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I retired myself from candle making about a year ago.. anyone else in the process of doing so.. would like to connect to see what you are doing now..

I made candles for 10 years, got into the soy candle industry when it was relatively new.. had a good run.. but things are slightly different now with costs .. etc..

and I don't miss the testing.. Now focusing my attention on another love.. a candle home business.. not the producer but the distributor..

please feel free to post

Diane Mumm

Hi Diane! Nice to meet you!

I retired my candle making a little over a year ago also! I just couldnt keep up with a fulltime job, family and all aspects of a candle making business.

I am now a Gold Canyon Demonstrator. I still love candles, but now I am just doing the fun part!

Carol, Nice to meet you too.. and it is funny it looks like we are alike in some ways.. I had several reasons too why I quit..

and guess what I am a distributor now too but for Mia Bella's.. I hope things are going well

Diane Mumm

Funny you should ask. I just pulled out all my candle supplies last night and after 2 1/2 hours I had made a few candles. Talk about work!

I decided to give up candle making and hope to get back into selling instead.

Hi lacandlegirl, it is funny, it is much easier to sell , then do all the inventory and testing and I could go on and on.. hehe.. it is nice to see a few of you that have decided that enough was enough..

Ah, the wonderful world of testing. :eek:

Hi Diane,

I am just now in the process of retiring. It is very sad but I had to make the change for the sake of my family, my horses and myself. I would type more but I have to get Kayley on the bus. This is my candle business which I am starting the process of closing: http://www.newmanlakecandles.com. I have to send out the news to my mailing list customers soon. I have to wait for the right time. I just sent out a newsletter before I decided to close and I did not want to shock them too fast. I need to sell off some of my stock as well.

I know exactly what you went through and are going through. Candle making is a tremendous amount of work on top of all the other aspects to the biz.

I will keep check on this thread! Thanks for posting. I will love to have a place to come shed some tears.

~Holly
P.S. Diane, I saw your post on Candle Tech. I need to let them know there as well.

P.S. I will explain more later, but I am going to sell Gold Canyon Candles so I can still have a candle biz in my life but someone else can do all the hard production work!

Holly - I know it's a big decision but Gold Canyon is a wonderful company to rep for. The candles are amazing. Good luck to you.

As for candle making. I don't plan to sell my supplies bc at times I do enjoy pouring up a candle with my favorite scents. I just don't feel I can do it full-time or retail them.

I hope you keep us updated on how you are doing.

Laura

Holly - I know it's a big decision but Gold Canyon is a wonderful company to rep for. The candles are amazing. Good luck to you.

As for candle making. I don't plan to sell my supplies bc at times I do enjoy pouring up a candle with my favorite scents. I just don't feel I can do it full-time or retail them.

I hope you keep us updated on how you are doing.

Laura

Thanks, Laura, for your encouragement. I know that some of my customers may already know about GC and like them and the ones that do not know about them or tried them, I just know that most will trust my judgment that they are great products and will continue to follow me. I may lose some customers but that is ok.

That is great that you still pull out your supplies to make candles from time to time for fun or gifts, etc. I definitely won't be selling anymore once I am closed for good since I have to be loyal to GC and abide by the rules, and most likely I will not make them for fun either. I have to close this chapter of my life. I have horses and I also got back into fish tanks so these two hobbies (even though horses should not really be considered a hobby) will take up my time as well as my family and home, etc.

Thanks again, and hope whatever you are doing or decide to do you are successful and happy with it!

Greetings Ladies,

I used to make specialty votives with essential oils, embedded with rocks, sparkles and all sorts of fun things. They were a part of my bath and body company that I sold in 2007 :)

It is SO nice to be a candle business coach and let the corporate offices do the pouring and invest in the safety and testing. Now I can focus soley on the marketing and growth of my my business, allowing more time for family, friends and FUN!

"Old candle-makers never die - they merely wax and wane ..." :o :rolleyes:

:o) How cute!

Hey Holly, nice to know you.. gold canyon I have heard of.. I like Scent -Sations and will be working this candle business. It is funny we can't get away.. I thought 10 years in the candle making industry would take me out of it.. but since I know candles what a great fit.. and it looks like you feel the same..

obviously a few people that know and realize the time and testing involved and want to leave that in the hands of other candle producers.. Focusing on growing our business.. and more time for the fun things in life, plus my house is not completely taken over.. that part I love..


