Candles were first made through the sheer creativity and ingenuity of people who existed thousands of years ago. These ancient chandlers were able to create an object made of wax and wick, which suited a large array of indoor illumination needs. However, with the invention of the electric light bulb in the 1800s, the demand for candles experienced a substantial hit. In recent decades, however, candles have been making a comeback in the most amazing ways. More candle stores and businesses have been opening up all over the globe. However, many people don’t know what to name their candle business.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO OWN A CANDLE BUSINESS?
The art of candle-making has been a source of livelihood to many people for millennia. In the past, candles were the main source of indoor illumination and chandlers (that is, candle-makers) would go from household to household in order to make candles for them. They would collect fat from the kitchens – often obtained from the carcasses of meat consumed by the members of the household and their servants – and boil it down to make candle wax. Due to the renown and skill of candle-makers, as well as the absolute necessity of candle-making back in those days, people would spend months and even years in apprenticeships, under experienced chandlers; so as to learn the skill. As a result of this, candle-making was recognized as a guild craft.
However, the first hit to this vocation came when paraffin wax candles were first introduced. Paraffin wax candles were much easier to make than tallow candles (i.e. candles made from boiled down fat derived from animal carcasses). Therefore, industrialists were able to make large quantities of it in their factories, which reduced the demand for chandlers. The invention of the light bulb further reduced the demand for chandlers (along with the demand for candles). But in recent decades, there has been a notable increase in the demand for candles, which is why there are a lot of candle businesses today. Owning a candle business involves purchasing candles of good qualities from candle-makers or other vendors (or making them yourself), displaying your products in appealing and desirable manners (usually packaged on shelves), selling the candles, keeping track of inventory, sales, profit and investing in advertising. However, one of the first steps of owning a candle business is naming it and many people have no idea what to name their candle businesses.
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN NAMING A CANDLE BUSINESS
Naming any business requires a lot of thought and effort, and when it comes to naming a candle business, the same thing applies. There are a number of factors to consider while naming a candle business and some of them include the following:
- The types of services provided by the business
A candle shop can be involved in different kinds of services. Some owners purchase their candles from local chandlers and specialize only in homemade products, while others stock products from all over the country and even the world. Some owners of candle businesses stock only one kind of candle (e.g. tea candles, jar candles or scented candles), while others dabble in a wide array of products that differ in size, shape and type. Also, some candle business owners make their own candles from scratch, with secret methods, materials and recipes which they may have learned on their own or with recipes which may have been passed down from older generations within their family; the latter type may be more inclined to indicate this generational tidbit in the name of their business with tags such as “and sons” or “and daughters” if they choose to name their business after the family name. Conversely, if the candle business was started as a joint venture or with funds from others who have come together to form a company, the tag “and co” might be added at the end of the chosen business name.
- The level of involvement of the owner(s)
Some candle businesses are heavily involved in all parts of the candle making process, even if they themselves do not specialize in making candles. They pull off this involvement by interviewing chandlers whose goods they stock, and inspecting the processes which these candle-makers employ in making their goods. This is done so that the owners of the candle businesses can vouch for the quality of the stocked goods, and they may indicate this with tags such as “each of our candles are made with care” in their brochures or something along those lines. However, some other candle businesses do not do the same. This other category tends to operate exactly like a store which only specializes in purchasing quality stock and selling them to customers, without leaving room for sustaining any kind of liability on behalf of their suppliers, either in words or deeds. And so, when defective goods are discovered in this kind of stores, the business owner tends to transfer the blame more openly to the supplier, as they themselves are not heavily involved in any of the candle making processes.
- The true meaning of candles to the owners
Business names require a lot of thought, however, many people tend to stick to the first thing that pops into their heads, particularly when they are already stressed out from the naming process. They would rather just wing it or go with it, or make it work. However, one method which may serve as a guideline to naming your candle business is to try to define what candles mean to you. What you think of candles, is your first memory the glowing lights on birthday cakes, or do you think about relaxation and hot baths with soothing scented flames? Or do you think about romance and candlelight dinners? Or maybe that first time you could remember when the electricity went out? Whatever you think about, whatever candles mean to you, let that be your guiding light as you go about naming your candle business.
