Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in candle-making but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mackenzie Ofordire, founder of Samantha Rose Candle Company, located in Columbus, OH, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are an artisan candle company that creates all-natural soy candles with phthalate-free premium fragrance oils. Our hand-poured candles provide warm and comforting scents and are made in small batches to ensure quality. They are also vegan, cruelty-free, non-toxic, and contain no lead, plastics, parabens, or phthalates. Our company’s mission is to bring awareness to maternal health issues and donate a percentage of our profits to organizations that support these causes. Our customers are those people who love candles with unique scents and love to support mission-based companies!
Tell us about yourself
I started this company as a way to honor and continue the legacy of my daughter Samantha Rose, who is in heaven due to a late-term pregnancy loss. As a way to cope during the isolating global pandemic, I began making candles. I thought these candles would not only bring comfort to myself but also to others. I began sharing them with friends and co-workers who enjoyed them! Wanting to make a difference and seeing how much people enjoyed my candles, the Samantha Rose Candle Company was born!
What motivates me to continue the business every day is, of course, my daughter Samantha Rose, but also just wanting to bring awareness to maternal health issues. Doing research, I learned that 1 in 4 women would experience a pregnancy loss during pregnancy, delivery, or infancy. I also learned about a multitude of health issues that affect women and their families during pre-conception, pregnancy, and postpartum. Most women and their families aren't aware of the issues until they experience them, so raising awareness beforehand is something we are focused on as a company.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Getting to meet customers in person, seeing their smiles and positive expressions when they smell the candles, chatting with people and getting their feedback, and being a Black woman-owned small business.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Currently, running the business by myself and not having a team of people to assist me yet. I am the marketing team, in-person events director, chief financial officer, procurement director, etc.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be passionate about the business you want to start.
- Do your research to learn about the industry and who are the major players.
- Embrace failure and learn from it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.samantharosecandlecompany.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantharosecandlecompany/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/samrosecandleco
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.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.