New Stuff for a New Year

The obvious news is that I've been a bit distracted from this blog.  The better news is that I've been building a following at my poetry blog and have been crocheting while I write.  I also finally caved in to a life long desire to learn to make jewelry.  I've only created a few rings so far, but I look forward to making many more beautiful things.

Sales this Christmas came from unexpected places, which was nice because my two longest running wholesale customers didn't order a thing.  Despite all that and an only mildly fruitful craft fair in Santa Ynez, I found a way to make a profit.  The best advice I can give you from my experiences this winter is that the more you make your products available, the more often you will sell.  Friends came by my house and others shopped the selection I stocked in the back of my car despite having to sheild themselves from a winter storm to do so.  Another friend put in a good word for me at Santa Barbara Winery and I sold a very respectable amount of candles there.  Right now they are considering adding my soap and/or lotion to the shelves as well.  Keep your fingers crossed!

I hope you like my newest creations.  They are calling me now...  gotta go play!  I hope you're having a great day!

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Let the Holiday Shopping Begin!!! :o)

It has been a busy month of poetry writing, crocheting and candle making at my house. 

I sold my first batch of candles through my enthusiastic friend in Bakersfield.  They wanted more Red Currant, Pumpkin Spice, Green Tea, and (by special request) Lavender.  I was able to squeeze in the time for four candle sessions in 5 days to send their order the following weekend.  If you are in that area and would like to see my samples, send me an email and I'll let you know where you can find them.

The other good news of the month is that one of the candle samples I sent out in October has turned into an order.  Homemade by Hoyt pillar candles are now available at the Santa Barbara Winery tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara.  I discovered about a year ago how yummy their wines are and have been dropping in for a visit every few months since then.  (I highly recommend it as a Saturday or Sunday leisure outing.)  It probably helps that I have a friend that works there, both for getting me to visit and for getting my products on the shelf.  But, you get it, right?!  I'm willing to drink as much wine as it takes to sell my candles.  Haha.

The final good news of the month is that I was contacted about being included in the holiday shopping guide for Child Style Magazine.  I'm not really sure when it is coming out or where to see it, but... they thought my Frappuccino candle was pretty nifty.  I hope they can send me some holiday customers!  My website could use the advertising help.

Winter Preparations Part 3: Samples, Etsy and Interruptions

The past few weeks have been a complete whirlwind. I only have two to three weeknights free lately which I can devote to my candle business. The stress knots in my neck and shoulders are proving to me that it's not enough time. I'm working on figuring out which regular commitment I can cut back or cut out, but for now... It is what it is.

The good news is that I'm a little more busy than expected because a few of my friends have been out there promoting my candles. Despite being delayed by an apartment covered in roof gunk (fell through the ceiling cracks during re-roofing), I managed to make enough candles to keep up with the amount I want to post online for Christmas and to hand out samples to a few local store owners who heard about my candles from friends. I got the information printed out for the store sample bags just moments before my computer was overtaken by a virus. Thankfully, none of my files were destroyed. I just had to live without a laptop for a few days.

I cheered myself up about the computer virus by saying the timing must have been good luck for wholesale candle orders. I still haven't gotten any call backs, but will try ringing them in a few days if I still haven't heard.

Winter Preparations Part 2: Introducing Crochet Mug Cozies

For the first time in forever I feel like I accomplished a heck of a lot of stuff in a week!  The most exciting part was the discovery of a crochet item I can make fairly quickly... mug cozies.  Aren't they cute?!  I feel a bit bad about copying someone else's idea, but there are patterns published all over the internet and I think there is room for me in the cozy market.

I've also made quite a few candles to add to my online inventory this week.  The rose petal candles really do smell better than a dozen roses.  I highly recommend them to any man who needs to buy a romantic present for a lady.  The green colored black tea candles also smell amazing.  If you want something clean smelling with a hint of spicy, you should give these a burn.

Happy Labor Day!  I'm off to relax, watch TV, and possibly crochet some more cozies!

         

Update on the (hopefully no longer) upcoming 1099 change.

I haven't had time to photograph or post last week's candle batches yet, due to a very busy last two weeks of summer, but did want to take 5 minutes to post a little update on the 1099 reporting change I wrote a blog post about in May. I read an excellent summary of the current status in this article today. It seems that nearly all business owners are in agreement that the increased reporting requirement places a ridiculous burden on small business owners. How do you get the tax information of businesses where your employees spend money while on the road? How do you figure out who to contact from a national chain store? How can you add the added cost of all that tax reporting time into your product without loosing all your customers? But, probably the most pertinent question is... how is the IRS going to handle the millions of additional papers they will have to process each year and make money to pay for the health care bill? Thankfully, the IRS's own National Taxpayer Advocate is in agreement with business owners' objections and included her opinion in her midyear report to Congress. Thanks to this report and the many questions and complaints received by government representatives, two amendment options are now being considered.

