Stop Guessing What Your Candles Cost.
Know Your Costs. Price With Confidence. Protect Your Profit.
You can make a beautiful candle.
You can choose the perfect fragrance.
Design gorgeous labels.
Create packaging customers love.
And still have one question quietly sitting underneath the entire business:
“Am I actually charging enough?”
Because making candles and knowing the numbers behind those candles are two completely different skills.
How much does one candle really cost after materials?
What about your time?
What about overhead?
What about selling fees?
How much are you actually making at your current price?
What happens when you run a sale?
And what price would better support the margin you’re trying to build?
You shouldn’t have to guess.
Meet the Candle Profit Starter Kit™
The Simple Profit System Built Specifically for Candle Makers
True COGS • Smart Pricing • Profit & Margin • Discount Safety • Profit Snapshot
A focused system designed to help you answer five essential questions:
What does my candle really cost?
What should I charge?
How much am I potentially making?
Can I safely run a promotion?
What should I look at next?
[GET THE CANDLE PROFIT STARTER KIT™]
Your Price Isn’t Just a Number on a Label.
It affects everything.
Your ability to replace inventory.
Pay yourself for your time.
Cover business expenses.
Run promotions.
Absorb supplier increases.
Invest back into the business.
And eventually grow.
But many candle makers start pricing with some version of:
“This seems about right.”
Or:
“Other candle companies charge $24.”
Or:
“I’ll just double my material cost.”
The problem?
Your competitor’s price doesn’t tell you whether YOUR candle works financially.
Their ingredients may be different.
Their vessel may cost less.
Their labor may be different.
Their overhead may be different.
Their selling fees may be different.
Their margins may be different.
Their business model may be completely different.
Your price needs context from your numbers.
The Question Isn’t Just:
“How Much Did the Wax Cost?”
A candle costs more than wax and fragrance.
Your real product economics can also involve:
Vessel
Wick
Lid
Labels
Packaging
Other materials
Labor
Overhead
Selling fees
and other expenses relevant to your business.
Leave important costs out and your candle may look more profitable on paper than it really is.
That’s why the Candle Profit Starter Kit™ begins with the foundation.
Your numbers.
Here’s How the Starter Kit Works
You don’t need to become an accountant.
You don’t need to build complicated formulas.
And you don’t need to spend hours staring at spreadsheets.
The system walks you through a simple five-step workflow.
STEP 1
Set Up Your Business Assumptions
Start with the numbers that shape the rest of your calculations.
Enter information such as:
Hourly labor rate
Monthly fixed overhead
Expected monthly candle sales
Target gross margin
Selling or marketplace fees
Payment-processing fees
The system then uses those assumptions throughout the workbook.
Why this matters:
A candle business selling 50 units per month may have very different economics from one selling 500.
Your assumptions matter.
STEP 2
Calculate Your True COGS – Cost of Goods Sold
What Does One Finished Candle Actually Cost You?
Enter the costs used in one finished candle.
That can include:
Wax
Fragrance oil
Vessel
Wick
Lid
Primary label
Warning label
Packaging
Other direct materials
Then enter your production time.
The calculator combines:
MATERIALS
LABOR
ALLOCATED OVERHEAD
=
TRUE COGS PER CANDLE
It also identifies your largest material cost so you can quickly see where a significant portion of product cost may be coming from.
[CALCULATE YOUR TRUE CANDLE COST]
“But I Bought a Case of 12 Jars…”
Exactly.
One of the easiest costing mistakes is entering the cost of a bulk purchase instead of the amount actually used in one candle.
For example:
If 12 vessels cost $24:
$24 ÷ 12 = $2.00 per candle.
If a $15 roll produces 100 labels:
$15 ÷ 100 = $0.15 per candle.
The goal is simple:
Convert what you buy into what one finished candle actually uses.
Now your pricing starts from a much stronger foundation.
STEP 3
See What Your Current Price Really Means
Once you know your True COGS, open Smart Pricing.
Enter:
Your product name.
Your current retail price.
Then let the system connect the numbers.
Review:
Selling fees per candle
Profit per candle
Gross margin
Recommended planning price
Price gap
Approximate break-even units
Modeled profit on 100 candles
Now instead of simply saying:
“I sell this candle for $28.”
you can start saying:
“Here’s what $28 means based on the assumptions I’ve entered.”
That’s a completely different level of financial awareness.
And Then Starter Gives You a Pricing Signal
Your current price receives a straightforward status:
ON TARGET
Your modeled gross margin meets or exceeds your current target.
REVIEW
Your modeled margin is approaching—but hasn’t reached—the target you’ve set.
PRICE TOO LOW
Your modeled margin is meaningfully below the current target.
ENTER PRICE
More information is needed before the calculation can be completed.
