Liability when selling or showing how to make candles

[mareofnight]

I've gotten interested in making candles, especially unusual ones - odd wick materials (just wood so far), shapes that collapse as the candle burns or make the wax flow interestingly, that sort of thing.

I'm looking for a side gig, and I'd really like to do something with this interest. But I hear it's hard to get liability insurance just for regular candle making, and the kinds I find interesting might be uninsurable. (I suspect this is why candle makers don't seem very adventurous.)

Could I self insure? Would making videos or a website showing how to make odd candles be a better option? (I'd use affiliate links if I wanted to make that a business.)

I do know that people can name both a LLC and it's owner when suing, so forming a LLC isn't a cure-all.

[ooeei]

Creating a website for it sounds like a good idea to me.  Instructional videos (with a disclaimer) should be good.  I think sites like ehow and instructables pay out to the instruction creator per view.  Something like that might be worth looking into, as they're already well established and you wouldn't need to deal with setting up a website, SEO, server crashes, etc.

[GrowingTheGreen]

I am not sure if going the how-to route really solves your liability issue.

You mentioned that "you hear" hat it's difficult to obtain insurance, but have you reached out to any companies to get a quote? I think that would be a wise first step. If it's affordable, then go for it. It sounds like you'd enjoy making them more than you'd enjoy the website idea. Heck... Do both!

[mareofnight]

Website would require making them, so I think I'd enjoy that too :)

I do have to try asking, and I will if I get further with this. I guess I just have a pretty strong gut feeling about what I'll find, since no one else is doing this.