are the real costs included in COGS for a candle?

A: Vessel, wax, wick, fragrance oil, lid, label, warning labels, bottom sticker, packaging material. For our 10 oz candles, COGS falls roughly between $5.00 and $5.50 depending on fragrance oil costs. Always itemize COGS by component to find savings opportunities.

Q: When should I hire an assistant?

A: Hire when you can afford them and when their support will allow you to make more money or reclaim time for revenue-driving activities. Look for a clear ROI: for example, if you can pay someone $300/month to do your social content and that frees up 10 hours of your time each month to focus on wholesale outreach that generates new accounts, that’s a win.

Q: How do I test shipping so candles don't arrive broken?

A: Ship test orders to friends or family first, learn from failures, and adjust your protective packaging. Build a packing standard and test it across multiple carriers and distances. Use a mix of void fill, double boxing for fragile items, and clear labeling for "fragile" to minimize damage.

Q: How do I deal with imposter syndrome?

A: Accept it will reappear, keep a track record of wins, start small with experiments before big investments, and do reconnaissance (visit markets/trade shows) before spending big money. Repetition and evidence of customer interest are the best antidotes.

Q: How important is branding when starting a candle business?

A: Extremely important. Your brand is how you communicate value to your customer. Packaging, label design, scent names, photography, and the shopping experience inform perceived value. If you want to charge a premium and maintain margins, invest in brand presentation early or trade product for professional services like photography or design.

Action plan: 30-day checklist to move your candle business forward

Use this checklist as a tactical sprint to make meaningful progress over the next 30 days.

1. Define your target customer and visit three physical shops they frequent to note price and size points.
2. Create your pricing worksheet and confirm your COGS per SKU with 4x–6x target markup.
3. Set up a time-block worksheet and schedule two weekly work blocks for the next four weeks.
4. Batch production: pour one SKU in volume in one session this week (minimum 12–24 jars).
5. Compile a wholesale research list of 30 stores and add contact details to a spreadsheet.
6. Send personalized outreach to the first 10 store contacts; schedule follow-ups for one week later.
7. Run a small shipping test: send three orders to friends or family and document packaging improvements.
8. Decide what to outsource this month and contact at least one freelancer or barter partner (photographer, web designer, social manager).
9. Document one SOP: production or packing — make it replicable for future hires.
10. Collect and save five customer testimonials or photos to use in marketing assets.

Parting advice from someone who’s done it

Learning how to start a candle business is a combination of craft, systems, and courage. The craft is understanding wax, wicks, and fragrance. The systems are your time-blocking, spreadsheets, and SOPs. The courage is showing up consistently, mailing your first wholesale samples, and hiring help when the return is clear.

Remember: repetition beats hesitation. Test shipping, test outreach, and test production in small, controlled ways. Those small tests build the evidence you need to act boldly later. If you can design your operations so that each week you improve one thing — pricing clarity, marketing clarity, or production efficiency — you'll compound growth and confidence.

More resources

• Time-block worksheet (create a simple weekly grid in Google Sheets)
• Wholesale spreadsheet template (use the columns listed above)
• Pricing worksheet (break down COGS into each component)
• Packing checklist (test and iterate)

Final thoughts

If your goal is to learn how to start a candle business and grow it into something that supports your life, commit to building systems first. Time-block to protect your work hours, batch production and outreach so you gain momentum, price with margins that allow growth and wholesale, and hire or barter for help when the ROI is clear. Imposter syndrome will come and go; the antidote is small wins and documented proof that customers value what you’re making.

Take one action this week from the 30-day checklist above. Pick one small test and do it. The momentum from one test is how steady businesses are built.

FAQ — Additional quick questions

Q: Can I start a candle business with less than $1,000?

A: Yes, but be strategic. Start with a few tools, invest in the best fragrance and wicks you can afford, and focus on one or two SKUs. Reinvest profits into better packaging and inventory. Keep initial overhead low — avoid expensive booths or big inventory purchases until you validate demand.

Q: Is it okay to barter product for services?

A: Absolutely. Bartering can be a great way to trade inventory for professional services like photography or website design. Make sure the barter arrangement is fair and that the service you receive will drive measurable improvements in sales or efficiency.

Q: How do I choose the right fragrance oils?

A: Choose fragrances that fit your brand and target buyer. Test for scent throw and longevity. Factor in oil cost into COGS because some oils are much more expensive and will raise your cost per unit.

Q: Should I sell on multiple platforms (shopify, etsy, retail)?

A: Diversifying revenue channels helps, but each channel requires time and optimization. Start with one platform (e.g., your own Shopify store or a local retail presence) and expand as you have capacity. If you're time-constrained, prioritize the channel with the best margin and growth path.

Ready to take the next step? Pick one task from the 30-day checklist and commit to it. Small consistent progress beats giant sporadic effort.

If you have more questions, leave them in the comments or join our community to continue learning how to start a candle business and grow it with practical systems.