I wish you success, and lets keep tabs on each other ..

Diane Mumm

I gave up candle making about 3 years ago after my first son was born. I just recently signed up with Scentsy...I get the fun of selling candles, and don't have to worry about making them.

I gave up my candle making business when i married into the military and started a family. I only make candle know for myself and my family.

Hi Diane,

Glad to know you are happy with Mia Bella, and yes now we don't have to focus on testing and developing and all the other things that go into being a candle maker and having it as a business. Man, it is tuff! I am so glad that there are others as well, like us, who just can't get candles completely out of the system. I am looking forward to parties. Before, I would be happy when I would get a party but then I would cringe and dread the work afterwards. It made me not go out and seek parties. I only did them when they asked me. LOL Isn't that sad when one can get more business but don't want to and can't because of the amount of workload on one person? I am very relieved even though I still have sadness. I will get over not having my own products to be proud of.

I wish you the best with your new candle biz, and I hope you have lots of fun. I will stay in touch here. :)

~Holly

Hey Holly, nice to know you.. gold canyon I have heard of.. I like Scent -Sations and will be working this candle business. It is funny we can't get away.. I thought 10 years in the candle making industry would take me out of it.. but since I know candles what a great fit.. and it looks like you feel the same..

obviously a few people that know and realize the time and testing involved and want to leave that in the hands of other candle producers.. Focusing on growing our business.. and more time for the fun things in life, plus my house is not completely taken over.. that part I love..


I wish you success, and lets keep tabs on each other ..

Diane Mumm

Hi everyone! I can't say that I totally gave up candlemaking. LOL I love making soy candles and tarts. I just HATE testing. HEHE any how, I'm now with SoyLicious.com (http://www.soylicious.com/denisekline), selling them. I just make the candles for myself. I made soy candles for about 7 yrs. Nope, I don't think I'll ever give it up. lol

I make candles every now and then. I used to make them all the time. Now, I am focusing on teaching candle-making in my home. I love candles, have been burned (no pun intended) by a few companies that have poor quality candles so I quit those companies.

Mia Bella has top-quality candles, Diane, you should do very well with them. If only other companies would take a lesson or two from Scent-sations, all would be well with the candle-making world. Their candles burned clean and even every single time. :) Scentsy is also very good quality product company.

I bought a small candle-making kit online...took it out of the box, looked at it, put it back in the box and that's where it's stayed so far (except the wax melter ditty which I use to make samples for my current company). Maybe one day I'll have time, space, money to start making my own for fun but in the meantime I'm enjoying the same thing like Alethea said...not worrying about making high-quality candles, I just sell and market them :)

I just have to say that I have been making my own Candles now for 6 months or more, I love to hear all about Candle Stories and all of your stories was Great, I also love Candles so so much, I also would love to sell Candles and would love to have a big Stock Right here in my home, I have wax as of now sitting in the box, It does take a lot of work, But I want to sell Candle also but I feel bad when I see something that says It's homemade, But I may stop also but not as of now, Is there any Candle Business to join that doesnt require much and I can sign up online, I know all about Scentsy but I think the warmers are a bti off to me, I love lightning my Candle, and I also love jar and tin candles, if anyone can pm me or tell me more about the cost of their current Candle Business that would be great.

I want to at least get a kit to start one day soon.

Also Please Feel Free to Join other Candle Makers On Candle Makers Guide - Candle Makers, Soap Makers & Crafters Welcome! (http://candlemakersguide.ning.com/)

Can someone tell me which is better to join, money wise, the % I will make.

hello! For $29.95 plus shipping you will receive
1-20 oz. cascade candle 120 hrs.
1-11 oz. cascade candle 70 hrs.
1-4 oz. room spray
1-6 pk. Tart chunks

All items will be the same fragrance. Fragrance changes every month
you get all this for A$29.95 a month
The first months COTM is Moon Petals
Moon Petals~ A delicious blend of delicate florals with just a hint of apples as a background
If you sign up after the 20th of the month, your next COTM package will Not go out the next month but the following month! Then it will go out Every month on the 1st.


The possibilities are endless!


Contact Me (http://www.soylicious.com/denisekline/requestinfo)!

What does CoTM mean, also I'm on some nings as well and I think you are on my friends list, if not I will find you on one of the nings also I will email you ASAP,Thanks

Hello, COTM is Candle Of the Month Yes I'm on alot of ning sites. lol
Denise Kline