Building A Thriving Wholesale Business with Sadie Young

Hey, guys. One of the most popular products being sold in boutiques today is maybe not what you think. Yes, there's a lot of women's apparel. Yes, there's a lot of shoes.

Yes, there's a lot of jewelry.

But you know what's made a huge, huge comeback, especially with COVID and with people working at home, is candles. And yes, you can buy candles anywhere. But I tell you what, what people love most is candles with a story and candles that make you feel special, special when you purchase them. That's why today I'm so excited to have Sadie Young. She's the founder of Flickr and Flame, an up and coming boutique brand that has a great line of candles and matching accessories. Today, Sadie is going to talk to you about all the shipping ins and outs that you might need to know when it comes to candles, what it's like to live sell when you can't smell a candle. This is really interesting.

And also for those of you that.

Are not just boutique owners, but those of you that are wholesale brands as well, she talks about the ins and outs of starting a wholesale brand and selling both retail and wholesale. And to me personally, I think this is such a great example of retail and wholesale sides of the industry making great partnerships. It's not just about the retailer being successful or the wholesaler being successful, but about both coming together in a partnership that's successful. So I hope you love this episode. I can't wait for you to meet Sadie. She is such a gem and a ray of light. You're to going, going to love this, especially the story she tells about her husband. Enjoy this episode, you guys.

Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works from mainstream fashion to fashion on Main street and the entire ecosystem behind it. How do we scale your company and do it with the balance and the happiness that we all seek? Let's hear from those insiders, experts and strategists that actually make it happen. I'm your host, Ashley Alderson from the boutique hub and I can't wait to chat.

Hey, guys, welcome back to the podcast. This week we're in audio and video and I love the perspective we're about to get into today. Sadie, I'm so excited to have you on the podcast. Sadie Young, the founder of Flickr and Flame Candles. We have a lot of perspectives we're going to take on the wholesale industry, the retail industry, selling candles through live sales, all of it. I'm just pumped to have you here. Thanks for joining us today. Oh my gosh.

Thank you so much for having me. It's such an honor to be here.

Well, if anyone doesn't know about you and your candle company yet, they're gonna, you know, soon find out all the details. But before they do, you probably have one of the coolest backstories that I have heard from a founder, both in wholesale and retail, and how you came into this business. So tell us about how you got started with Flickr and Flame.

Yeah. So I was in pharmacy school and we, me and my husband were also planning our wedding. So you. Lots of fun, busy things going on in life. And we were trying to plan our getaway car and I was like, oh my gosh, a getaway car. He had always talked about wanting his first truck back. So how in the world could I get this truck back, surprise him with it at our wedding? It was the first truck he ever had. When he was 16, we went on our first date in it. It had a name, like, just super sentimental. And it was an old truck, don't get me wrong, it was nothing special, but I was working 10 hours a week as a pharmacy intern, so obviously I had no money. And so I had bought candles and spent way too much money on them. And I was like, well, maybe I should make candles. And I just kind of did it for fun. My background is in like chemistry, and so I love the science of it. So it just kind of happened that it worked out that way. And then I was like, well, maybe I should sell the candles to earn enough money to buy the truck. So I started selling candles out of the trunk of my car in our local grocery store parking lot. It's probably pretty sketchy now that I say that out loud, but what was in those candles?

That's the question.

For real?

No kidding.

That's probably what the people in the parking lot were wondering. But I started selling the candles, wrote a check for the truck, surprisingly, on our wedding day. And candles have just flicker and flame was born after that.

So I've got to back up because first, what kind of truck was it and how did you even track it down? Like, did you know who owned the truck?

Not at all. It was an old. They called it a 1998 and a half. I don't know. Supposedly it's unique. It's Chevrolet Silverado, like it was. It had camo wrap around the bottom. Just such a 16 year old truck, you know. So anyway, we, we, me, him, his mom and me started calling. We knew who he sold it to and so we called Them. And we tracked it down through four owners, and when we got to it, it was sitting on blocks, so. So it was not running. So not only did I have to buy the truck back, I had to convince this man to fix it up for me and get it in running condition in, like three months. That's true.

Oh, my gosh. And what was your husband's reaction when he saw it?

Well, this is funny. My favorite part of this is the women's reaction to this story is better than his reaction. He's just not very. He was like, it's not actually Betty, though. The truck's name was Betty. And he was like, it's not actually Betty. And I was like, but it's is. Check the VIN number. So he. He's a very, like, level. You know, he's not very excited. So women's reactions like, oh, my gosh. You know, so I love that.

