Small Businesses and eCommerce

I am a young entrepreneur and looking to start a small eCommerce business. I make candles on the side of my part-time job in a taco truck, and things are really picking up business-wise. In school, I was always told to have a side hustle. For some people, this means working a job they are not passionate about by day and trying to turn their hobby into something profitable by night. Not me. I, for one, thoroughly enjoy my days working in a taco truck. I begin my days at 9:00 in the morning with a cold cup of coffee and a warm donut. Maybe that seems a little odd to you, but hey, I’m not one to care what other people think. I take my truck to the main strip of the city around 11:00 in the morning, where I begin to prepare my ingredients for the day. This isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill taco truck. My customers enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine at a fair price, with all the fixings of a high-end restaurant right outside my taco truck. 

Anyways, I’ve recently gotten into candle making. I love burning candles in my home to try and mask the potent scent of seasoned beef that clings to my pores after 10 hours in the truck. The problem I run into is that candles are so expensive, and for what? It’s literally just scented wax and a wick. I got the bright idea to start making my own candles from soy, as it is better for the environment and for your body when you breathe it in. I began experimenting with different types of candle wax, scents, wicks, and containers that will produce the most cost-effective and best smelling candles. Since then, I have become fast and efficient in making my candles and began to give them to friends and family. Then one day, it hit me; I could be charging money for my candles! So I started selling my candles online. This was no easy task, as I had to invest quite a bit of money in extra materials, advertising, shipping supplies, and other necessary elements of an eCommerce business. 

Fortunately, my candles began to sell extremely well on websites like Etsy, Facebook marketplace, and eBay. I have been really wanting to get into Amazon’s market with my candles, but I feel that this is an entirely different animal. To sell my candles on Amazon would mean a lot more sales but also require a lot more time and money invested into my candle business. I’m quickly running into the problem of dividing my precious time between my love for making candles and my love for the taco truck. My mentor and friend advised that I do what my heart desires.

Personally, I don’t mind all the extra work that comes from making and selling candles. Selling them online makes it relatively easy to find customers. My cost of production and shipping supplies is also pretty low, so I’m seeing a fairly decent profit margin only 2 months into officially taking my candle store online. One thing for sure is that COVID-19 has made my candle business blow up more than I ever thought possible. With people locked in their homes and most stores temporarily closed, buying candles online is becoming much more popular.