Four years ago, we were living through a pandemic, not sure if our lives would ever be the same again. Like many other people, I spent lockdown looking for a way forward. Being stuck indoors with a young infant seemed like the perfect time to start planning to take candlemaking to the next level – it was time to make it a business.
Needless to say, when my candle hobby initially began, neither of us could have imagined that we would be here now – proud, successful owners of a sustainable, handcrafted candle company, with care at it’s core.
It’s been a steep learning curve with setting up and growing a business, juggling parenthood, other job roles initially, and as such we wanted to share some of the biggest lessons they’ve learnt along the way.
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find a community
Early on in our business building journey, I found a community of likeminded small business owners also juggling motherhood. The group was amazing for sharing information, asking questions of each other and supporting each others businesses.
It was through this community that I began to network with other small businesses. Without them I would have felt lost and completely alone trying to navigate this journey. While some businesses have closed or pivoted over the years, there are some that we’ve grown very close to and we feel so lucky to have them around, continuously supporting and championing us.
Through this community we found collaboration opportunities, participated in pop up shops, did product swaps to get our hands on everything from handmade Christmas ornaments to mum-and-daughter PJs, found willing and honest product testers, and so much more.
So find a likeminded community and you’ll have not just an understanding place to go when things are tough, but also a group of business cheerleaders on hand!
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do your research
Especially with setting up a sustainable business, it can be quite difficult to find out if something is in fact sustainable or not. I spent weeks, maybe even months, researching everything from wax types to packaging.Â
And once you’ve made a decision on one element, that doesn’t mean that’s the end of it. It’s a never ending cycle of researching, developing and improving. As your business grows, your knowledge and expertise needs to grow with it.
We were weeks into testing our first ever candles when we finally discovered that most pre-made candle wicks are in fact covered in a layer of paraffin! Of course, we knew this had to change, and I’m so thankful that we did our research early on and avoided potential catastrophes down the line.
Time spent researching is never time wasted, and it saves you in the long run! So find the time to focus, get your head down and if it helps, break down your research into small chunks.
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it takes time
Pat said that initially the hours they had to put into the business came thick and fast. That being said, they were a lot of fun, so the hard work was incredibly enjoyable. It’s just worth going in with your eyes open to the workload so that you can plan ways to juggle and get it all done.
Things don’t happen overnight – it takes time to research, develop, design, procure, manufacture and market your products or services. Luckily, time was something we had an abundance of during lockdown. It gave me the opportunity to spend days on end learning to build a website from scratch.
After a quiet initial couple of months post-launch, we suddenly saw our sales shoot up, to the point where we were processing over a hundred orders a day and we had so many packages that DHL sent a van to us just solely to collect our orders! We’re not going to lie, it was a juggle with a toddler around, but it was worth it in the end.
So be patient, keep at it, and remember it takes time to build your small business.
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say yes to opportunties
This sounds like a ‘no brainer’, but it is much easier said than done.Â
Sometimes, you don’t necessarily feel ready for something, and this can lead to you sitting on things. Sometimes, an opportunity presents itself but it may feel like it’s outside your comfort zone, so you might let the opportunity go.
We’re here to tell you that as scary and daunting as it may be to take the plunge and say yes to an opportunity, it could turn out to be an enjoyable experience, a huge learning experience or it might even open doors to bigger opportunities.
Of course, there’s a little bit of luck involved. When Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London reached out to us to sponsor an event, we were initially unsure and didn’t think we were ready. We even considered passing up the opportunity before eventually deciding to give it a chance, and as a result we’ve built an ongoing partnership with RRMCL.
Take opportunities with both hands and run with it- you’ve got this!
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Karen Maxwell
Founder & Candlemaker