That's like, every woman's dream is to have her husband actually do that for her in reverse. So we're all living vicariously through you if the roles were reversed. So from pharmacy school into candle making, at what point did you see, like, oh, my gosh, I'm actually building a legit business that has an opportunity here. I'm going to go down this path. And when you made that decision, how did your family take that decision?

Oh, man, this is. You know, and honestly, I haven't even, like, announced it to the world that I have officially quit pharmacy school, which people who are closest to me, they know. But it was, you know, I was really not even.

I got to a point where I.

Was doing my rotations and I was like, man, this is just not what I had envisioned being a pharmacist would be. And so I could not. I went to my rotation and I was like, okay, if I don't. If I can't see myself doing this every day, then I'm going to take on Flickr and Flame full time. And we had been doing online sales before that, and I really hadn't even got major into the wholesale world yet. But, you know, when I just went to that rotation and said, nope, I can't do this every day, I knew that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life doing that.

Yeah. Following your passion. I love that. So you decided to use this podcast, I guess, to announce to the world that you've officially quit pharmacy school. Congratulations. Glad to share the news with everybody. So when you. When you started to really have candles, that took off. Right. At some point, you Were like, oh, I should wholesale these. I know that's a learning curve. Most people are googling, like, how to wholesale. What does this look like? What was that experience like for you as you uncovered that part of your journey?

Oh, wow. My background is in no part business. I'm not business minded, naturally, like when I say all of this, like, God just opened doors for me and he puts people in my life that can, you know, lead me there and help me along the way. And so Jules and James Boutique, they are. I'm in this next town over from them. And so Leah and Allison got me into the wholesale world. They are amazing. So Leah was like, you should go to Martin. I was like, no, I'm not capable of that. And she's like, but you are. You should do it. And so they were my first wholesale account, and they kind of got me into the wholesale world. And Leah has just helped me along the way, and they've both given me advice and been super helpful.

Yeah, that's a heck of a wholesale account to land your first one. That's a big deal. And I mean, they couldn't be nicer people. So that's amazing to see that unfold. You've. You've learned a lot. Not just in, you know, coming wholesale right out of the gate, but something that you do that I find really unique for candles, right, is live selling and maximizing video. And I guess the question is, how does someone successfully sell candles through a live sale when you can't smell them? What does that look like for you?

Oh, I wish I could invent Smell O Vision because it would be even better, but I feel like getting on there. And when you're excited about a product, it doesn't matter if it's a candle, if it's a shirt, if it's. Whatever it is, if you're genuinely excited about, makes other people excited about it. And then also I feel like hearing something. I can, you know, I can read something online all day long, but when someone describes it to me and I can hear their voice, that totally makes a difference, in my opinion. And I really saw a difference in our, you know, our. Our brand in general when I started live selling.

Man, we always tell people in retail bootcamp that people don't remember what they bought from you, but they remember how you made them feel. And the same is true for candles, right? You can buy a candle anywhere. There's a million candles out there, but what they're buying is what you're selling them personally. They're buying the experience with you and the emotion you create. What other tips can you share about going live that have worked really well for you? Yeah.

So getting on there and being just who you really are. So we do these events and we go out and we see the community and they see who we are, how we are. And then we get on the live sales and we do the exact same thing. So we talk to them, you know, just like we would if we were on the phone with them. So we're replying to their comments. And it's just a very natural way. It doesn't have to be anything that's staged. And that was my thing at first. I was like, oh my gosh, I have to put on a show. And you know, that wasn't really it at all. I just had to get on there and talk to them like I'm talking to you.

Yeah, that's so true. Just being so natural and also, I'm sure, super consistent. How have you built out time managing a growing business and consistency. Yes.

So it was difficult at first while still in pharmacy school because it was like, what test am I going to have this week? And you know, who knew what kind of studying was going to go on. But since then I have been able to schedule a live every other Thursday night. And it's kind of different because we don't have, you know, we're not getting new arrivals every week. Like I know a lot of boutiques, they're getting tons of new arrivals, but we usually get on there and do some bundle deals or we do a launch of a new product or a new scent or, you know, we just kind of change it up and rotate it out and then we keep some of our staples in there as well because we are growing so quickly. So we have a lot of new customers on there every week as well.

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About expanding your product line too, because as I look through your website and, you know, see what you're all selling. It's not just candles, but you've done a good job of expanding to related products that support your. Your candle brand.

Yes. So we started with candles, and then I always say we got a little bit crazy and then did everything that smelled good. So there are still some products that I want to do soon, but it's just one thing at a time. But we started with candles, and we did a couple different sizes, kept it pretty simple. And then I realized that we should do seasonal scents. And then I didn't want to offer our seasonal scents any time of the year because it creates the demand for it during that time of year. So if somebody wants a sweet fig candle, they better get it from August to November or you're not going to get it. So that creates that just urgency, I guess, to start stock up if that's your favorite scent or what have you. But we, we started doing room sprays and car fresheners, and it just offers a good variety, a range of price points. You know, just a whole home fragrance line.

