I started a side job at my kitchen table and sold out in three hours
A WOMAN has revealed she has started a side job working from her kitchen table which now earns her £440,000-a-year.
Colina Bruce became obsessed with candles during the pandemic and decided to teach herself how to make them.
She taught herself through YouTube videos and, in addition to her job, started selling her candles online.
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To best sell her candles, she bought a light box on Amazon, which allowed her to take great photos and “expanded the descriptions” so customers could almost smell the candles through the display.
During her first candle sale, she sold 120 candles in just three hours, without anyone even having to smell them.
She said this was totally unexpected and that she expected the candles to collect dust for weeks.
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But thanks to a ‘village’ of her friends and family who spread the word, they became more and more popular.
“People were texting me and calling me asking if I wanted to buy the candles,” she told UpFlip.
“And I had to tell them I was sold out.”
Her company, Noir Lux Candle Coremained successful and in her first year she made £117,000 from online sales.
She now runs a shop and teaches candle making courses from her studio in Seattle, USA, earning £440,000 a year.
Colina eventually decided to quit her job as a teacher and work full-time on her business, and now has a team of 10 people around her to help her.
She said it was difficult to leave the stability and security of her job, but added that she feels much more “fulfilled” at her company.
She has even appeared in Oprah magazine and collaborated with influencers to promote her business.
Colina said it was difficult for her business to stand out because the candle market is so saturated.
Anyone can make a candle, but not candles like me.
Kolina
She explained what makes her candles so unique: “Our candles are handmade, they are made from soy wax and we use wooden wicks which are more evenly distributed throughout the candle.”
Her candle company now partners with local restaurants and food vendors to create candles in crazy flavors, like root beer and strawberry milkshake.
Colina also creates unique fragrances inspired by popular dishes, such as iced coffee.
She told her fans: “We turned our favourite drink into a candle!
“Our Iced Lavender Matcha Latte is a harmonious blend of lavender floral notes, infused with bright bergamot, tea, matcha and cream!”
Caramel Machiatto and Cinnamon Chai Latte completed the collection of iced coffee candles.
Colina offered some advice to those considering starting a similar venture: “Do your research, be prepared, be persistent, and don’t take ‘no’ for a ‘never.’”
How to start your own business?
Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers that aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of self-confidence. You have to believe in your idea — and more than that, be the one to bore your friends to death with it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, the confidence to make decisions is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and act on it if you can. If you can’t, find someone else who can.
- It’s okay not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions has helped build my confidence and made me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media and remember that the internet is an equal opportunity for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
