Fun In The Web World

Learning To Build A Website

For the last three weeks I have been building the website for RCM myself. This has allowed for me to learn a lot in a very short time.  I have never built a website prior to this, however I took a headfirst dive straight into the flames to see how I would do!

Well yesterday I learned how to make the Paypal buttons to sell my handmade candles directly on the site

royalcourtmeadery.com

Up to a night or two ago I had been doing it all myself, when a good friend asked to see the site, and then jumped in with tons of pointers without any prompting!

Before I knew it she was asking me if I had any logo ideas in mind. I said I did but had no skills with graphic design.

I took the time to explain to her what I was looking for in a logo and she got really excited.

One thing led to another and that night she sent me the first of sketch of what she had come up with, it was amazing!

More details when I hear back from her after our recommendations for simple changes...

Keep A Candle Lit!

So last time I explained the opportunity that has come our way. And now I would like to share another opportunity that has grown from our actively seeking the venture to keep bees...

And that opportunity is Beeswax Candles!

In an effort to keep my hype and excitement up through the winter months about the coming of the bees for my hives, I started making beeswax candles.

I started simply with a 6 pack of metal votive candle molds, and a 1 pond block of beeswax from the local craft store, and very quickly became addicted to making my own candles. 

I went through my first pound of wax in less than three days, and probably burnt every candle I made in my excitement!

Then I started thinking to myself...

I bet I could sell these!

So I tested my best market, which at this time was FanBox.com

http://fanbox.com/dl8v

I created listings 5 100% Beeswax votive candles available for sale at $5 each, built a few ads at ten cents cost per click, and shared my product with my fellow bloggers.

That was all it took, people almost instantly started raving about the candles I was providing, and I did $60 in sales in my first week. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but that was the same week I started making candles!

I have already shipped my homemade candles to 6 different states, and have 3 more orders to go out to 3 more states as soon as I can ship after the holidays again!

And if that wasn't kicker enough to motivate me to create and sell more candles, the owner of a local artisan shop approached me and offered me shelf space in his store to display and sell my candles. And they are willing to let me demonstrate my weaving this spring to help draw in more business for all involved.

So almost overnight I have become a candle-making sensation. 

I have more wax and candle molds on order, and am eagerly awaiting that to arrive, as I have run out of wax and it has become a bit of a habit to make a fresh batch of candles every night once the kids and wife go to bed.

Until the next time, keep a candle burning!

The Opportunity

12/3/2012

So recently my family and I were given an opportunity...
An opportunity that got our hopes very high.
It was the opportunity to start our lives over in a new state, with a better paying job for my wife, and potential financial backers for my brewing hobby.

We packed up everything we owned and pounced on this opportunity, we had been looking for a way out of the trailer park, and out from under the ever increasing lot rent payments, and of course people interested in taking my hobby to a profession hit a cord as well!

If things ever went according to plan, I would be thoroughly shocked....

So here we are living in Sheboygan WI, everyone is a touch happier than they were, my wife is vying for a permanent position at the factory she got into through a temp agency, and we are free of the trailer in Goshen, IN.

But as for the business potential on my brewing hobby, well that has been put on hold. However it has afforded us a unique opportunity to start keeping our own bees!

One of Sarah's co-workers, was talking with her about our goals with the mead and asked her "Why don't you keep your own bees?"  She answered very simply that we didn't have the land to put them on, and he said that he had 75 acres we could put hives onto the following spring!

Of course, I didn't have any beehives, and hadn't done any beekeeping since high school, but that hasn't stopped me. I put out word to friends and family that I was looking to start keeping my own bees.  Soon my father came to me and said I found patterns for hives, they will cost $35 for the patterns and said that I could just pay him for the lumber.  I commissioned for hives! They are on my back porch awaiting the bees I reserved for this upcoming spring.

And now a friend in Michigan has offered up enough hive boxes to easily build 4 more hives. My father has volunteered(for the cost of gas), to go pick them up for me and drive them from Michigan to Wisconsin, after he makes sure they all have bases, lids, and extra honey boxes. This doubles my hives and brings me up to 8!

So in a very short span of time I became a "Bee-man", and I haven't even picked up a bee smoker since I was 18 years old!
Just always remember every failure has an equal measure of opportunity, sometimes you just have to look a little deeper than your accustomed to allowing yourself to see.