£4k/Month Company is Just Starting with Marketing

This insightful conversation with Great Home Farm Stores, a small scented candle business founded by sisters Rona and Abby, reveals the common challenges many small business owners face when transitioning from startup to sustainable operation.

The business profile:

• Four-year-old sustainable candle company based in Monmouthshire, Wales
• Currently generating approximately £50K in annual revenue
• Offers 40+ SKUs including refillable scented candles, tea lights, and gift sets
• Handmade products with premium pricing (approximately £50 per candle)
• Strong ethical focus with sustainable materials and production methods

Despite creating beautiful products and gaining press attention, the founders aren’t yet able to pay themselves. They’re at the critical juncture where they need to transform their passion project into a profitable business.

Key marketing challenges:

• Increasing overall sales volume to reach profitability
• Driving sales during off-peak seasons (non-holiday periods)
• Finding time for strategic analysis when deeply involved in operations
• Determining how to make digital advertising effective with limited budget

The sisters have set a target of 1.5x growth (£75K) for the coming year, but this may be too conservative to achieve true sustainability. A more ambitious goal would likely be required to support paying themselves a meaningful income.

Digital marketing status:

• Limited monthly ad spend (£300 on Google Ads)
• No shopping campaigns, only search advertising
• Attempting to target generic terms like “refillable candles”
• Not leveraging retargeting opportunities on Meta
• Email marketing performing well but could be expanded
• Good organic traffic from press coverage and SEO

Strategic recommendations:

• Define clear personal income goals to determine required business revenue
• Work backward from income goals to establish realistic business targets
• Focus marketing budget on highest-performing products rather than spreading thinly
• Use Google Search Console to identify niche search terms where they can compete
• Implement shopping campaigns to capture visual-based product searches
• Focus Meta advertising on retargeting existing visitors rather than cold audiences
• Emphasise their sustainability story to justify premium pricing

A critical insight was the need to focus on retargeting existing website visitors and leads rather than trying to reach entirely new audiences with their limited budget. This approach acknowledges the consideration required for premium-priced products.

Moving forward:

• Implement BEAR framework (Brand, Email, Ads, Referral) to track marketing effectiveness
• Determine specific revenue targets rather than general “sustainable growth”
• Analyse product performance to identify true best-sellers for marketing focus
• Create a structured digital marketing approach rather than fragmented efforts
• Build confidence in appropriately valuing their work and paying themselves

This case study perfectly illustrates how passionate entrepreneurs must shift from viewing their business as purely a creative outlet to seeing it as a vehicle for financial sustainability. The sisters have created something beautiful, but now need the business acumen to match their creative talents.

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