The YouTube channel UPFLIP creates fantastic videos profiling successful entrepreneurs across various industries. One of their most inspiring videos features candle maker Jazmin Richards, founder of Black Sunflower Candles. In the video “Candle Business Makes $300,000 In 18 Months!” Jazmin shares her journey taking her candle company from $110 to over $300,000 in revenue in just a year and a half.
At Get2Six, we are huge fans of UPFLIP’s videos and the valuable business lessons they provide. If you want to hear the story directly from Jazmin herself, you can watch the full UPFLIP video here: https://youtu.be/UzZ5aTbiLh0?si=bZ8BduiUyi-aYHNL
For those who prefer reading, we’ve summarized her candle-making business success story in this article. Learn how Jazmin started Black Sunflower with almost no money and scaled it rapidly by making quality products, implementing systems, and persevering through challenges. Her journey provides an inspiring model for anyone wanting to start their own home-based candle brand.
Jazmin Richards started her candle-making business, Black Sunflower, with just $110 and has grown it to making over $300,000 in only 18 months. Her story provides valuable insights for anyone looking to start their own candle-making business from home.
Getting Started with Just $110
When Jazmin first started Black Sunflower, she only had $110 to invest. With that, she was able to make 12 high-quality candles, take great photos of them, and pre-sell them. This generated enough revenue for her to reinvest in purchasing more supplies and scaling up production. Even when you have a very limited budget, you can get started by focusing on making a small number of great products, marketing them well, and using pre-orders or deposits to finance growth.
Essential Supplies for Candle Making
You don’t need much to get started with candle making. Here are the basic supplies:
- Wax – You can buy wax in small 10 lb bags for around $20. Focus on finding a type of wax that achieves the results you want.
- Pouring pitcher – These can cost around $15. You need them to pour wax into containers.
- Double boiler or improvised setup – You need something to melt the wax in. A basic double boiler works well, or you can improvise by placing pouring pitchers into a pot of boiling water.
- Thermometer – This helps monitor wax temperature which is important when adding fragrance. Aim for around 180 F.
- Fragrance oils – Shop for quality oils at 1 oz per pound of wax. Cost will vary based on oils used.
- Containers – You can buy boxes of 12 basic containers for around $12-15. Focus on vessels that complement your brand.
- Wicks – These are inexpensive. You’ll need the properly sized wick for each container to ensure proper burn.
- Dyes (optional) – Candle dyes allow you to add color and effects like marbling.
With these basic supplies, you can start experimenting with candle-making on a small scale.
Creating Products People Want
Jazmin focused on creating products with visual appeal that stand out online and on social media. Her marble candles became a top seller because they catch people’s eye while scrolling. She also made gift boxes with 4-5 mini candles so people could try a variety of scents.
Think about how you can make your candles eye-catching or create gift sets that enable sampling different options. Offering products beyond just single candles can boost sales.
Scaling Through Systems
Working with a fulfillment center allowed Jazmin to scale her production faster. The fulfillment service handles storage, packaging orders, and shipping the candles out. This freed up Jazmin’s time to focus on making more candles.
Look into fulfillment services or systems like Shopify that can automate parts of your business. Outsourcing tasks allows you to concentrate on core candle production and marketing that will drive growth.
The Importance of Marketing
Jazmin built her business primarily using Instagram marketing. She focused ads on targeted demographics and cities with higher incomes. This allowed her to get the most from her limited ad budget. Contests and giveaways also helped grow her Instagram following and raise awareness.
Think strategically about marketing to reach customers most likely to purchase your candles. Share your brand story and high-quality photos across social platforms to build engagement and sales.
Consistency and Perseverance Are Key
It takes consistent effort over time to build a successful business. Jazmin suggests mindset is important – motivation alone won’t sustain you, but drive and perseverance will. She kept pushing forward even when sales dipped in the summer months, finding new products to offer.
Remember your reasons for starting the business during tough times. Continually test new product ideas, marketing channels, and improvements to stay nimble. With focus and determination, you can follow Jazmin’s example and build your own thriving candle brand.
In summary, you can launch a candle-making business with minimal startup costs. Focus on creating quality products, implementing marketing and operations systems, and persevering even when challenged. Use inspiration from Jazmin’s journey while crafting your own unique brand and products. With the right vision and sustained effort, you can successfully turn candle-making into a profitable home-based business.
