THIS Is The Hardest Part Of Running A Business For Me | Video Journal

[@aliciahunt274]

The hardest part of my business is being patient and knowing that it takes time to grow a business. And not comparing myself to more successful businesses and feeling bad about myself

[@tullydecortully1905]

YES!!

[@spunkybuggandco.]

Same here 🩷

[@dianafloros8202]

I just want to tell you that you may feel overwhelmed but all this videos are so helpful to all your members. Thank you!

[@dabee3786]

Thank you for this video! I’m just starting out & feel like you’re an everyday part of my business, even my husband will ask “what does Erica say about that?” when I’m having a candle/business issue! I appreciate your transparency and how you’ve kept me motivated and hopeful for success. It’s so hard to keep spending!

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

Omg I love that!! 🥹😅 I’m so glad you enjoy these kinds of videos and that they help you!

[@tammey3278]

My challenge is space. I live in a studio apartment and things can get very tight. Like you, I see my supplies and workstation all the time because my business is taking over my living room/bedroom as well. I do find that it keeps me motivated because it's in my face all the time so ideas are always churning away. I love your honesty and being so open. It really helps.

[@bethmccurdy3835]

I hate spending money but I’ve always hated spending money. You have to spend money to make money though!

[@jayalex3222]

I would say my challenge is going 0-100 in any task I have. Over the past few years my husband went from hospital employed to private practice taking me along for the ride as I am now managing the office. Started my candle company at the end of Dec to have something of my own and still working on a few things. One great thing I know from the past few years is things take time to do it the correct way and to settle down and let things run its course.

[@rhondagaylord9019]

Mine is also self motivation. Thank you for your honesty and speaking about it.

[@gaiahadar6006]

For me the hardest thing is to really get up and make candles,I have a 1y old baby and another on the way,I’m with him all day and now trying to start a candle business.. plus I still have a lot to learn about candles and how to make the candle pillar look perfect and smell good and all that small complicated things😰 thank u for sharing, it’s nice to see how others handle the hard thing and still getting up and make it❤

[@cynth9688]

All of this! Nice job being transparent

[@hobbyandco.]

Erica thank you so much for your honesty in this video! I am a small business owner myself and know that you are not alone. The STUFF EVERYWHERE, knowing how much to order, all the things like annual reports no one tells you about and are now 2 years and 2 fees behind, patience, and knowing how to pivot has been the hardest part for me. It feels so much like a compound effect of things; like you said one minute I'm doing work and the next I'm distracted and my mind has wondered off lol. I currently run my business out of my house and I know that I need the separation of space but then there is so much that goes into that as well. All we can do is continue on this journey and keep learning. Best wishes to you and thank you for all that you do!

[@miissdee102]

I’ve struggled with being consistent on posting on social media. It gets overwhelming especially when you work a 9 to 5.

[@briab5646]

DEFINITELY! Also, being creative and making it different than your last post! Like, how many times can I show myself pouring this candle? how many times can I put the label on this jar??

[@miissdee102]

@@briab5646 THISSSSSSSSS

[@spunkybuggandco.]

One of the hardest things for me is balance. I'm a SAHM and homeschooler. So, putting kids, cooking, cleaning, school, playtime, family time, and dog first. And business comes last, I'll stay up late most nights trying to finish projects for my business and then i get 6 hours of sleep 🫠And comparing myself to other SAHMs and small businesses is another struggle.

[@jillanderson4576]

Sending a hug, be careful not to burn yourself out ♥️ It's hard not to switch off as a small business owner, but remember that your biggest asset is yourself 🙏. If you're surrounded by your business 24/7 try and get out and do something totally different in a different environment 🙏. Take care of yourself to take care of your business ♥️ Also for ordering and inventory, remember your sales data from previous years is your friend 😊 Look for patterns in customer behaviour to guide your making and buying...and also to spot the opportunities where you can increase your revenue 🥳 Keep going 🤗. You're doing amazing 💪

[@guilhermeluizsouza3908]

The space problem you have is the same one I deal with. What really helped me was to make some curtains to cover everything up like shelves and the area under the table. Seems kinda silly but it really helped me not to get frustrated everytime I enter the room because everything is a mess and there are lots of boxes and stuff...

