Angel, founder of Blow Me Candle Co. and boss babe, shares her heart and an insider peek into the story of her beautiful handcrafted business, and her journey as an entrepreneur.
blow me candle co.
How did you get into starting your own business?
Oh boy, where do I start? I’ve always been a ‘go-getter’. I thoroughly enjoy being independent and relying on no one. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss & do it all by myself. Blow Me Candle Co. isn’t actually my first business. I’ve done a ton of freelance work as a photographer and actually own a graphic design business (Nightfolk Creative) with my significant other.
But just to graze the upbringing of Blow Me, it actually started with making candles for my own personal use. Being the Capricorn that I am, that quickly turned into a business when I realized that people wanted to purchase my goods. When I set my mind to something, I just do it without a second thought.
What was the idea behind the name ‘Blow Me Candle’?
I actually could not believe that no one had taken the name Blow Me Candles. It's vulgar, it's fun & it makes sense. It’s such a double entendre and I love it. It catches people’s attention for sure.
Why are your candles special?
Every candle is handmade by moi and completely nontoxic. I use 100% all natural soy wax with wood wicks. The world, in my opinion, is moving towards or at least trying to move towards a greener planet and I really push for that in my candles. I’m also just a sucker for anything handmade & no matter how busy I get, I want to stay true to that.
We can tell you put so much love behind every candle. How do you do it?
Thank you for noticing! I put a lot of time and TLC into each and every candle. I want to send my customers the best quality candle and nothing less. I am a little bit of a perfectionist and definitely feel that the small details matter. Everything from smell checking each candle to wiping down every jar before packaging them to handwriting cute messages for each customer — nothing is ever too much.
Where do you draw inspiration from to create different scents?
Memories. Memories are my biggest inspiration for scents. There is something about the sense of smell that can bring you back to a memory. Maybe it’s the cereal you and your little brother used to eat on Saturday mornings. Maybe it’s the brownie mix your mom used to let you lick off of the spoons when you baked together or even the mimosas you got too drunk off of during that one brunch. It’s pretty amazing being able to correlate scents to memories.
The name of each one of your candles is so fun and creative! How do you choose those names?
I’ve always been a punny person and find dad jokes to be hilarious so a lot of them just come from being silly. I can’t always think of a name right away but they just come to me sometimes and it’s like watching a light bulb go off in my head.
September looks different this year. How has the pandemic impacted your business?
To be completely honest, I started this business AFTER the pandemic. I know, what the heck. Who would do that? I moved from New Orleans to Los Angeles at the end of July & started the business in August. One week I was telling my boyfriend I was thinking about making candles and the next, there I was.
Thankfully, I’ve had so much support from friends, family and even people I don’t know. I’ve surprisingly been doing okay but I know it could be better. I’m being patient but I just hope this is all over soon so we can get back to even just a little bit of normalcy.
Running a business is hard. What have you struggled the most with?
You can say that again! You really do not realize how much goes on behind the scenes until you are in it. There are so many little details and sometimes it feels like it's never ending. I am my own photographer, graphic designer, social media manager, candle maker, etc etc. but I have to say the hardest thing for me are finances. Keeping track of all your spendings, inventory, taxes, what’s going in and out is so exhausting. Numbers are a nightmare for me.
What’s your advice for women wanting to start their own businesses?
Do your homework before you jump into anything. I think it is so important to educate yourself on the business of your interest. Research, research, research. Learn the ropes before you dive in.
Be honest and true to yourself. I really find that women and really anyone absolutely thrive when they stay true to theirselves. That means having a business that represents YOU. Don’t try to be anyone else.
Be sure to check out all the charming products offered at blowmecandle.co!!
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