one year of blissli: what i actually learned
a year ago this month, blissli went live. i published a website, sent an email to a very small list and hoped for the best.
it's been the most interesting year i've had in a long time. here's what i actually learned, in no particular order.
making is the easy bit
i knew how to make a good candle. the formula, the pour temperature, the wick, the burn testing. what i didn't know was how much of running a candle brand has nothing to do with candles.
selling is harder than making. it still is. but it's also the part i've learned the most from.
nobody looks at the display
i spent two weeks before my first market obsessing over risers, tissue paper and whether the tags were rustic enough. within about four minutes of the doors opening, i realised nobody was looking at any of it. they were picking things up and smelling them.
the scent is the sale. everything else is supporting evidence.
customers know what they want before you do
the wax melt pick and mix wasn't in the plan. people kept telling me they loved the scents but didn't want five sections of just one. eventually i listened. it became one of the things people come back for.
the same goes for keeping nordic forest and luminous veil after christmas. they were meant to be seasonal. people kept choosing them, so they stayed.
the plan is a starting point. what customers actually do changes it.
people care more than you'd think
i expected to be selling at markets. i ended up mostly listening. people wanted to know why soy, what phthalate free actually means, whether the jars are really reusable or only in theory. the questions ran long and went deep.
it told me something important: the people who buy from small brands read the label. that's who blissli is for.
the handwritten note matters
every order gets one. i never make a big thing of it. but enough people have mentioned it that i know it lands. people notice when something's been considered.
some scents need explaining
sweet treat starts a conversation without any help. everybody pauses, sniffs again and asks if it's really popcorn. cosy glow is a brilliant candle that needs a sentence of explanation, because the name doesn't quite tell you how warm it is. i've learned to give it that sentence.
book the markets early
some of the best local markets fill up months ahead. last year i enquired too late for a few. lesson learned.
what i'd tell myself on day one
- bring more stock and fewer props.
- eat breakfast before a market. seriously.
- early customers aren't just sales. they're information.
- the quiet first week online is normal. keep going.
- trust the scents. they do the selling.
what's next
more scents, more markets and a lot more pouring. if you've bought a candle, come to a stall or sent me a message this year, thank you. you're the reason this works.
the founder diaries so far: going live for the first time, what my first market taught me and my first christmas market.
here's to year two.
love, amy