I love that. I'm sure one of the biggest learning curves you face, which maybe there's a couple you want to share, but I'm sure one that a lot of people could relate to is shipping. Shipping heavy candles.

Right.

Unbreakable items. What are maybe some lessons you learned along that piece that boutique owners and wholesalers could both relate to?

At first, I feel like I fell flat on my face over and over and over. The. Like you said, it's glass, heavy glass products. So shipping one was pretty simple. You know, pad it really well, all that good stuff. But shipping hundreds of them was a different story. So I used our shipping account representative as a huge resource. I'm like, look, I know other people do this. Can you please tell me how I can do this most efficiently? And so they gave me some tips and pointers and, you know, shipping times, that's just something that's like out of your control at some point. And so that has been so difficult to deal with because once it leaves your hands, it's so hard to. To make everybody happy when there's delays and things like that. So I would say that tips and advice that you can never, ever add too many packing peanuts. That is like my golden rule of shipping candles.

Never enough. I also, I love that you mentioned.

That you work with your.

Your rep. I think that new boutique owners and new wholesalers don't always realize they have that resource available to them, Right?

Absolutely. They have Been a huge resource for me, and we've even gotten new ones. And every time I'm like, I know that they can help, so I'm just gonna go ahead, give them a phone call. I'm gonna become best friends with them. I'm gonna make friends with my pickup drivers. Like, we are going to make this a relationship so that it's not, you know, they're just responding to my emails and never really know who I am. I want them to. I want to know them, and I want them to know me, and I want them to know that I care.

Yeah, that's so good. As you look back at just the startup process and the fast growth that you've had, are there other lessons you feel like you've learned so far that you're so thankful you did right away?

Well, I don't know that I've completely mastered this yet, but lessons I have learned or need to continue learning is when to say no. I'm a yes girl. I want to say yes to everybody. I want to make everybody happy. I want to make every boutique in the world a custom scent with a custom design. And, you know, there's only so much that I can do. And so I have put way too much on my plate, and that stretches me too thin. And then, you know, it's with good intentions, but it causes problems down the road. And so that is definitely something I learned very quickly, is I need to say no more. And I'm working on it still, but it's in the back of my mind.

Oh, we just did this whole training a while back about time management and the difference in priority versus priorities. Right. Which is such a wiggle word. And just how to step into being able to say no. And it's funny because sometimes you actually have to practice it. Like, you have to look in the mirror and go, no.

Like, I'm gonna really use my Midwest.

Accent and really carry the O as much as I have to, because it. Sometimes it's painful to say no to the things that you really want to do, and you do feel like you're serving others, but you identified this, that when you think it's laced with good intentions and you're really helping other people, you're really not at the end of the day. Right. And so I think people want more of what they can't have. So sometimes being able to create that space and create that boundary, just like you're doing with your scent. So people have to come back when it's in stock. Right. You've created demand for your time. Because if you don't value your time, no one else will. That is a hard lesson to learn.

Oh, it is so hard. Very, very. It takes a lot of self control.

Yes. What are you most looking forward to? What's your next big goal in business?

Oh, my goodness. There are so many goals that we have. We just got a warehouse with a loading dock and I am super pumped about that. That was like, we checked that one off last week, so that was like my next major goal. And after this, we are going to start cutting down our turnaround times. So, you know, Mar, I'm giving people four or five week turnaround times. These are handmade. There's only a few of us. You know, it is very much a family business, small owned. But my major, major goal, especially for 2021 is to get them these things quickly because I know how big, salient Mar and pre orders and you know, we go live at Mark and then they're like, oh, we have to wait four weeks. So I hate, I hate telling people that. So major goal, cut down those turnaround times and get super fast at that.

Yeah, that's a, that's a big growth jump in business. Right.

It takes a lot of planning, a lot of forecasting, logistics and things that. It honestly makes me laugh. I never thought I'd have been doing this.

You know, everyone sees on Instagram like, oh, you should be a small business owner. Like, doesn't that look glamorous? And. And it turns out to be like the sexiest things we talk about are logistics and systems and processes. Like if I had a dollar for every time I said systems and processes, I'd be rich. It is not about making the TikToks that no one cares about, you know, a week down the road. So totally agree with you on that. Yeah. What about. I know you sell both retail and you sell wholesale. And I feel like that is an ongoing conversation in our industry of how does that work? How can we maximize that? And some people love it and some people hate it. So I would love your perspective on this because I do not live in a world of black and white. I live in lots of shades of gray. Not 50 of them, but there's always different opinions. Right. So tell me your take on selling retail and wholesale both and how to be successful there.

