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11:11: I would have posted a note in the comments of her vlog. Something along the lines of “…I enjoyed this vlog because…thank you for sharing information about our candles and I am extending a discount code to this community for xyz% that expires in xyz number of days.”😊

6:28-6:38: I thought you meant the influencer placed a paid order-good lesson for me. We need an influencer agreement/contract to spell out what the relationship could be if accepted. I'm waiting to hear in this blog if the influencer was able to generate sales or engagement with your business.

This was amazing to see. Is Makesy showroom open to the makers? I am a candle maker and l would love to visit the showroom.

9:15-9:28: Soap making Crafting (e.g., Cricut, reactive toner & hot foil, paper) Pseudo-marketer -graphic designer (no technical skills, just TH-cam😅) Your day-to-day business shares, resources (e.g., Makesy) Learning from an entrepreneur

this was an awesome video!

I thought you didn't support them because they had HORRIBLE customer service?

23:25-23:37 What level of transparency should suppliers have with their vendors/makers? Suppliers know vendors make their business, literally, with the products they produce. If there is a change, any change, that can impact a maker’s product. Without a supply chain dashboard, maker’s are flying blind.

This is great. The Microsoft Copilot referenced your video. Thankfully has prevented me from going down a CB rabbit hole which I have done so many times. Typically these one-man-band software titles have one developer and that developer is in another country quite possibly working on multiple projects which translates to why you are having these issues.

Introvert here: For our first pop-up in August, we are hiring a young person who is outgoing and chatty😅 If that person cannot work, we are bringing a gimmick to help draw people in and divert some of the awkward energy from the sales process. A gimmick depends on your business, region, and event guidelines. For example, one of our local hardware stores had a popcorn machine at the front of the store. Folks would walk in, self-serve a bag of popcorn, and shop.

Hi Ashley, great video! Quick question - can you please tell me where you get your travel tins?

Jesus saith unto you, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 KJV

All, don’t do yoga. It opens you up to demonic entities. It a religion to other people who are worshipping false deities. I’m telling you this out of love and don’t want you to be deceived like I was.

Not sure how I should response about this cause I am still thinking about that my very 1st market like 3 mnths ago where I sold 1 frickin candle! LOL. Thanks Ashley for keeping it real AND lite.

Thanks for sharing this. I've found that the money isn't just flowing right now the way it was right during/after COVID. Prices are up on everything else in life and the non-essentials (like what we make) has to go by the wayside for many. That's wise for them but hard for us!

Love the info

WHAT TYPE OF LABELS USE FOR WATERPROOF FOR INKTANK PRINTERS

Thank you for sharing for candid experience! I do think a PR can be great for a moment in your business and yes 100% is for credibility. I have not taken the dive but am exploring options only because my time is better spent on other parts of the business right now but getting some of that PR too right now would be really good for my business at this moment.

It's been about 9 months since this video, and I'm curious if your feelings about Inventora have changed at all. I'm a candle maker who started using them about since their beginning, and I also loved the idea of growing WITH them. Sure they had problems, but they'd be worked out over time. As a user, I felt really close to the team and felt like my input and suggestions were appreciated to help shape the software. But for some reason it feels like that open line of communication isn't there anymore, especially after they shut down their Slack channel. There are annoyances with the app that I thought would surely be fixed over time, but they still remain while it seems like no steps are being taken to resolve them. Recently they've had some pricing changes, which I didn't look into initially because I'm "locked in" annually at my current price. But after checking their pricing tiers, I'm... kind of taken aback. They're putting limits on the number of products and materials you can have at each tier. I'm on the "Starter" tier, which has a 250 material limit. I currently have 472 materials (because I have a fragrance oil problem lol), and that would bump me up almost to the maximum of the next tier up (which is 500). Placing these limits feels, to me, very arbitrary and like a greedy business decision. I wanted so badly to stick with them, but I might be at about my breaking point and try the Craftybase trial :(

Can you do recipes and print them out in Inventora?

Great video!

Thanks for sharing!

I had someone at a event I recently did ask me if i did wholesale and they would like to work with me. Im trying to figure Out where to start before I send them an email. Did you start off with a catalog or how did you handle your first order?

So how do you know that E News didn't ultimately bring in new customers?

YOU are your business. Your candles alone are wonderful but it’s YOU that sells them.

Id guess itd be cheaper to just buy ads?

Old but good video. Im hoping to set up near hotel lobbies in the future

I use this mask as well. The scents can be so overpowering, by the end if the day you can taste it. I almost gave up on candles.

This really helped me make this decision for my self published romance books that I write. Thank you for your honestly!!

Thank you so much for sharing this!❤

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your experience. This is valuable information

This was super informative as a tiny business owner! Thank you for posting!

I love your honesty. I’m just starting out in the candle business and it’s a bit scary because it’s so extremely saturated so thanks for the information.❤

Hi!! Your video reminded me of a recent Instagram post. A company called Natural Life did a post packing a box full of their product that they were sending to Drew Barrymore because they'd heard that she liked their product. The comments on the post were a lot of people saying how they were disappointed that the company was doing this for a celebrity who can afford to purchase the box full of product that they were sending her! One said she had just purchased an order of several of their products because her daughter liked them so much and as a result of that post wished she never had! Whaaat?? Do people really not understand how businesses work? Where you have to take on every opportunity, run through every door that opens. In this case, they were taking advantage of a great deal of potential free PR/marketing/advertising for the cost of a box full of product!

Thanks for always sharing your experiences, even the tough stuff!

You didn't lise me AT ALL! So much of this is also my life so i did set it down for a long time. The guilt wasn't even worth it. Im coming back now and really learning how to make different choices around product development. My biggest takeaways are: dont get fancy until you can absolutely afford to; never underestimate good copy and visuals in marketing; stay in your own candle lane. Find free creativity until you can sneeze at providing a luxury vessel; let the candle vessel be simple and get creative with labels, logos, marketing, or even other products.

Thank you for sharing!!

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I hope this video goes viral. Is there an opportunity to ask for references from PR companies?

I can't thank you enough for this Ashely. I've been just waiting to hop the fence on getting PR. Reality check. I have more places to try on my own before I jump. THANK YOU!

I’ve been approached by a PR company as well. I found it financially better to hire someone to handle my social media and PR needs. I also find that when I send PR packages directly to writers and retail buyers.

Thank you for sharing your experience! You consistently provide valuable insight for any business, not just candle businesses.

I started my skincare business last October and in January I was approached by a PR company, and although the projected return was very enticing, it sounded too good to be true so I decided not to move forward.. after watching your video, I think I made the right decision 😂

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Especially the part about the investment it takes. Very valuable to know. Thank you!

Thank you sooooo much for sharing so transparently Ashley! I’ve been thinking about hiring a PR company, but this video was super helpful with setting expectations.

Thank you for sharing! Was very interesting

So helpful. Thanks ❤

Phuket is an island in Bangkok :)

love and appreciate these videos! thanks Ashley!

Great video! I'm a potter starting to focus on wholesale. There's a lot of gatekeeping in the pottery world. Not many willing to be open and honest as you are. I'm so grateful for you sharing your experiences. I have a few local boutiques carrying my work and I'm also on faire.My business is starting to gain momentum after 7 years lol! I would love for you to do a video on the online wholesale sites. It's tough for sure!

I started responding to donation inquiries with, "Hi I am not doing donations at this time. However, I would be willing to give you a deal so you could purchase the items and donate them at a discount." I usually get no response lol.

I just got a letter someone is trying to use my business name in another state. Looks like I'm filing for a trademark asap to protect it!!!