Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in candle-making but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Becki Parry, Founder of Becki's Custom Candles, LLC., located in Centennial, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Becki's Custom Candles is a business I created as a way to decompress from a stressful job in the legal field. I needed a way to be busy and challenging but not billing a client by the 6-minute interval! I received a sample candle-making kit in the mail and gave it a try. I found quickly that I had a LOT to learn! I began reading about candles and candle-making supplies. I started watching videos from other candle artists. I refined my craft, took LOTS of notes, and studied the final product each time I made a candle. I slowly fell in love with the challenges that I could give myself in making my candles! Now, I have a number of go-to essential oil blends that I love making, and I have worked on my layering techniques to produce a stunning product.
My customers are people who love candles and who also appreciate the natural element of them due to the use of essential oils and my refusal to use manmade fragrance oils which contain carcinogens. My customers are typically people who are at least somewhat rooted in spirituality and their existence in the universe. Aromatherapy, which is created by the pure essential oils I use, is highly effective and has been used for centuries to help many common ailments. My customers love living a clean life and enjoy a beautiful decoration to go with it!
Tell us about yourself
I grew up in the Denver Metro area and just absolutely loved living here! I currently reside in Centennial, Colorado, with my husband Jeff, teenage son Will, and our two pups, Ryder and Ava. By trade, I am a family law paralegal. I have worked in family law in Denver for over 12 years and enjoy being able to help my clients improve their co-parenting skills and focus on the big picture in their divorces. I just needed something therapeutic to offset the highly intense emotional component of family law and divorce. Candles were the perfect fit for me!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I had always considered myself an employee. It wasn't until COVID hit and all of our worlds were forcibly changed that I began to see a different path for myself. My greatest accomplishment has been the ability to impart my gifts and talents to a number of different groups of people. Having created my own candle website was a HUGE accomplishment for me! The process of creating an online market is very difficult, and my hat is off to all web designers out there! I am proud of my tenacity in getting a final product published online, and while I know that there is room for improvement, my craft is candle art, NOT web design!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Being rejected (or simply ignored) is a very difficult thing to learn to manage and process as a new small-business owner. Having to learn to be proud of your work even when it doesn't suit someone is very hard, but I am learning! At first, I took the feedback to heart and made changes to accommodate the feedback I was receiving. Through the processes I've been through in the past year, I have learned to accept that feedback, process it, and only sometimes apply it in ways that changed my business and art.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, be confident in yourself! The passion that you have for your work is what catches the attention of the right people. Second, take advice but process it through your own lens. What works for someone else may not work for you, and THAT'S OK! Finally, love what you do. Life is too short to be unhappy. Contributing something that is beautiful and passion-filled is a rewarding and amazing way to live life!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
When I have found myself in a negative space, feeling frustrated or annoyed, resorting to my passions has been the cure. I have learned to put myself first because, otherwise, I am offering less to those around me. I value my family and my friends (who are truly more like family to me!) so much more than I value a dollar bill or a large salary. Freedom from the things that burdened me allowed me to grow and be a better person. You can do it too!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://beckiscustomcandles.com/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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