Launching a New Business

On The Copper Cul de Sac’s website, you may find Tia Harley’s coined slogan, “Discover Your Element’ in more than one place.” This is because this hardworking handmade seller has transformed a personal desire for rustic glam and elevated candle scents into a full-fledged business dedicated to elements and their significance in a person’s home. 

From copper and tungsten to cobalt and palladium, each product Harley sells is a reflection of her and her husband’s passion for the journey they choose to take their community on to uncover the scent that embodies the essence of oneself and home individually. However, it wasn’t always a reality as every small business starts with just a dream and a bit of dedication. For Tia, this meant turning her candle-making obsession into a substantial source of income and doing so with clever marketing and support from her loved ones. 

It Just Made ‘Scents’

Before The Copper Cul de Sac came to life, the art of candle making was nothing more than an interest of one creative ‘super mom’ looking to settle into her new home. Prior to discovering this passion could become a profession, Tia says, “Life was quite busy before I started my business. My oldest son was in the midst of the terrible two’s and my youngest son was a few months shy of his first birthday. I was balancing the responsibilities of being a mom of two while also working a full-time job for the federal government.”

If this wasn’t enough, Tia and her husband were also settling into a new home, “We had just moved to a new home a few years before my first son was born. Even though there was little spare time, I was always looking for a way to express my creativity in my home decor since that was where I spent most of my time. My love for interior decorating and all things copper started to grow.” 

“When my husband and I moved into our new home a few years ago, we knew we wanted to incorporate Copper into our décor. We have always loved Copper because it feels timeless.

At this same time, Tia’s husband recommended she not just watch DIY candle-making videos, but also try to make candles herself. She states, “At that moment, I realized that I could start a business making candles that were not only stylish, but were also nontoxic and, after I successfully poured my first candle, I was hooked!”

While this may have been the start of her successful business, it took many tactics and tons of hard work to get where she is today.

After realizing that candle-making was her true passion, Tia then had the difficult task of creating a recognizable and popular brand online in a very saturated market. As she admits, “One of my biggest fears was not being able to break into a saturated market and stand out amongst other candlemakers. I realized the key to facing this challenge was finding my target audience and showing them how The Copper Cul de Sac candles were different from other candles. When I started participating in local pop-up shops, I realized there was a need for my candles in the marketplace.”

It All Started with a Launch Party

As a handmade seller, knowing your audience and knowing how to market is everything. With this in mind, it’s no wonder why Tia found great success through her platform, her launch strategy, and her connections. First, Tia hosted a launch party which, as she puts it, was a great success, “We sent out invitations to our close family and friends inviting them to join us for an ice cream social at our home in celebration of our new business. None of our family or friends knew what kind of business we were starting so that helped create excitement and anticipation around the event. At the party, we debuted our first four candle scents along with our packaging. We wanted to make the party interactive, so we had all our guests smell and vote on several sample scents to be added to our candle line. The party was a great success and allowed us to not only spread the word about our business but also receive great feedback.”

With all the new buzz about her brand, Tia then made her next good decision by turning to Faire, a wholesale platform, rather than other marketplace sites which are oversaturated and difficult to stand out on. According to Tia, “Faire has helped expand our business immensely. We have received wholesale orders from retailers all over the world. It’s so exciting to see our product sold in different states.”

Through this experience, Tia has also learned quite a bit about wholesale which she loves to share with new handmade sellers looking into this option for themselves. As she states, “I have learned that wholesale pricing is imperative. I made a list of all my expenses and overhead in order to determine the cost of my product. From there, I was able to choose the right wholesale price and ensure I was able to make a profit. I also keep a large inventory of candles and supplies on hand to quickly fulfill any large orders.”

Overall, Tia claims to prefer wholesale and recommends it to any new sellers without fail. She claims, “I prefer wholesale because you can move large quantities of product quickly. Retailers tend to know whether your product will be successful in their store which takes the guesswork out of whether a particular store is a good fit. Wholesale has given my business more exposure as my candles are sold in various stores and on multiple websites.”

Lastly, Tia made the clever and sometimes tricky decision to work with an influencer which helped her to gain notoriety. “A home décor influencer started following me on Instagram. Shortly after, she reached out to me to see if I would be interested in collaborating with her. We ended up working on a giveaway together. In exchange for her promoting me on her site, I agreed to send her two candles. I was very excited when I got to work with my first influencer. My expectations were high. I was expecting my sales to go through the roof. Realistically, my sales did not go through the roof. However, I did end up gaining more exposure than I would have had on my own. I was able to gain new followers and drive more traffic to my website because of the giveaway.” 

The Sweet Smell of Success

Now, with a successful business continuing to grow, Tia has time to focus on the future and reap the sweet benefits of the present. Currently, The Copper Cul de Sac candles are sold on their website and in several stockists across the country. Some of Tia’s favorite accomplishments as of now are having her and her husband’s business featured in several magazines such as the OC Register and, now, The Handmade Seller. She says she is also proud of the fact her brand was contacted by Amazon to be a part of their Black Business Accelerator Program too. 

Expert Advice From an Expert Seller

Although Tia’s success didn’t come easily, Tia still believes that running a business is well worth the effort. “Running a business has been more rewarding to me than working for others. I have been able to see my vision come to life. The things I have learned have been priceless. Building my website and learning the science of candlemaking along with advertising has been a fulfilling challenge. If you like the idea of setting your own hours, wearing multiple hats, and being a visionary, then running a business is for you.”

When asked what is needed to be a business owner, on the other hand, Tia said, “I believe resilience is one of the most important characteristics to running a successful business. Resilience will keep you going through whatever challenge your business faces. Self-discipline is another vital characteristic. As an entrepreneur, you don’t have someone pushing you to get stuff done. You must be able to motivate yourself.”

Lastly, Tia’s best tips for success as a handmade seller were as follows, “Take time to enjoy the journey of entrepreneurship. We all aspire to have a business that takes off immediately upon launching. However, I have learned so much during the last two years of steady but manageable growth that I know will prepare me for future expansion. Don’t give up. You never know when you will receive that one phone or email that catapults your business to new heights...I also recommend reading the book, “Building a Story Brand” by Donald Miller. I learned how to better connect with my customers by effectively communicating the benefit and value of our candles. Don’t shy away from pitching your business to retailers. You may be pleasantly surprised at their response.” 

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