Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in candle-making but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Chi Pham, co-owner of Chi Candle, located in Menifee, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Chi Candle is a books and states-inspired candle company owned and operated by a wife and husband team. Each candle is hand-sketch designed in small batches that remind you of where you grew up, studied, or traveled. Every candle scent is based on a state’s tree, flower, fruit, river, mountain, and lake. The name is centered on a particular characteristic of that state (Arkansas - Natural Wildlife, Alaska - Midnight Sun, Florida - Sunshine Beach, etc.).
Tell us about yourself
We love candles. Our scented journey started with the wonderful blue jar candles, and we believe they are some of the best scented candles. We love those candles, they smell so good, and the blue jars are great! Now we still like those candles and still buy them sometimes. However, we dislike the way they burn; they have a problem: the candle burns down the center of the candle with so much candle waste…lots of wax is stuck to the side of the jar.
We started doing some research and decided to make our own candles. We discovered that most candles are made from paraffin wax, and paraffin wax is obtained from petroleum. On the other hand, many candles are made from soy wax, and soy candles are a healthy, natural alternative to paraffin candles, so we decided to use soy wax in our soy candles.
In 2012, we were making candles as gifts for friends and family to gain feedback. Then everyone started expressing a lot of interest in our candles, and the journey had just begun! We opened our Etsy shop in early 2013.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is the idea of sketching labels. We began small but pressed on to become where we are today. It started with us spending hours every day for months to develop new ideas that would capture our prospective audience’s attention. We asked ourselves how we could be different from other candle makers in the industry, and the answer finally came to us. We came up with new names for our products, with my husband hand-sketching all labels himself using his iPad. Our Evocative candle line is a prime example of our hard work and perseverance.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Make a difference, and your product must be unique. Unique? Let’s face it; I think it is a challenge for all businesses, big or small. We also struggled for over five years to find the answer to the question, "What makes your candles unique?" what can we do to make sure our candles get noticed in a marketplace filled with great products?
We spent many hours, many months thinking, looking around, trying new labels, new jars...and we finally found the answer. We renamed all products and hand-sketched all the labels.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Believe in yourself, be unique and be patient.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://chicandle.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicandle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicandle/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chicandle
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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