HAPPY 2023 EVERYONE! I do hope you had a super Christmas and are ready to brace whatever is thrown at us this year! (Some warmer weather would be good…..)
I’m excited to say that next month we celebrate 10 years of being in business, something I’m hugely proud of and never expected when I started my little cottage industry back in 2013. The reason for our longevity can be put down to a number of things, but primarily the fact that I have always been able to react to changing circumstances.
Each January I sit down and examine every sector of my business, from the range that I offer, the events I plan to attend, the workshops I’ll be running and even the packaging I’ll be using. This is critical and is often the hardest part of the year as tough decisions have to be made. This is none more so than in 2023, a year I feel is going to present many, many hurdles.
Each January I sit down and examine every sector of my business, from the range that I offer, the events I plan to attend, the workshops I’ll be running and even the packaging I’ll be using. This is critical and is often the hardest part of the year as tough decisions have to be made. This is none more so than in 2023, a year I feel is going to present many, many hurdles.
I currently offer up to 30 fragrances at any one time of the year and this has to change. Basic economies of scale have to come into play and it’s very obvious that if I plan on continuing with TWCC, I have to cull a number of the items I offer. I therefore intend to reduce my fragrances on offer BY HALF. This is a major undertaking and obviously a risk, but to purchase oils in the quantities that I need to in order to keep my RRP at a sensible level, I can only do this by offering a maximum of 15 fragrances. To put this into context, if I buy 5KG of each of the fragrances I currently do (which is the best way to keep my prices low), I have to find £11K to pay for them. As a small business, I simply can’t tie that kind of cash up.
I have some clear favourites – Sea Salt & Wood Sage, Rose & Oud and Winter’s Walk are obvious front runners in customer choice, but some are far more difficult to decide upon. I’ll be making these changes over the coming few weeks and there will be a large quantity of products going into the clearance section on my website – so do keep your eyes open.
I will also be introducing some room sprays into the mix. Maybe half a dozen, but these are becoming very popular, particularly as we are all spending so much more time at home. There will also be some mini glass candles introduced in giftset form – as always a perfect gift, beautifully packaged at a reasonable price, which is something we’ve become synonymous with.
Our Mood of the Month melts will continue – with March and April’s choices being added shortly.
Clear glassware is being completely discontinued (I’d already warned of that), but the apothecary glasses that have been so popular, WILL continue, but they’ll grow by another 60ml and now – at 180ml, will give an average burntime of 45 hours. These will need to undergo rigorous testing so won’t appear until a few months from now.
There will, of course, be limited editions available at Christmas in addition to my core 15, but these will only be available for the last 3 months of the year.
I hope everyone understands my need to do this, I do like to try to be transparent where I can. Every business has to adapt as the year’s unfold and we have to do what is right for us, given the circumstances we are trading in. My aim is always to offer a quality product at a reasonable price and by making these changes, I can continue to do that.
Thank you for continuing to follow my journey, as always, your support means such a lot to me.
Jo x