Are you ready to work with a candle manufacturer?

ARE YOU READY?

Are you ready to work with a manufacturer? At Modern Candle we work with small startups all the way through to very large corporations.  Some of our clients come to us with already well-established brands that are very successful in their industry, but they are also looking to expand into the home fragrance category.  Some are well known candle brands who might be currently producing themselves or working with another filler that they are not completely satisfied with.  We also work with established retailers often working hand in hand to create candle lines for their stores and e-com businesses.  

Then there are the start-ups, often individuals who have a vision and are excited to jump into the candle industry and shake things up!  If you fall into this category, there are some things to think about to prepare yourself for working with a contract fill manufacturer such as Modern Candle.  How do you know you are ready? Below is a basic checklist that will help you be ready to succeed in this quickly expanding and evolving industry.

Who is your target market?  Of course, you want to sell to as many people as possible, but one thing is for sure, you can’t please everyone.  So, know who you are targeting, what theylike, and what is going to light them up and make them want to spend money on your candle.

What is your budget? This is so important to know going into this what you plan to sell your candle for, and what you plan to spend on it.  Before you begin the design process, you must have a budget.  Having a target price will guide you in all the choices you make for the candle from wax type, fragrance and all decoration and packaging choices.  You must know your budget.

What is your design direction? Once you have established your target market and budget you will have some clear parameters for the design process.  Your budget will dictate a lot of what is possible and if you have a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve, we can guide you with choices that will work within your budget.  We even have in-house design services if you do not have your own.

Fragrance direction. It helps to move the process along if you have a clear idea of what fragrances you want to have in your candle or collection.  Being able to write this down and talk through it with our in-house fragrance expert will help us pinpoint exactly what you are looking for (within your budget of course)

How are you going to sell your candle? Before you begin, know if your candles are going to go to a 3PL or to your own warehouse.  There will be packaging requirements and we will need to know those before we even get your project quoted. This will also help you with planning your budget.

Keep expectations real. We’ve seen all too many times the client that wants a high-end luxury candle that smells like Diptyque and packaged in luxury components with foil and embossing and all the other bells and whistles, but it is important to understand that making a high-quality candle has never been cheap, and since the start of the pandemic prices on all components have risen dramatically.  So, it is important to be realistic about costs and how quantity affects cost, doing small runs in the beginning is understandable to get things going but do keep in mind that as you grow and your orders get larger, it will help your costs come down and lead to better margins. But you must start somewhere and at Modern Candle we will work with you to do everything we can to deliver to you a high-quality candle that not only meets but exceeds your expectations.                          

Patience is also something to keep in mind as the average first time project can take a minimum of 6 months from start to finish and that is only if you are well prepared and make quick decisions.  Remember that the more prepared you are, the faster it will go, and we will assist in every way possible to keep things moving as quickly as possible.  There isa lot that goes into the process, so being patient is essential to making sure that in the end you get what you really wanted.

When you are ready or if you would like to have a conversation with one of our specialists, we would love to schedule a call and get started on this exciting journey with you!