Should you give your products away to family for free?

Conversations with a Small Business Owner #1

This conversation started after I posted on Threads about my dad being my biggest supporter. He had just placed a reorder for over $100 worth of candles, and I was so excited.

My dad has always been the creative type, so when my sister and I came to him over two years ago with the idea of starting our own business, he was thrilled.

I laid out all my ideas, and he gave honest feedback, helped us design a logo, and then stepped back—this was our venture, and we were in charge of every decision.

As a business owner himself, he’d check in now and then to see how things were going, but he never interfered.

Then one day, he placed an order. Just a small one—a gift for my grandma.

I was over the moon. It was early in the business, sales were slow, and that small order felt huge.

A few months later, he placed a much larger order—over $100 worth of candles. My mom had fallen in love with a few scents, and he was restocking her stash.

I took a screenshot of the order, posted it to Threads, and got this comment:

“I can’t imagine selling anything to my parents. They can have whatever they want for free—they supported me my whole life.”

At first, I felt guilty. Should I be giving my products to my parents for free? Should I at least offer a discount?

But then I thought about what my parents would actually say.

They wouldn’t take it. Especially not my dad.

As a business owner himself, he knows the struggle. He understands the heart and hustle that go into building something from scratch. Accepting something for free wouldn't feel like support—it would feel like taking something away from us.

This was his way of showing love. Of saying he believed in what we were building. Of telling us, through action, that he was proud—proud enough to buy our candles as gifts and to share them with others.

The truth is, too many people say they support your business while asking for discounts or freebies. But is that really support?

In my opinion—no, it’s not.

If you truly love a brand, product, or business, you support them by paying for their work.

Small businesses are built by real people. People who pour time, money, heart, and countless hours into creating something meaningful. Handmade products come with behind-the-scenes stories of trials, testing, late nights, and lessons learned.

It’s not just buying and reselling. It’s creating.

So no, no one should expect something for free.

That said, I do bring candles to my parents here and there as gifts. But that’s exactly what makes it special—they don’t expect it. They still place their own orders from time to time, because they want to.

Having family who supports your business—truly supports it—is rare, and I’m endlessly grateful for mine.

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Writing this newsletter has become one of my favorite creative outlets — a place where I can reflect on the chaos of motherhood, the joy of creating, and the rollercoaster of running a small business.

Your support helps me keep creating this space while raising a family and growing my little candle shop 💛

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