Entrepreneur Spouses: House Parties

A dear friend of mine, not to mention my favorite candle supplier, Deb Ragsdale is a Navy wife and, like many of us, has an Etsy. LilacAve has been around for a few years and she was gracious enough to let us in behind the scenes to learn how military wives, like herself, can take their Etsy shops on the road and host delightful house parties! Since her new venture into the world of house parties, she has since begun to add to her candle collection lotions, soaps, gift baskets and more! Truly, an inspiration for us all! Below is my interview with her:

Why did you started hosting house parties?

I started doing my own house parties when we were stationed in Hawaii. It was a great way to get the wives from our command to come together and meet each other. At first, the parties allowed everyone to create their own custom soy candle and a table to buy more of my candles if they wished, that were featured in my Etsy shop.

When we moved to Georgia I continued to host parties. They were fun and a great way to meet people—not to mention a great way to spread the word locally about my business. But in Georgia I didn’t know anyone and because my husband was on shore duty there wasn’t much opportunity to get just the “wives” together. Only one person showed up to my party while I lived in Georgia.

Now, this is where it changed for me… I thought, “Scentsy does it, Partylite does it, so why can’t LilacAve do it, too?” I am the only one that offers soy candles, the only one that offers handmade, and the only one that offers complete customization of the customers choices.

At that time, a friend of mine in the Dallas metroplex offered to be my “guinea pig”. I’m originally from Dallas, so between the two of us, we were able to gather 13 people together for the first LilacAve candle house party!

How you organized/networked your first party?

First, I sent my friend samples of candles: one in each size I offer and scent samples for all the scents offered. She also got 10 catalogs and many order forms—as well as directions as to how to fill out the order forms, how to send in payment, how she would get her commission and discounts, and the time frame for the orders to be filled within. She was fully prepared by the time she finished reading her guide!

Next, she invited her friends and also posted her invite on Facebook. The attendees loved getting to gather together for some socializing and candle smelling. I know they had a great time because when she called me during the party with a question, you could hear all the party chatter in the background with laughter and excitement!

What goes on during your parties?

During the party the Hostess will talk to the benefits of a soy candle (the long lasting, clean scent, and environmentally friendly factors). She will show the different candle sizes, and everyone will socialize and smell all the samples. Then, the customer gets to mix and match which containers, scent, and even paper packaging that they would prefer.

Next, they fill out the order forms and set up payment. They can pay by credit card, paypal, or check. The hostess will mail the payments to me and the order filling process begins! Turn-around is around 2 – 3 weeks and all orders are shipped to the hostess for her to deliver to her customers.

Does your parties have any customer perks?

Some perks for party customers include free gifts, such as a free votive candle, and sometimes special pricing. The ability to physically smell the candles is undeniably a perk as it’s not an online shopping possibility.

What are the advantages for being a Hostess of one of your parties?

Hostesses will recieve a Commission from all the sales they take from their party, as well as discounts on their personal purchases.

How can others get started to become a hostess for your next party?

They can contact me at LilacAve{at}gmail{dot}com. I will send them information on the starter kit (with candle samples), and information on hostess benefits, etc.

Tips for evolving one’s business during PCS moves?

If you are a small business, not every PCS is going to be the same as the last, to survive and grow, you have to think out of the box.

What’s your number one tip for selling handmade online?

Love what you sell, and believe in the product.

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