Option #1 (Republican): an amendment to repeal the 1099 change and eliminate it all together.

Option #2 (Democrat): this measure would scale back the upcoming changes. Businesses with 25 or fewer employees would be exempt from complying with the new requirements. Businesses with more than 25 employees would only have to send a 1099 to retailers who sell them $5,000 or more in goods (instead of $600) and they would be allowed to exclude credit card charges because the credit card companies would report the information directly.

I don't know about you, but I would be happy with either of these options. As a sole proprietor, I'd be exempt either way! The issue (as usual) is how the government will make up this lost revenue. The Democrats want to eliminate an income deduction for the five largest oil companies. To me, this sounds like a suggestion the Republicans will never accept and, furthermore, one which will directly effect the pocketbook of every American. I'd hate to see health care finally become affordable at the same time that fuel costs double. The Republican amendment claims it will be paid for with money from health care programs created by the reform law. Uhm... wait... I thought the 1099 change was supposed to pay for the health care. Now it can pay for itself? Hmmm...

The House and Senate are in recess right now, but will continue trying to tackle this issue after Labor Day. I'm glad it seems they are making progress, but hope they are able to come up with a solution that could be accepted by everyone.

Winter Preparations - Part 1

I had a little bit more time than usual to myself this weekend and told myself I would devote all that time to getting Homemade by Hoyt ready for winter.  I had plans to do a few more things than I accomplished (as usual), but managed to make enough progress to feel satisfied. 

My top priority for the weekend was to make more candles to post online.  My current online inventory is only 20 items... not exactly an enticing collection.  I was too tired to further that goal on Saturday as originally planned (on account of the fact that I picked up a catering shift to earn my "extra" income a bit quicker)... but, as I type, the final bit of wax is cooling on two sets of candles. 

Tonight I'm making batches of Tibetan Black Tea (green) and Sweet Honey Rose (mauve).  The rose recycled jar candles are pretty tea and lip gloss tins I saved from my personal collection.  The black tea jars are plain glass which I still need to choose decorations for.  The next big craft night I have available will be spent decopaging jars.  I already had four before tonight that were waiting for their finishing collage.

The other thing I "accomplished" this weekend may be nothing more than glorified procrastination... but I enjoyed it.  I have an embarrasingly large collection of yarn considering the size of my apartment.  So, I have been trying to come up with more things to crochet... small things I could make quickly and sell.  I noticed on etsy that there are multiple vendors selling "scrubbies" - crocheted cotton yarn squares to use like a wash cloth - and I decided to make one to sample.

My army colored square didn't turn out with perfect ninety degree angles, but it will be perfect for testing durability... if it sucks, I didn't waste my favorite yarn... and I practiced crocheting a uniform square with a cool pattern.  I'd say that's as close to "loose = win" as you can get.

I also looked at two other crochet products I would be interested in making: pot holders and rag rugs.  I started crocheting a pot holder sample, but haven't made it too far.  I also hunted down two old sheets which I want to use whenever I get around to trying out rag crochet.  What I really want to know is... how many of my friends and customers would be interested in buying any of the above?

The last thing on tonight's to do list is started, but probably not likely to be completed tonight.  I've chosen samples to be delivered to two locations, but still need to print price lists and informational material before I can wrap them....

My Newest Best Friend in Marketing

July hasn't been the most productive month of 2010 for my candle business. I got distracted by a new project of mine... poetry. At least once a week I post a new silly rhyme to my blog about something I saw on the internet or TV, in magazines, or better yet, in real life. Once I had my first 5 or so poems, I decided to send one to my favorite local newsletter, edhat.com. They send out a free newsletter every day with links to pertinent news, questions & comments from readers, event photos... all kinds of fun stuff that (for me) makes it feel like the new millenium version of a little old town meeting. And, ever since I sent my first blog link, edhat has been sharing my poems with their readers each Sunday. Thanks to blogger stats, I know that quite a few people have clicked through to Rhyme Me a Smile from edhat links.

This week I decided to finally getting around to sending out those prizes I displayed in my last blog post. I had intended one for edhat and one for someone else, but in the end decided to offer both to my new best friend in marketing. This week's newsletter already has a fantastic free ticket opportunity, but soon you shall see Homemade by Hoyt products being given away. It has turned out to be an even better marketing strategy than I expected. In exchange for the prize donations, edhat made me an advertisement for free and posted it to their website. It popped up earlier today at the top of the browser page while I was trying to figure out why the sheriff's hellicopter was flying around the Noleta neighborhood. It was pretty exciting to get answers to my breaking news question and see my brand new personal advertisement simultaneously! If you live in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, or Ventura Counties, I highly recommend signing up for your local edhat newsletter and advertising through them if you are a business owner. If you don't live in the area... well, start searching for your best friend in marketing. He's out there.

