Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Wilborn, the owner of EW Candles and Wax.
Hi Ebony, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to start my own business. I am very creative when it comes to certain things but I was not sure about what I was truly passionate about. I stepped out on faith and started my first business in 2018, called Xpress Printz Atlanta, that specialized in graphic designing and making t-shirts. What was supposed to be a fun business adventure quickly turned into a stressful business on top of balancing my responsibilities in my personal life, so at the end of 2019 I decided to close my business. I didn’t let the fear of failure hold me back from starting over.
In December of 2019, I received a candle making kit for Christmas as a gift from my husband and while I was going through the process of making the candles, I instantly fell in love with the candle making process and quickly started praying and asking God to show me a sign if this is my next business. I experienced a new level of peace, and self-care that I didn’t know I needed, because I’m always giving myself, my time and energy to everyone else and not making time for myself. A few months later after doing research about candles, I decided to honor myself and step out on faith for the second time in 2020 to launch my own candle business called EW Candles and Wax.
Coming up with my business name was a no-brainer, I got married in 2019 and my husband was the one who introduced the candle making kit to me so it was only right that I use the initials of my name which is E.W. and adding candles and wax to the name was simple because you need wax to make a candle. So I put it all together and EW Candles and Wax was a GO for me!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Just like any other business, success does not happen overnight. It has been a tough journey getting to where I am today. I’ve experienced creative block, inventory issues, constantly comparing my business to other businesses, and most importantly listening to other people opinions about how I should run my business, which later down the road turned into a learning experience for me. I’ve been discouraged more times than I can count, but giving up has never been an option. I remind myself everyday to walk by faith and not by sight and to never let someone or something dim my light especially when my light is worth shining.
I remember one day, I let my insecurities defeat me, I gave up and started throwing candles away. I stopped making candles for a couple of months because I had so much to offer but didn’t know how to push forward.
Out of the blue, I received an online review from one of my customers that fell in love with our products. This customer explained to me how much the scent from the candle has helped them while dealing with anxiety and how my candle was so soothing, peaceful and elegant to them. It was that moment when I realized that it was God’s way of telling me not to give up on my passion and goals because EW Candles and Wax had started to become a household name for most of our customers.
Fast forward to 2022. We are still here and setting the mood everyday with our amazing candles and scents!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about EW CANDLES AND WAX?
We specialize in making handmade Candles, Wax Melts, Reed Diffusers, Car Fresheners and more. EW Candles and Wax is known for having a variety of scents for setting the mood on the go! Our products can be used in the comfort of your home, office space and in your car.
What sets us apart from others is how affordable our products are for quality that is given. We value and go above and beyond for our customers like if they looking for a certain scent, we try our best to find it and imitate the scent and produce it in all of our products.
The proudest moment for me as a business owner was when I was given the opportunity to have my candles displayed in another black-owned business store ran by a Father and Son. I am forever grateful that these men gave me the opportunity to grow as small business owner, we have gained new customers and most importantly, we have stayed busy by meeting the demands of our customer needs. What seem to be a small victory to some ended up being a huge victory for my business and myself.
Our products has been featured in multiple Airbnb homes, we have also teamed up with local realtors that use our products for marketing and as “Thank You” gifts for their clients. We also offer customized candles to help set the mood for any occasion such as: Weddings, Girls Night Out, Birthday Parties and more
Contact Info:
- Email: ewcandlesandwax@gmail.com
- Website: www.ewcandlesandwax.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ewcandlesandwax
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ewcandlesandwax
