I’m delighted to share my recent guest article for Society Gal! I was honored to share my story, plus a few nuggets of advice, with such an inspiring community of female entrepreneurs. Their blog is a fun, encouraging resource for any gal interested in or already working for herself.
Here’s what I shared… maybe you’ll learn a thing or two about me that you didn’t know already!
The Birth of Well Boxed
People often ask me how I ended up starting my own candle styling business. Well, it wasn’t easy and it definitely took a lot of time for me to get to where I am today. I’ve gone down a few different career paths along my journey to discover what I’m most passionate about. I’ve learned a lot about myself along the way, working to leverage my strengths and entrepreneurial spirit to achieve my goals.
Before I started Well Boxed, I led a mixed-media, inspiration-based arts studio called Great Over Good where we hosted creative workshops and art shows. As the organization’s founder and creative director, it was an amazing experience, and it’s still so meaningful to me to support artistic endeavors. Even though we don’t have the physical space anymore, I still pick up various creative projects here and there—I find myself continuously driven to make the world a more beautiful, innovative, and meaningful place.
Through my work at Great Over Good, I ended up doing numerous photo shoots for different brands, building on my background in fashion design and visual merchandising.
In the end, I decided to put my two great loves together: blending luxury candles and photography to offer the sense of beauty and relaxation embodied by these gorgeous products in a digital format. I started simply enough, putting together an Instagram page where I could share images of my own candle collection and answer questions from other people who were passionate about fragrance.
After a few months, those Instagram shots turned into full-on photoshoots, brief captions became in-depth blog articles, and my candle collection grew to fill multiple closets! I’m truly blessed to be successful doing what I love.
Luxury Candles, Really?!
Yep, it’s a thing—in case you haven’t heard about it already. One thing I’ve learned about success and business is that it’s all about finding a good niche. And I was lucky to have the perfect niche fall right into my lap! I first learned about luxury candles when a friend gifted me one years ago. And I’ve been in love ever since.
When I unwrapped that first candle, its scent filled the entire room, even unlit—it had what I later learned is called a strong “cold throw.” And, when I lit the candle, its amazing scent filled my entire home! It burned so smoothly and beautifully without any mushroom wick, uneven wax level, or soot build up. It was a truly gorgeous experience—one that I never had with the lower-priced candles I’d burned in the past.
I started buying one luxury candle after another and, the next thing I knew, I was a full-time luxury candle stylist collaborating with some of the leading brands in the industry! I found an untapped niche that was the perfect fit, and I just dove in.
From Instagram to Blog
People often ask me what I write about on my blog. I mean, there’s only so much you can say about candles, right? Wrong! Just like any other industry, there’s a whole history and science behind it—and luxury candles intersect with a lot of other niches, like fashion, home décor, event planning, interior design, aromatherapy, and more. I’m constantly running into more sources of inspiration that relate to luxury candles, I literally have a running list of blog ideas in my phone.
That’s what it’s all about: inspiration. And research. When I first became obsessed with luxury candles, I did a lot of research (I still do!). I wanted to learn everything there was to know about all of these amazing brands and fragrances, how to maintain my precious candles, and how to make them look as beautiful and last as long as possible.
I gained so much knowledge that I wanted to share it with others. I didn’t want people to have to dig through the same books, webpages, and articles I’d researched to find the answers. I really wanted to educate people on the benefits of fragrances and fragrance blends and to highlight the positive effects they can have on our moods.
And, because I’m me, I wanted to do it in a fun, sexy, and sophisticated way! My mission was to make sure my readers were both visually stimulated and informed about all things luxury candles. There wasn’t really anyone out there doing that for readers, so I did. And I love being able to engage with people on my different platforms now. From Instagram stories to blog posts to YouTube videos, I reach such a diverse range of people daily—which is pretty amazing.
So It’s a Business?
It feels like I just inhaled that first luxury candle fragrance yesterday, but my passion has already become a full-fledged business! Seriously, I’m my own boss, which is really a dream come true. I work with several luxury brands on a regular basis, offering them styling, writing, and photography services to help translate the beauty and uniqueness of their products into alluring digital content.
The other side of Well Boxed is a really personalized service called Candle Koa. I bring fragrance into people’s homes to help them naturally find peace and balance in their lives. I focus on harmonizing a space through candle placement and design, whether it’s someone’s bedroom or an office or event space. It may sound simple, but the practice requires a complex understanding of scent, color, shape, space, and aromatherapy to cultivate a beautiful and serene “fragrance-scape” for my clients. I so enjoy connecting with people individually and helping enhance their lives through fragrance.
One Piece of Advice: Consistency
My main piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to keep at it. Consistency is so important, whether it’s researching your product, staying on top of networking, or even publishing that weekly blog post. Success doesn’t happen overnight—you have to work at it every day while staying patient and positive enough to make all that hard work look effortless (which isn’t always easy)!
I also suggest trying to connect with other people in your industry, whether it’s building a relationship with a like-minded company, reaching out to enthusiasts who ask questions or offer suggestions, or even trying to learn from the great ones via their publications. Get tips and tricks from people you admire and, before you know it, you may be able to engage with them directly! Collaborate with other amazing innovators and your audience will continue to grow.
While success doesn’t happen instantaneously, if you find a niche and follow your passion, you’ll find fulfillment along the way. Keep it burning—and stay in touch!
Follow me on Instagram @wellboxed
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