[@tullydecortully1905]

As always awesome video! I struggle with the most second-guessing. Sometimes my sales will be up, and I would be motivated to make more, then sometimes, I have too much stuff made, and I get depressed.❤❤

[@froggymummy3584]

Yes there is and it is called Profit First. This book is a game changer !!! I was struggling too, but now I know. Go get ut you won't regret it !

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

Ooo thank you!!

[@dcrom7527]

My candle business is a side business that I juggle with my full time job as a lawyer. The hardest parts for me is staying motivated, particularly during the work week and I am drained from my “real” job. I also struggle with the “business” part - I struggled with keeping up with the paperwork in my private practice and am doing the same now. I love the creative side of candle making but wish the candle fairy would arrive and get all my accounts ready for tax season! 😂 Thank you for your brutal honesty - it’s nice to know we all struggle while on this journey!

[@kellystephens3593]

I’ve shook my head through out this whole entire video. Marketing is really hard for me. Sometimes I don’t feel like convincing people that my candles are GREAT. Getting back on the horse has been hard as well. Had some asthma issues, then I had to have surgery. I have all these ideas floating around in my head but can’t seem to get back on. I quit my FT job every day, lol because I want to make candle full time, but I certainly don’t act like it. LOL. Thanks for your videos.

[@mizscience]

Great video! It’s definitely hard some days to feel motivated and hard some other days to disconnect. Thanks for sharing your journey with us, it’s so inspiring!

[@miriamprieto3861]

Thanks for sharing. Space and the financial aspect of things. I live in NY and shipping costs are outrageous when ordering things I need for my business. As I was gathering all my financial paperwork I was in complete shock the amount I spent in 2022 and didn’t even cut even. Again thank you for sharing your experience & knowledge ❤️

[@user-gl4fe3jl1h]

Hey girl hey, you hit it on the head I'm not as far as you and chris are in my candle journey, but I do run into the same where I have to continue to tell myself I need to safe focus to get things done so thank you so much for all that you share.

[@tyonna]

To me, the hardest part of running my business is smart spending on candle supplies but also organization BIG TIME.

[@LetsTubetalk]

I think one area that a company can always do bettering is the tracking of losses. Use this to your benefit as you can track and claim a lot of your losses that you have in your business. Just like you track your gains make sure you track those losses. even the in losses inventory.

[@marylees8983]

Getting motivated

[@vegas301]

Coming home from a full-time job and trying to get motivated to work on anything related to my wax melt business. Ugh...

[@joniperiu8308]

I would say marketing is my challenge. I’m fine tuning things now like writing product description, finally finalized my labels and almost finishing the testing….you are a inspiration to many of us Keep the videos coming

[@creativity3candleco.272]

I agree with you if only this came with a manual! Lol 😂 It very stressful you want to buy everything and sometimes you can’t. You remind me of myself. I’m so glad you spoke about this I thought I was just going in circles. 😊

[@EmmaCooksYouTubeChannel]

Thanks for sharing! I don't have a business, but I enjoy making candles :) My issues are buying more than I need of things, for instance fragrance oils, and limited space! I really need to look for a larger property, but with that comes needing to outlay more money :(

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

I completely understand this!

[@swaizycruz1816]

Yes on knowing you have to do the 20 things in your head and choosing to bake cookies or w/e 😩. Good job on getting yourself to making this video! 💜

[@calafiacandleco]

I completely agree with everything you said! Especially the motivation part. Thank you for always being so open and willing to share with us!

[@ashy_chemical88]

I appreciate your honesty and vulnerability about this. It is very true and I can definitely relate. I talked to my therapist about this topic and they suggested to start your day off with whatever you need to get done that day. For example, if I need to make wax melts and dreading it then that is the first thing I need to do. Whatever we do first thing in the day such as look at our phone then the rest of the day that is where we get our dopamine from. So every time we feel down or stressed out we will always revert back to the first thing we did that day (usually look at our phones) for that surge of dopamine. Hope that makes sense.