Yeah. So I think first of all, it is so important. I have seen the importance of building your brand. So as a brand, it would not be cool for a boutique to carry flicker and flame if flicker and flame wasn't cool. So building our reputation has been something that I have heavily focused on over growing our retail business. So just building the reputation that we are a small business, our story, our quality, we're modern, luxe, all of those things. Building that reputation around our brand is so important for wholesale as well. So that's kind of my take on it. And, you know, if there's. There's always the concern of, well, so and so down the street, you know, they want to carry your candles as well. You know, there's always option of private labeling with us. Like, there's so many ways you can get around it. But I also think that it's just important to have the name around the business so that when somebody sees that you carry Flicker and Flame, well, they want to come into your store to purchase that. And we don't have a brick and mortar, and I have no intentions of having a brick and mortar ever. That is way more than I can imagine. So, yeah, you know, just having that advantage. And also, we don't offer free shipping. There's certain products that we don't offer retail that we offer wholesale and so on. So that's just my perspective on it. I know everybody feels a little bit different about that, but that's my opinion.

I think that's really helpful. And you're right. You said it right away when. If people don't think Flickr and Flame is cool, right, then why would the boutique think they're cool? And I think that goes a really long way. You're creating a brand and you're creating demand, and that's why retailers and wholesalers together form partnerships. When one is successful, so is the other one. And. And I also love that you said you offer things wholesale, that you don't necessarily offer retail, so there's always a perk in it for that partnership. I think that goes a long way.

Absolutely. I'm definitely looking to grow with the boutiques and not use them to boost me and then leave them hanging. So I definitely love the boutique hub and the relationships that it allows me to build. You know, just, I. I knew it in my head, but it's like, how do I get there? And it's like boutique hub. So it was a great solution. I love it.

Thank you. I appreciate that. As you think about, you know, the boutiques that you've been able to meet through the hub and your customer base, what do you think that your most successful customers, boutique owners, what do you think the most successful ones have in common? What do you see them doing?

So I would Say that people the. The highest reorders or the highest volume orders, they always do a lot with me. So it is hard for someone who doesn't know, like, scent notes and the description and about our brand just in general to get on there and talk about it. You know, they're like, oh, this candle smells great. Okay, well, the next candle smells great. So it's. I see more success, more sales when we do a live sale together, and I'm able to talk about our brand, our candles, the scents, and so on. I see a lot. A lot more success that way.

That's really interesting. So is that mainly at market that you're doing?

Yes.

Okay. Yeah. That's so good. Well, any other areas of advice that you would give to growing wholesalers that are just getting their business started or just maybe they had a great personal brand and product, and now they're venturing into wholesale. Any tips for success for them?

Man, just stay consistent. There's so many times, so many growing pains and so many times that I'm like, this is not worth it. It is. You know, I could double this money retail or, you know, I'm having to do so much more work for so much less money, but it is so worth it in the end because it is building your brand and is building your reputation, and it is. You know, these boutiques are coming back to reorder, double, triple. It'll pay off. It just takes building that relationship and getting through those growing pains.

Yeah, that's really good advice. Well, Sadie, I know you listen to the podcast, so you probably already know the last question I have to ask you, but I love this question because, you know, it really goes back to your why. And I love that you opened with a story about you and your husband and the truck and just, you know, the mission of the person that you want to be. So at the end of the line, right, we'll say 30 years down the road, and you're sitting on the front porch with your grandkids and you're talking about the life you lived and flicker and flame and all that you did. What is the thing that you want them to remember most about you and the life you lived?

I want them to know that I had a plan for my life, and it was pharmacy school, and it was being a pharmacist and living this clean little life. And then God came in and he gave me opportunities and opened doors for me, and I obeyed him and I, you know, I went for the dream. And I always say, like, dreams don't chase you so I could have walked away from it and Flickering Flame would not have beat my door down begging me to, you know, go with it. So I hope that they always know that they can do the same thing and that their life is more than, you know, whatever they had planned originally. Yeah.

That's so good. Sadie, thanks so much for being with us today and for being a part of the Hub and for sharing your story and for giving inspiration both to our Boutique listeners and to our wholesale listeners as well. Appreciate it.

Thank you so much for having me. This is such a fan girl moment.

I love it.

Thanks, Sadie. Bye. Thanks.

Hey guys, thank you so much for.

Listening to this episode.

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