Candle / Bath & Body vs Digital Products, startup cost comparison, StartupLenz

Candle / Bath & Body

Cosmetic and home fragrance products with raw materials, compliance, and DTC costs

Gross$2,244

Net profit$-1,503

Margin-67.0%

Orders/mo60

Materials$630 28%

Packaging$144 6%

Labor$1,540 69%

Etsy fees$103 5%

Shipping$230 10%

Fixed costs$1,100 49%

launch · 1–3$-1,362

traction · 4–8$-1,503

scale · 9–12$-1,645

Losing money. Likely fixes: cut wholesale share, raise price, or reduce material cost per unit.

Higher net

Templates, presets, courses, printables — sell once, deliver instantly, no inventory.

Gross$2,514

Net profit$1,802

Margin71.7%

Orders/mo80

Refunds$78 3%

Payment fees$75 3%

Marketplace fees$201 8%

Affiliate payout$75 3%

Ad spend$300 12%

Fixed costs$60 2%

launch · 1–3$856

traction · 4–8$2,235

scale · 9–12$4,316

Excellent margins. Your real asset is the email list — you're capturing ~120 new subs/month.