This isn’t a command to immediately change your price.
It’s a signal to investigate.
Because your final selling price also needs to make sense for your customer, market, brand and positioning.
STEP 4
Before You Put Your Candles 20% Off…
Find Out What That Sale Does to Your Margin.
This may be one of the most valuable habits you build.
Promotions sound simple:
10% OFF
20% OFF
30% OFF
But every discount changes the economics of the sale.
The Starter Kit’s Discount Safety section models discounts from:
0% → 40%
using your:
Current retail price
True COGS – Cost of Goods Sold
Selling-fee assumptions
and:
Target gross margin
So instead of asking:
“Will customers like a 25% sale?”
you can also ask:
“What happens to my profit and margin if I offer one?”
Because 20% Off Doesn’t Mean 20% Less Profit.
Imagine a candle sells for $25.
Its costs don’t suddenly fall 20% because you started a sale.
The wax still cost what it cost.
The fragrance still cost what it cost.
The vessel still cost what it cost.
The labor still happened.
The overhead still exists.
And applicable selling fees may still apply.
The discount comes out of the selling price.
That’s why you test the promotion before offering it.
STEP 5
Finish With Your Profit Snapshot
You don’t need another spreadsheet that leaves you wondering:
“Okay…what am I supposed to do with all this?”
The Profit Snapshot helps bring the key information together so you can review the health of your pricing and identify what may deserve attention next.
The objective isn’t to generate more numbers.
It’s to create clarity.
In About Five Minutes, You Can Start Answering Questions Like:
“What does this candle really cost?”
Go to True Cost Calculator.
“What should I consider charging?”
Go to Smart Pricing.
“How much profit does my current price model?”
Go to Smart Pricing.
“What’s my modeled gross margin?”
Go to Smart Pricing.
“Can I run this sale without dropping below my target margin?”
Go to Discount Safety.
“Does my current pricing deserve attention?”
Go to Profit Snapshot.
Five questions.
One focused system.
What You Get Inside the Candle Profit Starter Kit™
1. BUSINESS SETUP
Build the assumptions behind your calculations.
Labor • Overhead • Volume • Margin • Selling Fees • Payment Fees
2. TRUE COST CALCULATOR
Calculate the cost of one finished candle using:
Materials + Labor + Allocated Overhead
3. SMART PRICING
Evaluate:
Current Price
Selling Fees
Profit Per Candle
Gross Margin
Recommended Planning Price
Price Gap
Approximate Break-Even Units
Modeled Profit on 100 Candles
4. DISCOUNT SAFETY
Model common promotions from:
0% → 40%
and see how they affect modeled profit and margin.
5. PROFIT SNAPSHOT
Bring the important information together and identify what may deserve attention.
The Starter Kit Is Built to Take You From:
BEFORE
“I think this candle costs around $8.”
“I don’t really count my time.”
“I copied prices from similar Etsy shops.”
“I know I’m making something on each candle.”
“I usually just run 20% off.”
“I think my prices are okay.”
↓
AFTER
“I’ve organized the costs that go into my candle.”
“I’ve assigned value to production labor.”
“I’ve accounted for overhead in the model.”
“I can see what my current price means.”
“I can see my modeled profit and margin.”
“I can test a discount before offering it.”
“I know when my pricing deserves another look.”
That’s the transformation.
Not becoming an accountant.
Becoming a candle business owner who understands the numbers behind the product.
Who Is the Candle Profit Starter Kit™ For?
This system may be a great fit if:
✓ You’re starting a candle business.
✓ You’ve recently begun selling.
✓ You’re unsure whether you’re counting all your costs.
✓ You’re pricing primarily from intuition.
✓ You’re copying competitor prices.
✓ You aren’t consistently accounting for labor.
✓ You’re uncertain how overhead affects product economics.
✓ You want to understand profit per candle.
✓ You want better margin visibility.
✓ You run promotions.
✓ You want to test discounts before offering them.
✓ You want a focused financial foundation without a complicated operating system.
You Probably Don’t Need Starter If…
You’re still experimenting with candle making and aren’t ready to price products for sale.
Or:
Your business has already outgrown product-level financial analysis and you’re managing significant wholesale, cash-flow, inventory, production and growth decisions.
In that case, one of the more advanced Candle Profit Lab™ systems may fit better.
Start With the Business You Have.
Then Upgrade When the Questions Get Harder.
Candle Profit Lab™ is designed to grow with you.
STARTER
BUILD THE FOUNDATION
True COGS → Smart Pricing → Margin → Discount Safety → Profit Snapshot
“Do the economics of this candle make sense?”
YOU’RE HERE
↓
PROFIT SYSTEM PRO™
ANALYZE & OPTIMIZE
When your questions become:
What happens if costs change?
How do different prices compare?
What happens to my margins?