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

That’s great advice! ❤️

[@mustardthecat2042]

My challenge is space!! And definitely time and Motivation. I already work 7 days a week, 60+ hours, I get 2 off days a month 😭

[@mortekaieve4729]

I don't have an inventory/retail business, but when I had a home office it was driving me crazy. I would be sporadically working throughout the night and wouldn't be able to separate myself from it. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night (2, 3 am) and run over to my office room and start working on small items that could have waited for morning. I eventually broke down and rented an office. Even though it ends up costing me a significant amount of my profits it is well worth my mental health. I still work from home all the time though, it's just much easier to flip the switch and only work on select things. The hardest part of my business is being available for clients 24/7, which is a requirement in my field, but it is so much easier with my work space out of the house. I get that working from home is the only feasible option for many small businesses, especially ones that are still as new as yours, I was in that same boat for many many years. Especially when you are watching your expenses so closely as so many small businesses must do. Have you thought about getting some room dividers or just curtains of some type that are low profile and can be easily folded up (dividers) or pulled up (curtains)? Sometimes it's enough just to cover things up when it is time to take a break, but it could also be that it won't help since you'll know it's there anyway. It could be worth a shot if it bothers you from time to time as you explained, and it won't break the bank like an office/warehouse. You might be surprised at how much things improve when you don't have that little thought that creeps in and drives you nuts at random times when you see your business. The little stuff adds up!

[@lisaguzzardi]

That was a great video thanks

[@dannyhuerfano]

Omg spreadsheets and inventory and keeping it up to date 😭. I can't think of a million ways I could use my time when I start updating my expenses for the month. Lol

[@marcbos72]

Look into Grainger for boxes. Similar pricing as U Line BUT you can just pick up. They are all over. There's a location in Riverside. I was paying over 50 for shipping and that's just from Reno to the Bay Area. Saving a ton picking it up...the bad thing is they are close to 16/17 so then I want to shop there also 😂

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

Oh I will look into this! Thank you!

[@kamizle2000]

Budget, Financial as a business has been the hardest. this being first business for me I don't have much knowledge keep the "books"

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

YES! I can do personal budgeting, but business budgeting is just SO much harder.

[@gatherinflamecandleco.]

I’m feeling this so hard and really appreciate your video 💜 My instinct is to always buy at least 16oz but I’m realizing maybe that doesn’t actually keep my COGS down if I have to hold on to it for a long time. I really wish there was a manual! 🤪

[@RednBlack-m5q]

Yeah, discipline is a hard part, the hardest one for me

[@nikijade8317]

For me, the hardest part is just getting started :( I know what i want to do, I have researched and researched, I know where I can get all my supplies from, I have no expectations of making any money for the first few years but something still holds me back.

[@teriagreen]

My challenge is having a mullion ideas and staying focused. I cant use my left arm so Im adapting. Other than that, I identify with your challenges with costing, odering etc. Growing pains? Do the best we can everyday and have short term/long term goals.

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

Yes exactly! We can only just continue doing the best we can ❤️

[@dieseephuis]

I literally still run my business from week to week. So I have to save anywhere I can. Re shipping, it's much cheaper to ship, than it is to drive around looking for supplies for me when it comes to gas prices. So even just ordering one item is cheaper. I'm not good at organizing. So the room I use for inventory is a mess. I can TOTALLY relate to what you're saying. In my other life I'm a mental performance coach, so I should have it figured out, right? Well no, I don't have it all figures out. It's bizarre.

[@amberbambergaming]

This video really helped me. I relate to so much you’ve said and it helped me to feel okay that it’s normal when you’re running your own business. I still live with my parents so I just have my bedroom and it is FULL of business stuff. It’s impossible to get away from it all.

[@ianisabelklay3518]

To me, the hardest part of running the business is - managing it together with a full time job. I’m a salaried manager working minimum 10-14hrs. So, I learned delegation and outsourcing some talents to help me is key in being able to do both. Although, I’ve only done it for 1 full year, this year 2023 my goal is similar as yours, lower expense and COG. I’ve also learned to pre plan my calendar for the entire year and sign up early for any craft fairs, events so I can meet my goal this year. You are doing great, keep it up!

