Today we’d like to introduce you to Candice Turner-Hoover.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Candice. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Well, my company is called Candi’s Creations, which has been my company name for quite awhile now. It started as my business name while I was a freelance makeup artist in California. I want to say I started in maybe 2005? However, once I moved to Atlanta in 2009, I started to feel like there were too many makeup artists in Atlanta that were in competition with one another it seemed and I no longer wanted to do it (although my younger sister still tends to think I’m her personal MUA at all times).
Fast forward to now, and one thing for certain is that ever since my early adulthood, I’ve ALWAYS LOVED collecting coffee mugs and wine glasses as one of my hobbies. Although, after having children, they don’t always last long (boys break everything! lol), it continues to be one of my favorite things to do, along with planning. It wasn’t until the latter part of 2017, that I started thinking of something that can get me back into creating that I enjoy, and my first thought was custom mugs and glasses. No t-shirts, no hats, none of the other cool stuff people make, just drinkware. Other than Etsy, no one had tapped into that market locally amidst my friends and family from what I saw, and I thought it would be a great little side job to have. Thus, Candi’s Creations continued… except this time, I was no longer creating and enhancing beautiful faces, but I was now creating drinkware.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? Also, do you have any advice for other women, particularly young women who are just starting their journey?
I don’t think there have been too many difficulties, but I can think of at least two that stand out the most. Initially, the most frustrating thing for me was that once I started my Etsy page, there were times items would arrive at customers homes broken, and I had to replace them. Of course, these were out of pocket expenses I wish I didn’t have, but for the sake of wanting to maintain great customer service and to keep receiving 5-star reviews, you have to do what you have to do. So, I had to take the time to really perfect my packaging and learn the ropes of the different postal services, as far as what they do or don’t consider fragile, etc. For example, did you know someone can order USPS Ground or First Class, and you can write fragile ALL over the box, but because it’s not Priority Mail and automatically insured, they don’t treat it as such, and your boxes may or may not get tossed around?? I was shocked to learn that, and although I learned the hard way, I’m glad I know now because I ONLY ship via Priority Mail! Lol.
The other difficult thing that I still battle with is when friends and family request discounts on custom products. I know to the naked eye, something like putting designs on drinkware seems so easy, but depending on the design and quantity, they take a LOT of time. The battle for me is that while I’m super excited they chose to come to me and I want the exposure and to keep putting my name out there, I end up compromising many times on my prices, only to my own detriment and fear of losing the business. What I mean by detriment is that, as a full-time working mom and wife, there are days where after dinner is cooked and everyone is settled, my next stop is my craft room where I’m in there for many hours during the evenings. As in, go to sleep at 2:30 am, get up at 5:30 am, all for the sake of wanting to get my name out there. So, I’m still struggling with that issue at times. Which ultimately to me is the art of finding balance. Many times we can tell people to know their worth, but do we really know our own worth? And when is the right time to recognize your worth and just say no, I can’t do it?
As far as other women, I think I’d mostly say… find something you love and INVEST IN YOURSELF to get it started. I LOVE collecting drinkware and prior to that I LOVED being a makeup artist, but nothing comes free in life. So you have to be willing to make a few financial sacrifices to really brand yourself, whether it be equipment or products, do it for you! Register yourself with the state, build that website, create those business cards, and put yourself in the right spaces and places to really capitalize on your passion. To others, your dreams or desires may sound foolish, (because it’s not THEIR thing) but as long as it’s important to you, that’s what counts. You are your biggest fan!
What should we know about Candi’s Creations? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I think I’ve just about summed that up. I specialize in personalized and customized drinkware from wine glasses to coffee mugs, to tumblers. I plan to branch into more sublimination work next year and learn new tricks and trades, but for now, this is who I am. I think what makes me the proudest is that I am running my little business by myself. To others it might not be a big deal, but to me, it is. I also love that my boys get to witness my work ethic, even when I’m tired. Their father works very hard as well, but I want them to see their mother does too. Sometimes they’ll come along and help their mama out, but for the most part, it’s all me, and that makes me proud.
What I hope sets me apart from others, is my interpersonal communication. I’m a huge advocate of having adequate communication with my customers. I really try to give them what they want and if for some reason I mess up, I try to fix it right away so that they’ll still come back to me.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
I look up to all of the matriarchs in my life, which includes my mother, mother-in-law, Granny and my ex-mother-in-law. They’ve inspired me because they are all very nurturing, God-fearing, family-oriented women, that WORK HARD. They work hard for their families, and they work hard for themselves. Each of these women in my life are all so sweet, loving and supportive in their own way, that they make me strive to be a better woman. Collectively I couldn’t possibly ask for any other women, greater than them, to be in my families lives.
At the same time, my friends are pretty amazing too! We really push each other to do more when it comes to our businesses or even the businesses that we work for. We are all so supportive of each other mentally, spiritually and emotionally. So, having a great circle of friends around me has proven to be such a blessing.
Contact Info:
- Email: candiscreationsorders@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candis.creations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candiscreationsus/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CandisCreationsUS
Image Credit:
Photos taken by myself: Cand’s Creations
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