Can this product support wholesale?
How do different scenarios compare?
that’s when you’re ready for deeper analysis.
[EXPLORE PROFIT SYSTEM PRO™]
↓
CANDLE BUSINESS PROFIT OS™
OPERATE
When your questions become:
Can we afford this inventory purchase?
Which SKUs deserve our resources?
What should we produce?
Should we accept this wholesale order?
Should we fund this launch?
Can we support our growth target?
What should I focus on this week?
that’s when you’re ready for the operating system.
[EXPLORE PROFIT OS™]
Don’t Buy More System Than You Need.
If you’re trying to understand the financial foundation behind your candles:
Start here.
Get the costs right.
Understand your current price.
Learn what your margin means.
Test your promotions.
Build the habit of reviewing the numbers.
Then move up when the complexity of your business gives you a reason to.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m brand new. Is this for me?
Yes, if you’re at the stage where you’re pricing candles for sale and want to understand the numbers behind them.
The Starter Kit was intentionally designed as a focused entry point into candle-business financial analysis.
Do I need to know Excel?
You don’t need advanced spreadsheet knowledge.
The workbook identifies the cells intended for user input and performs the linked calculations automatically.
The included instructions walk you through the system in order.
What software do I need?
The current workbook is supplied as an .xlsx file and is designed to be opened in Microsoft Excel.
Other spreadsheet applications may display formulas or formatting differently.
Does it include labor?
Yes.
You enter your desired hourly labor rate and the production minutes required for one candle.
The system uses that information when calculating modeled labor cost.
Does it include overhead?
Yes.
You enter monthly fixed overhead and expected monthly candle volume.
The system uses those assumptions to calculate an allocated overhead amount per candle.
Does it include Etsy or marketplace fees?
The Business Setup section allows you to enter percentage-based selling/marketplace fees, payment-processing percentages and a fixed payment fee used by the starter model.
Because fees vary by platform, account, location and transaction, you should enter and verify the fees applicable to your own business.
Will it tell me exactly what I should charge?
It provides a recommended planning price based on the target margin and selling-fee assumptions entered into the system.
That number should be treated as decision-support information rather than an automatic instruction.
Your final price should also consider your market, customer, positioning, taxes, sales channel and other relevant factors.
Can I test sales and discounts?
Yes.
Discount Safety models discounts from 0% through 40% using your current price, True COGS, fee assumptions and target margin.
Does it calculate profit?
The Smart Pricing section calculates modeled profit per candle and gross margin using the information and assumptions entered.
It also includes modeled profit on 100 candles.
Is this bookkeeping or accounting software?
No.
The Starter Kit is an educational business-planning and calculation tool.
It isn’t a replacement for bookkeeping, accounting, tax, legal or other professional services.
What’s the difference between Starter and Profit System Pro™?
Starter establishes the foundation:
Know the numbers.
Profit System Pro™ is designed for the next stage:
Analyze how changing the numbers affects profitability.
Think:
STARTER = KNOW
PRO = ANALYZE
What’s the difference between Starter and Profit OS™?
Profit OS™ is designed for a significantly more complex stage of business.
It expands beyond product-level costing and pricing into areas such as cash-flow forecasting, SKU portfolio analysis, inventory, production prioritization, wholesale orders, launch analysis, growth planning and CEO-level review.
Think:
STARTER = BUILD
PROFIT OS™ = OPERATE
Your Candles Are Beautiful.
Let’s Make Sure You Understand the Numbers Behind Them.
You don’t need complicated financial software to start making better-informed decisions.
You need to know:
WHAT IT COSTS.
WHAT YOUR PRICE MEANS.
WHAT YOU MAY BE MAKING.
WHAT A DISCOUNT DOES.
WHAT DESERVES ATTENTION NEXT.
That’s exactly where the Candle Profit Starter Kit™ begins.
Candle Profit Starter Kit™
Know Your Costs. Price With Confidence. Protect Your Profit.
[GET THE CANDLE PROFIT STARTER KIT™]
Candle Profit Lab™
Real Tools. Real Numbers. Real Growth.
Important Information
Candle Profit Starter Kit™ is an educational business-planning and calculation resource.
Calculations, pricing outputs, margin results, discount statuses and other outputs depend on the accuracy and completeness of information and assumptions entered by the user.
Recommended pricing is planning information and does not guarantee that a particular price is appropriate for your market or that customers will purchase at that price.
The product does not replace professional accounting, bookkeeping, tax, legal, insurance, product-safety, investment or financial advice.
No revenue, profitability, margin improvement, savings, growth or other business outcome is promised or guaranteed. Users remain responsible for verifying their information and making their own pricing and business decisions.
The current workbook is designed for Microsoft Excel. Functionality or formatting in other spreadsheet applications may vary.