[@winningrabbit9843]

This business has quite a few "buckets" that all need different levels of attention. I've started and run a handful of businesses throughout my life and I think one way to keep motivation high as well as the feeling of accomplishment, is to prioritize. I have seen so many people fall into the category of doing what they enjoy most and put off the nuts and bolts behind a business that can make/break it. When prioritized and planned properly, not only does it help ensure success... but it keeps distractions away. In launching my business, I stay focused on what will give me the most return for my efforts. And although we all have different goals in owning a candle business (or similar) let's face it, we do it to make a living. When I would coach my teams in sales, the goals we would discuss would be on a monthly/quarterly/year focus. And I would explain to them that if by the end of Q1 you are even just a little behind, you have to have it in you to do everything possible to hit and go beyond what that goal was within that next week. Not month, not 2 weeks, etc. Without that true urgency and small window, sales and business goes the opposite direction. Now again, it depends on individual goals, but having that mindset to a degree will no only help ensure success, but when you see the goals attained, you continue to be motivated. It's a great cycle that can be repeated over and over.

[@dianariggs8604]

That's me, see a sale on containers and FO, I'm ordering. Motivation is my problem, I work 50hr weeks at my job and am tired 😧

[@thedoubleboiler6971]

Hey Erica. I wonder if climate controlled storage might be a solution. Yes the downside is it is an extra expense and it depends on your area. Idk about California, but it could be something to explore if you're looking for expansion without a full on storefront. Another solution could be curtains or sliding doors, or cabinet doors to have the products being them. It will give your space a neater/ cleaner look and feel I think with the cabinet doors and they would be easy to even, build. My biggest hurdle with having a business is honestly my personal life, right now. Things are getting better, but it is so, so hard knowing that my life is going to be forever changed by the separation/ divorce and without our 8yo son. We are splitting everything, selling the our and moving closer to our support systems in Ohio. It will be very, very rough for a while for me. I haven't made or sold any candles in over a month now. It has also caused a shift in focus to "backup plan businesses". Life is changing for me.. everything will be different and probably difficult for a while; but it will be okay. To add, my parents are not doing well and my dad was driving when a truck hit him (he's 76 years old), my mom is 70 and they are both not doing well. I'll be parked at their property for a while to help them and probably start a small farm in the meantime (they have 3 acres). I've been meaning to record, but have been so overwhelmed... I'll try though.

[@niyyahhandcrafted]

Yikes - I have two- one is time management with working full time and the second is shiny object syndrome 😂

[@Abeocanto]

I could not relate more. I also run the whole thing from a 2 bed apt and sometimes I have to storage things under the bed, hallways, it gets challenging! Also, January has been remarkably hard to motivate to work, let’s blame it on Mercury retrograde!! 😅

[@fispencer-jones5200]

thanks so much for this video i can't stop watching you your amazing i was wondering if you could do a video on the costs of etsy and how much it costs to run your business? keep going as you are by far my favourite youtuber !

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

Thank you so much!! You might enjoy this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6jCdHdqprimnpo

[@mpps1990]

The hardest part for me is paying taxes. I did all the work; I paid all my fees, and the government just wastes like 90% of the money. Feels like a big waste of my hard-earned money. Also keeping up on bookkeeping regularly is difficult.

[@Stayhappycandleco]

Imposter syndrome has been my struggle. I’m just starting. I’m there, I’m ready, but then I think “am I?”

[@nicholeholland2869]

I have the same issues!