Today's Forecast: Scattered Creativity

If someone had read me a forecast on how much progress I would make in June for the various "to do's" I have planned for Homemade by Hoyt... it would have predicted scattered creativity. I have made progress on a few ideas, but nothing has truly been completed. Thankfully, I did complete the candle inventory, so I was able to place it back in storage instead of having it spewn all over my only table / work surface.

The first thing I have been working on is... I plan to offer up gift sets of my products to two entities that have giveaways in my community. I'm not really sure how they choose the prizes they currently offer but think there is a good chance they would be interested in my handmade crafts... and I wouldn't mind getting my name a little exposure in front of their "customers". I know I'm being vague, but I don't want to reveal the complete details of my idea yet. However... hopefully, sometime in the near future, two lucky someones in the greater Santa Barbara area will win the two gift sets shown here. Both contain sage green colored, tibetan black tea scented candles and a bar or two of my vegan hemp soap. It definitely wouldn't be the largest prize either place has given away, but it could be one of the most unique.

Tonight I started a different project... going through all the magazines and other stuff I have stacked around the house and picking out what I want to save for collaging onto recycled jar candles. Things have definiely piled up since I last did any decopaging... and maybe I'll do more soon. I could use a bit more inventory online and my tub of jars is overflowing! If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is... of course, that won't help the July "forecast" be any more focused than June, but any progress is good, right?

New Online Pricing Structure

One thing I've learned over my years of selling candles is that if something isn't selling, you need to change something... usually the packaging or the pricing structure. After a few months pondering, I've finally taken the plunge to include shipping costs in my online pricing. All online listings have already been updated to show the new FREE SHIPPING prices. Coincidentally, the prices I have come up with are only a mere dollar or two per candle over the local retail prices at Hemp Wise and Midnight Sun. I hope you will find the new prices more attractive!

Recycled baby food jars were $3.25... now $4.75 each including shipping!

Recycled frappuccino jar candles were $6.25 a piece... now $8 each including shipping.

3" x 6" Square Pillar was $12... now $16 including shipping!!!

3" x 3 1/4" Small Cylinder was $8... now $11.25 including shipping.

"Nights" at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Tonight I was fortunate enought to venture out to an interactive art party at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. I recently became a paid subscriber to the edhat.com newsletter so that I could enter their contests for free tickets, etc. and I already won my first prize! It was two V.I.P. passes to "Nights" at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and I am feeling oh-so-lucky to have won entry to this experience!

I have been in quite a creative lull lately. I haven't made any candles or soap... nor have I done any work to promote my products. When I saw this event listed on edhat's newsletter, it immediately sparked my interest. I had hoped the interactive art would get my creative juices flowing again... and I definitely feel a bit more energized now than I have for a while.

The galleries were open from 5:30 - 7:30 PM and within them activities and music had been set up. You could listen to an excellent band while having your nails artfully decorated or as you create a piece of art. I chose the latter and was instructed to either brush water colors over my sheet to create a colored background or use nothing if I prefer plain white. Then, I took squeeze bottles of colored paint to decorate my paper as if I was making a smiley face with ketchup on top of my hamburger. To finish, I put a piece of clear plastic on top, squished my squeezed on acrylic paint and taped the edges. It was a simple way to create art which quickly brought out my childlike spirit. I will definitely do it again on my own.

Outside the patio was packed with fun: DJ Jeremy Sole kept the party lively as we spun art on what I think was a pottery wheel (with tape to hold down the paper). If ever there was an activity to inspire me to create candles with vibrant color... THIS is it. I think this activity may have had the highest participation rate because I saw a multitude of amazing color combinations. I believe many people took their paintings home like I did.

I would definitley say this is an event worth attending. It doesn't matter if you're looking for a swanky party to wear your new fur coat or an artsy get together where sandals and tie dye are the main groove... "Nights" merged those festivities into one. Furthermore, it is a reasonably priced event, all amenities considered. Tickets are $25, $35 or $50... I recommend the $50 VIP ticket. There are additional appetizers in the special people's section and the drink tickets are cheaper! (All the non V.I.P. people don't know it, but they missed out on a truly amazing dessert... berry skewers drizzled with multi colored peruvian white chocolate. YUM! We also sampled lamb skewers wrapped with spaghetti strands of cucumber and dipped in a yogurt sauce.) Though I must say... the appetizers I tasted in the art gallery also proved Chef Brenda Simon's ability to create tasty flavor combinations.

If you are reading this now and sad that you missed it... stay tuned to edhat.com or check the Santa Barbara Museum of Art's website for information on the next "Nights" in August. Perhaps I will see you there.