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“Always factor in the cost of shipping or else you'll be left burning money.”
This is part of our First $1,000 segment, where we hear how someone made their first $1,000. How did they make it happen? What did it feel like? What did they learn?
Once you get some momentum, it's much easier to keep going and make $10,000 or more. But you have to get that first $1,000. Today's story comes from Sarah in Nebraska, a longtime candle lover who doesn't flame out.
Sarah had dabbled in candle making as a hobby for years, mostly as gifts for friends and family. She never thought of it as a business until she was laid off from her job in tech. Feeling burned by the job loss, she decided to see if she could make a profit from it.
She dove into research and found a whole world beyond the basic paraffin wax candles she'd been making: soy wax, beeswax, even gel wax. To stand out in a crowded market, she focused on unique scents. She experimented with fragrance oils and essential oils until she had a collection of one-of-a-kind combinations. Her favorite was a lavender vanilla scent she called Soothing Serenity.
She set up an online store and promoted her candles on social media. Orders came in from all over the world. Then she learned an important lesson: shipping can be a wicked expense. She had underestimated it, especially for international orders, and was barely breaking even. So she got creative with packaging, switched to bubble wrap and packing peanuts made from biodegradable materials, and raised her minimum order size.
In month two, she reached a flaming milestone: her first $1,000 in sales. She's back at work in a new job now, but she took three lessons from the experience:
- Persistence pays off. Don't give up when you hit obstacles. Find ways around them.
- Be adaptable. Being open to new ideas and techniques is how she went from hobby to moneymaker.
- Always factor in the cost of shipping, or else you'll be left burning money.
I love that lesson about being adaptable. It's easier said than done. You tend to get stuck doing things a certain way and expecting a certain result, while the variables change over time. Adaptability is a muscle you have to flex. I'm working on it too.
Have a question or an update? Visit SideHustleSchool.com/questions.
