Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate De Palma.
Kate, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Scented Designs was born out of a candle-making hobby I’d picked up when I first started my career as an English teacher. An educator by training, I knew nothing about business and wasn’t even really planning on starting a business. I just loved being creative and playing around with the scents and containers. I actually started cutting wine bottles first because I thought that was so cool, and then I needed something to do with all these cut bottles, so I started making candles in them!
Once I started doing a few local craft fairs and pop-up markets – which I’d always loved going to as a kid with my mom – candle sales started to soar and I decided to give it all a whirl.
It was my side hustle for several years, with lots of work in the evenings and on weekends: making candles, fulfilling orders, and selling at markets. When everything shut down in 2020, I spent a lot of time revamping my company website and building up the e-commerce side of things, and that has been really successful.
I left my teaching job in the spring to finally run Scented Designs full-time, so now it’s all about scaling and hiring help so I’m not trying to do it all myself anymore.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, definitely not a smooth road. From the business side of things, I didn’t really know what I was doing and I made all sorts of rookie mistakes along the way. Some setbacks were little things that I learned from for next time (like accepting a counterfeit $100 bill at a market once), and some were bigger.
In the early years, I remember being told to be patient, that it takes 5 years for a business to really grow, but I didn’t have confidence in my business being a success. I had actually taken a year or two off from teaching to start the business to see what I could do with it, and I got scared, to be honest. I didn’t think I could make it happen, so I went back to teaching. I didn’t think the business was going to cut it as a full-time gig, but I was wrong. I just needed to believe in it, myself, and the process more.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Scented Designs Candle Co.?
There are a lot of candle brands out there, and what sets Scented Designs apart is what we do and what we stand for, not just the products we sell. Yes, our candles smell amazing, and yes they burn clean, long, and strong so our customers can enjoy the most premium candles on the market.
And. Scented Designs has grown from being ‘just’ a small candle business to a company that works to empower values-driven consumers & business owners to shop with heart through our clean-crafted candles handmade in the USA.
I want to inspire people to shop small and care about what a business stands for. For instance, this past year I made the decision to join 1% for the Planet in order to give back and help support the fight against climate change. While 1% of our revenue may not sound like a lot, for a small business during a difficult economic time, it is a big deal. But that commitment to making a difference matters to me, and I hope that matters to my customers.
We are also all about supporting other small businesses. Forget competition, it’s all about collaboration and finding ways we can support each other. I love partnering up with other business owners to create custom branded candles for their businesses to help them connect with their clients/customers and grow their own businesses in a unique way. It’s also really cool for me to get to meet so many awesome people working to have an impact on their community in so many different ways.
There’s really no limit to who I can make custom label candles for, and I’ve had the privilege to work with so many business owners: realtors, photographers, health coaches, business coaches, chiropractors, boutique owners…it turns out everyone is just looking for ways to build authentic relationships and leave a lasting impression, and our custom branded candles help them do that.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
The best resources for me have been the other business owners I’ve met along the way. Being a part of a community where everyone is facing similar challenges of building a business has been an integral part of getting to where I am now. Whether they are recommending a new photo-editing app for me to try or we’re discussing the merits of different email management tools, having their expertise and support has been key.
Pricing:
- Price Range $12-60
- Wholesale & Bulk Pricing Available
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.scenteddesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scenteddesignscandleco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScentedDesignsCandleCo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ-jPp-mw0TFzmvWqHxGlAw
Image Credits
Emily Kim Photography
Wedding Favor Candles & SpringHealth by Kate De Palma
