Today we’d like to introduce you to Essence Hodo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Essence. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The idea of owning my own business has always been on the forefront of my mind. At my last job I had a coworker name Crystal, who became a huge inspiration and friend to me who use to push into thinking of all the that I enjoyed and how I could create it into my own business.
Candles have always been something I enjoyed. I mean who doesn’t love candles?! I would find myself buying four to five candles EVERY TIME there was a candle sell. I was even gifted candles on the regular, so it just made me think of how great it would be to make them myself!
When COVID came, I knew this was my time! I made so many excuses on why I wasn’t ready to start a business, but since I had all the time in the world, I decided to just put my fears aside and take a leap of faith! I fell in love with the creative process of making candles and it definitely have become my all-time favorite hobby.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say the road has been both smooth and bumpy! Starting a new business isn’t easy. It takes a lot of time and dedication. You have to think of new ideas, try to figure out how to stand out, and also get people to buy your product over their favorite brands. But once I got the ball rolling and started believing in myself it definitely became easier.
Essential Essence Candles – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Essential Essence Candles is my candle company. I specialize in soy and soy blend candles. As a company I am most proud of making hand poured candles that are a lot cleaner to your space than a lot of the competing candle suppliers. My candles are always made when I am in a clear and positive headspace because I understand how important it is to sell a product that is made out of love and care. One thing that I believe sets me apart is I’m really open on expanding the creative process of my candles to my customers. I love their feedback and ideas when it comes to what I should do next upcoming products!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career so far was my official launch day. I am an EXTREME over thinker so I had no idea on how it was going to turn out, or who would even support me, but on the day of my launch I got so much support from friends, family, and strangers! My launch was on a Friday and I sold out of majority of my candles by the following Friday! It was definitely a proud moment and a motivator for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: Essentialessencecandles.com
- Email: essentialessencecandle@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialessencecandles
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=107046741070708&ref=content_filter
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