[@nancy92792]

I'm really bad about holding myself accountable when it comes to being really focused on work, kind of how you said. I do clothing reselling part-time and somedays it's like pulling teeth with myself to get myself to do anything lol

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

Yes!! And gosh, props to you! That’s hard work. I did that for years haha

[@qianafarmer2905]

I love this video, thank you! I struggle with supply orders, like how much do I get? How much wax did you order that you still have some? I feel like I'm constantly ordering supplies and never have enough

[@alliel.4145]

Struggles? Where do I start??? There is so much to learn. I am great at production, the creative side, and all the "fun" stuff. However budgeting, cost analysis, pushing sales, approaching wholesale, etc., is where I get very overwhelmed and often want to give up. Even with social media, I love the creation of it but keeping up with trends can be overwhelming, too. Also, instead of focusing on the basics, my mind will wander and I'll think oh wow, should I add merch, should I do this, that, and everything else other than and keeping it simple until I'm ready financially and logistically to expand. Haha, it's a struggle in this brain of mine. Totally get where you're coming from with everything and appreciate your honesty with the not so fun of running your own business.

[@joshcal7370]

The hardest part for me in every business I’ve built is ALWAYS the employees.

[@etsw23]

Up until 6 months ago I was doing my business as a side hustle, going full time has really helped my work life balance. After doing my taxes I realized we spent a LOT on supplies last year because we started ordering in bulk. I think that will even out this year as we use up those supplies. We started with our business in a small bedroom and now have a basement for production but all of our shipping stuff is still upstairs. Have you looked at any commercial production studios for rent? Having my upstairs back for living space has been a great relief. Side note: I sent you a DM on instagram awhile back about a duplication for the Aztec Tobacco FO that ends up being cheaper/lb and smells/performs exactly the same in my soap as the Tobacco from Aztec.

[@thecandlecouplepodcast]

We couldn’t agree more… procurement is such an art!! We would love if you would check out our video… How to Scale Procurement for Your 6 and 7 Figure Candle Business. We may have some tips that are helpful ❤❤❤

[@Jecole77]

Do you use craft base it will tell you all of that.

[@Create_With_Lexa_Payne]

The hardest for me is to niche my wax melts. I have the idea but how do I promote it? Hiring a social media manager a good idea?

[@byrd813]

Leverage cost of shipping materials by getting shipment boxes from usps. They literally have boxes for free. I get my tiny boxes from uline. The bigger boxes are free-99. 🤣

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

Oh yes I definitely use free usps boxes! I use those a lot ☺️

[@rachelarroyo6050]

Procrastination is definitely one of my biggest problems as well. This year I have been using a physical planner and that has been working really well for me so far. I found that if I put a small baby step each day that helps me get closer to completing the goal, I get a lot of satisfaction from accomplishing those small goals. I think looking at a big goal in front of you just becomes so overwhelming that you avoid it because you don’t know where to start. I find that the more I do this, the better I get at it.

[@SnowWhiteKerze]

😍

[@angellunahtx]

Hardest part for me is feeling like I'm not offering enough. I keep asking my husband to let me order more supplies but he keeps telling me to sell out Then we can do that. But all my candles are already made so i can only take so many pics of them for social. Can you do a video on that? Like feeling like youre not offering enough?

[@ianisabelklay3518]

Do you do a monthly inventory? Also too, do you have your bookkeeper generate a quarterly financial report so you can analyze where you are losing some of those funds?

[@MemoryBoxCandleCo]

I do inventory audits about 2-3 times a month, but I do all my own bookeeping so no I don’t do that haha

[@ianisabelklay3518]

@@MemoryBoxCandleCo I would highly recommend, I’ve outsourced my bookkeeping through Fiverr and I pay $10/month he categorizes my Quickbooks, and every period gives me a financial review where my losses are coming from. I’ve learned it was mostly supplies that I probably didn’t need to begin with, over buying fragrance oils that never made my line, and learning the type of festivals to attend to. Once this year I attended a music festival that had 8000 in attendance, but I’ve only made $600 in a span of two days, I didn’t break even. Learned that although the crowd was there, people didn’t go there for crafts - they went because of music, beer and food. Little things like that. ☺️

[@dianafloros8202]

Hi Ericka, I am sorry to ask but how much wax do you get? How many candles do you make a month? More or less.

[@dennisfreitas7675]

Maybe it’s time to get a new place to run your business away from the home so you can have your home and a place to run your business

[@thegoldenstandardtexas]

SOCIAL. MEDIA.