How do I sell my soap or candle making business?

If you make soap or candles, the craft lives in your hands. A buyer cannot buy your hands, so your task before a sale is to turn what you know into something another person can follow. That work takes time, so start well before you speak to anyone. The steps below are the ones that most help a maker business transfer.

Write down the recipes and the process

Put every formula, supplier and step on paper: ingredients, quantities, mixing and curing methods, and the quirks that only you know. Keep batch records current. Decide who has copies and keep them private until a buyer is serious and has signed a confidentiality agreement. Your lawyer can advise on protecting the recipes during the sale.

Plan the training and the handover

Offer a training period where the buyer works alongside you through a full production cycle. A handover period is a common part of a sale. Agree in writing how long you will stay and what you will teach. Introduce the buyer to key stockists and suppliers so the relationships carry over.

Gather the brand, accounts and stock

List what the sale includes: the brand name, website, social accounts, customer and stockist lists, equipment, supplies and finished stock. Count the inventory so the number is not a surprise at closing. Our page on selling a home-based business covers what changes when the workshop is in your house.

Make it run without you

Hire or train someone to make a batch, and take a real break while they do. If the business holds up, a buyer sees that it does not depend on you alone. If it does not, you have learned what to fix before listing.