Chandler Guild - Chandler Best Business Practices

2nd Chandler Guild Meeting

Mon, 10 May 2004 08:17:50 -0400

According to Mike's website, Soyawax, the 2nd Annual Chandler Guild Meeting is August 21 and 22. I'm rather surprised and dismayed that it wasn't announced on or through this site.

Jerry Painter
Cedar Creek Crafts

UPC Coding

Wed, 01 Oct 2003 09:52:13 -0400

Hi,

Does anyone have any knowledge of what it takes to have your products UPC coded? Is it expensive? Are there any legalities associated with the coding? Any information would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Gwen Heimer

Eleven Rules For Success

Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:47:29 -0400

Hello Fello Chandlers,
I thought about some of our new chandlers out there and wondered if they might need a little help now and then. I often think about how I wished that I had received some good old fashioned advice. I learned the hard way. So, I came up with these Elveven Rules For Success:

1. Work Smarter, not harder.
It's not how much you do, but what you do and how well you do it. There are better ways to run your business than by brute force.

Standard Fundraising Form

Tue, 23 Sep 2003 01:41:41 -0400

Hi everyone,

I am in the process of forming my Welcome Letter to those organizations that choose to use my candles for their fundraising efforts. Before I rack my brain figuring out what to say, I was wandering if anyone has a standard letter that they use and if they would be willing to share it.

Thanks,
Gwen

Consumer Safety Product Comm. Alert on Wicks

Tue, 30 Sep 2003 18:04:48 -0400

New Labeling requirement by the CSPC. Effective October 15th, all candles using zinc cored wicks must have a specific label on shipping boxes when going to your retail customers. Read this short article for more info.

Merchant Account Fraud Alert!

Fri, 12 Sep 2003 20:27:09 -0400

Chandler Friends,

I want to take this opportunity to share something bad that happened to me in hopes that none of you will ever go through this.
I own a store in North Liberty, In. Merchant accounts (accepting credit cards) are something that all retail businesses have. They are a good thing and they provide customers with more options to purchase.

I opened my merchant account with a company in February 2003. I had no probelms and everything was working fine. In April, a gentlemen came to my store and provided paperwork showing how much money I could save if I switched to his company. The money was substantial. He showed me the newest version of a Credit card machine and the whole works.

Consignment, Sales Tax and other 'newbie' challenges

Tue, 09 Sep 2003 13:18:07 -0400

Okay group.. as a relative newbie to the business world I would like to throw these questions out to you 'business-savvy' folks for your input.

1) Consignments: This seems to be the method of choice to some of the small businesses we've approached to carry our candles. Here's the questions:
a) What range of percentages should the retailer normally get?
b) Is a monthly fee to the retailer common?

Insurance

Wed, 03 Sep 2003 11:34:57 -0400

First of all--I throughly enoyed the conference in Iowa! My husband and I were totally inspired and excited about our new venture in soy candle making! Thanks to Mike, Lynette and all who made this successful!
I know it was mentioned regarding getting liability insurance at that meeting--I have tried quite a few insurance companies here at home and cannot find anyone yet (still have a few leads) willing to insure. Can anyone help with suggestions--people to call, etc.? Any help would be appreciated!

Free Marketing Materials

Sun, 05 Oct 2003 00:30:18 -0400

Dear Soy Candle Manufacturer,

The Iowa Soybean Promotion Board is a farmer-driven board, whose objectives include increasing demand for soybeans. Soy candle wax has the potential to use up to 100 million bushels of soybeans, and soy candle manufacturers are key partners in reaching this soybean usage goal.

Credit Cards - If you are now taking them, someone else will.

Mon, 25 Aug 2003 22:18:54 -0400

In my 9-5 life I work in the credit card processing world. We Village Chandlers as a group have an opportunity to get special group rates for this service. I need to know if there is an interest within the group for me to pursue special pricing for our members. I will do all the leg work and if this moves forward and you are interested I will let you know what is needed to move forward.

Nancy

Order problems with Soyawax!!!

Thu, 29 May 2003 01:02:09 -0400

Hello all,

I am having a problem that I hope no others are having. I thought that maybe I could get some advice on how to handle the situation and make sure that no one else is experiencing the same aggrevations that I am.

Product Pricing

Fri, 09 May 2003 06:31:36 -0400

The business classes at the University I attended covered the topic of pricing in almost every business related class. They teach the following formula and it has worked well for us, but keep in mind it may not work well for everyone, and some adjustments may need to be made to reflect the candle market in your area.

We sell wholesale with our prices 2 to 3 times what it costs us to manufacture the product. We also sell retail, with pricing set 4 to 5 times what it coats us to manufacture the product. Remember to figure in every little thing that goes into your products, leave nothing out, i.e. material, packaging, labor, etc., contact a temp service to determine what to figure for labor.

Display cards/tags.

Tue, 25 Mar 2003 18:42:45 -0500

Blueridgemercantile asked about attaching a small tag to their candles, or having an information sheet at the site of my displays that briefly lists the pros of soy wax candles.

Carol, Randi and I all agree this is a great idea and is a good place for this group to come together to start creating a standard that we all can agree with and adhere to. We have drafted a display card that reads as follows...

Soy Wax Information Tag?

Mon, 31 Mar 2003 16:33:58 -0500

I don't know about anyone else but I plan to either attach a small tag to my candles or have an information sheet at the site of my displays that briefly lists the pros of soy wax candles. I was wondering what you guys think about deciding together on a short list of these pros that we can all uniformly use in our advertising or labeling. Let me know if anyone else is planning to attach any of this info. to their candles.

Votive Point of Sale boxes with plastic tray inserts

Mon, 31 Mar 2003 16:32:20 -0500

Two of our recent product developments have been point of sales votive boxes that are designed for display and shipping. These kraft colored boxes are non-descript, allowing your business logo labeling to enhance your sales. Each box accomodates 18 votives, housing two clear plastic HDPE trays each holding 9 votives securely. This system allows your hard work to be displayed and transported and shipped without damaging your product.