Ariane Scholl from Hearth and Hammer shares the secret to staying organized when business is booming

Ariane stumbled on an idea for a business while she was making wedding favors for her best friends on the side. In less than a year, making candles went from a fun hobby to a serious source of income for her and her husband, as stores all over the United States are lining up to stock their literary-themed products. 

We couldn’t wait to find out more about how she keeps her days organized with so much going on and what's next for Ariane in 2016!Name: Ariane Scholl

Business: Hearth and Hammer Candles

Started: February of 2015

How did you get the idea for starting Hearth and Hammer?

My husband and I rent a room at 715 Vintage, a co-op store in Batavia, Illinois, where we sell antique outdoor goods. 

It’s a side project for both of us — he’s a graphic designer and I’m a part-time nanny. When we got married last year, I decided to make candles as gifts for our bridesmaids and groomsmen by melting down wax, mixing it with essential oils and pouring it into vintage teacups. I liked it so much that I decided to keep making candles and eventually I put them up for sale in our shop.

Before this, I was an elementary school teacher for six years, but I quit my job to pursue a more creative career. I don’t remember when I decided to make literary candles specifically, but I’ve always loved reading. 

One day, I asked my husband to design my some labels based on my favorite books. He thought it was a great idea, and he did an awesome job of bringing our six designs to life. 

Our candle sales are now much higher than what we sell from our collection of vintage outdoor goods. We mainly just use the vintage items to decorate our candle stalls at craft fairs now, because the candles have completely taken over the business!

When did you know your business was going to work?

Last week! We got invited to an Etsy wholesale event for the first time and we met a lot of wholesalers who loved our candles. The majority of our orders are now wholesale, which we always thought would be the case — most people want to be able to smell a scented candle before they pay $16 for it.

Since then, we’ve definitely been getting a lot more attention and we’re actually at the point where we may have to turn orders down. 

I don’t want to turn this business into a giant thing — I’m happy with a few recurring orders that I can stay on top of.

How do you price your products?

Pricing vintage goods is difficult because the items are only worth what people will pay for them. 

Candles are much simpler. We have an equation that takes into account how much everything costs, our time and the fact that we still need to make a profit when we sell to wholesalers half price. 

We also look at what others are selling candles for to stay in line with our competition — we make a high quality product, but we need to keep the prices affordable so our customers are happy.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I still work part-time, but when I’m working on Hearth and Hammer stuff I try to do one main task a day. 

So, for example, I might pack all our online orders and get them out for shipping one day, and I might spend the whole next day in the kitchen making candles. 

I start by melting wax in two pans that can take four pounds of wax each, which gives me enough for about 16 candles. Then I mix in fragrance oils and wick the jars before pouring in the scented wax. When they’re set, I label them and hand write the date.

Even though I try to devote entire days to single projects, it doesn’t always happen like that. There’s always something pressing that needs to be done. 

I spend roughly two hours each day answering emails, occasionally from Etsy buyers but mainly from wholesalers. Now that we have routine wholesale buyers, I have less work to do because I’m no longer chasing business. 

When I’ve got a lot going on, I get organized by writing down the top three things I need to get done that day and I try not to get distracted. I’m not the most organized person, but creative people are supposed to be messily organized, right?! Having deadlines and small targets keep me in line.

In my spare time, I like to read and write and my husband likes to work with leather and practice calligraphy. Two days a week we take the train downtown together and try to get breakfast or a coffee before going to work. On the weekends, we jump in the car and visit new towns to check out their vintage stores and coffee shops.

If you could go back in time, what’s the one thing you’d do differently in starting your business?

I’d do a lot of things differently if I had more money! 

Looking back now, I wish I had relaxed a bit more and taken time to enjoy the quiet period before everything took off. I used to just make a few candles a day at a relaxed pace, but now my days can be hectic. 

Things changed very rapidly for the business when we started to sell wholesale and they will probably continue to do so. I’m trying harder to just live in the moment.

What would you like to learn today from a network of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?

We’re interested in donating some of our profits to a children’s charity and in forming partnerships with local schools, but right now I have no idea how to go about that. 

If anyone here has experience with this type of thing, I’d be really interested to know how the process works! It'd be nice to know how to make contact with people, what the tax regulations are and anything else we might need to consider before we start donating a portion of our profits. 

 All photos above by Beth Priddy Photography

 Can you help Ariane learn how to begin donating a portion of her proceeds to a local charity or school?

If this is a process you're familiar with, share your story with us below! 

Can't wait to hear more about your experiences. :-)