Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in candle-making but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bruce Langer, owner of Bougie Doozy Candle, located in Chelsea, QC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Handcrafted art candles, of which some are refillable at our studio. Our candles are very long-lasting and designed to be lit. They even look better burning.
Tell us about yourself
I started making these candles in 1969 in Toronto. I had met a candle maker from California, and I asked him to teach me how to make candles. He asked what kind of candles I wanted to make, and I said I wanted to have a candle factory. He said he would teach me that handcrafted candles that could be mass-produced. I did this professionally for about four years in the late 60s early 70s.
My career took a different path, and I didn’t come back to making candles again until 1998 in Ottawa, when a friend asked me to teach him how to make candles. It started as a private candle lesson class. It just continued to develop naturally and grow and expand.
Our product is so well received by clients that this appreciation is very motivational. We have converted all kinds of candle buyers to exclusively buying our product because it is so much more superior than white is out on the market today.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think the fact that there are so few handcrafted candlemakers left in the world and our business has succeeded and grown for over 20 years now. Our product is recognizable even from a distance. It’s unique in its design, manufacturing technique, look, and performance.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The pandemic and the closing of the business to the public for 85 days were very challenging. Our product is very tactile, and retail is an incremental part of our sales. However, we weathered the storm.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Always have enough capital to start and to operate as if no sales will be made for the first 3 to 4 months.
- Market yourself and your product effectively through all channels possible.
- Don’t give up even when things look bleak. Pivot, change, adjust.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://doozycandle.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doozycandle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doozycandle/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
