Today we’d like to introduce you to Kierra Bussey.
Kierra, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got started with Ignite Your Peace in August 2018 after becoming frustrated with my lack of self-care during a very challenging time in my life. As I created Ignite Your Peace, I thought, when we shine our own light, we encourage others to do the same, but what happens when we don’t know how to bask in our own light? Ignite Your Peace was created to compel your inner light to go from a dim flicker to a full force of purpose! At the inception of Ignite Your Peace, my light was dim. Just imagine a calamity of external events affecting your internal peace. Who has time for that?! That’s what happened to me as I watched my personal and professional life crumble like ashes after walking away from my job—I literally had to sage that ish! Hence, the name of one of my candles.
I realized that the same energy that extinguished my light could be a catalyst to empower my light, but not just my own. I wanted to help others. So, I decided to navigate through the painful fumes by creating scents to portray positive affirmations that I desired to embody. The ultimate inspiration that catapulted the birth of Ignite Your Peace was the lack of self-care that my tribe expressed. I decided to create a sensational, aroma-filled environment that would encourage them on their journey to inner peace.
As I hand-craft each candle, I enjoy the patience during the process and send my personal touch of peace to my customers. I am reminded of the vibrant light that exists in each of us. Ignite Your Peace allows you to awaken your light while you meditate on essential values that yield a prosperous and abundant life. Each time this happens, a bit of my own peace is ignited. So, I’m grateful for my tribe!
To date, I have established myself as a dynamic self-care candle company, empowering thousands of women to take charge of their well-being. I have been featured on platforms such as OMNoire and CandleScience. My hope is to continue to inspire women to embrace mental wellness through self-care, wherever they are!
Alright, 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?
Getting started was pretty scary, but I had to “Ignite Courage” (that’s actually another top-selling scent from my collection)! As an entrepreneur, I have learned to embrace challenges and use them as an opportunity to learn, and obstacles can only propel you forward. I was introduced to candlemaking by a colleague, who pointed me in the right direction to get started with honing my craft. From there, I decided to do some research and I watched countless YouTube channels and read plenty of articles to perfect my candle-making process. Because I hand pour my candles, I pride myself on their quality. And I’m very critical of my work. Most of my frustrations have come from perfecting the mistakes I’ve made along the way while learning the candle-making process. And I have a laundry list of (costly) mistakes I’ve made, which I won’t bore you with, but just know there’s an immense amount of patience that goes into this craft and mistakes are almost necessary in order to get the perfect soy candle.
From a business standpoint, I have worked tirelessly to establish my brand. It’s okay to be inspired by other candle makers–I certainly have! But be sure to take that inspiration and create something that is unique to you! Don’t take shortcuts. Unfortunately, there have been several times when I have had to ask others to cease and desist the use of my logo. Do I think their use of my logo was malicious? No, but it represented a lack of research on their behalf. It got so bad that I had to contact my designer to have her remove it from her portfolio and have it indexed on Google because people ignored the trademark.
Ultimately, despite the challenges and obstacles along the way, I remain committed to my brand because it saved me from an unhealthy lifestyle, both emotionally and mentally. There was never a moment that I wanted to give up because I believed in my vision so strongly. A clear vision keeps you grounded. I will never take for granted the opportunities being an entrepreneur have afforded me–so to me, every challenge has been worth it!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Starting out, I was so intimidated by all the existing candle companies and thought to myself, how will I set myself apart? And because of that, it was necessary for me to have a story behind every product. For example, Ignite Your Peace was founded as a Black-owned business that centers on women of color but not at the exclusion of non-BIPOC. Incorporating images of Black and Brown women was intentional. It’s a representation and extension of me, a Black woman who is not often reflected in spaces of beauty and self-care. With that in mind, my logo features a woman with Afro-centric features. Historically that has not been the standard of beauty nor the face of a company, but the beauty of having a business that centers people is that I get to rewrite the narrative and communicate a standard that represents me. That being said, regardless if the face of my company looks like you or not, celebrate the beauty and diversity of people, of humanity.
Presently, I have two collections: the Ignite Collection and Positive Affirmations. Between the two collections, I offer nine different signature scents, all paired with an affirmation. Each scent is uniquely paired with other fragrance oils to create a blend that is uniquely crafted by IYP. Since I launched in 2018, I’ve added two new affirmations to my candle line, Affirm Abundance and Ignite Joy. This year, my goal is to continue to add candles that spread affirmations and curate more self-care products like bath salts and body oil, to continue to help women ignite peace within.
Now that I think about it, I had the most fun creating the positive affirmations line, which tends to be my best sellers. There’s a story behind each affirmation, and that makes me really proud because my candle company isn’t just a representation of me. It’s a representation of the people I hold near and dear to my heart. For example, I credit my aunt and our many conversations that led to the inspiration behind Breathe Queen and Sage that ISH. Often, I would call my aunt as if the world had just ended, and she would tell me to just BREATHE, something we often forget to do when overwhelmed. She also introduced me to the ritual of smudging my space with sage when I needed to rid it of negative energy, like after a breakup.
I have always enjoyed the creative process of not only candle making but pairing fragrances with affirmations and creating new products aligned to my vision. It is no coincidence that my best sellers are Sage that ISH and Breathe Queen, with Affirm Abundance being a close runner up. The fragrance blends paired with these affirmations are just divine (IMO).
Initially, I started the Ignite Collection with values I desired to embody: peace, courage and balance. I sought fragrances that contained essential oils that evoked each value. For example, it is said that lemon oil is good for evoking balance and harmony in one’s life. Hence the fragrance notes paired with Ignite Balance are lemon, ginger, saffron, and amber. As you can see, each fragrance note has a purpose!
All of the fragrances open up your space and invite each of the affirmations to enhance your self-care routine. I often encourage people who use my line of products to pair them with their favorite self-care routine like journaling, meditation or their at-home rituals.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I am not sure I believe so much in luck. However, I believe strongly in the power of synchronicities. My aunt often says, “there’s no such thing as coincidences, only synchronicities.” When I first launched my company back in the summer of 2018, I had absolutely no idea how I would elevate my company, though I had big dreams of being featured in magazines, reaching all 50 states, and being on the shelves of retailers and incorporate gift boxes. Presently, this is all manifesting because of the power of belief.
For example, shortly after my formal launch in 2018, I was contacted to participate in a festival in Atlanta during Superbowl weekend. At the time, I wasn’t even living in Atlanta, but in New York City. However, with faith and a ‘seize the opportunity’ attitude, I flew to Atlanta and promoted my self-care brand with all the inventory I had purchased to get started. While there, I met so many AMAZING entrepreneurs who not only inspired me but shared gems and words of wisdom to keep me going. I would later end up collaborating with a woman I met while there to create a customized candle for her positive affirmations card company.
I could go on and on and share the long list of folks I have met and collaborated with along the way–and trust me I want to shout so many people out for the many connections they’ve passed on to me. But I say all of that to say that some might consider it luck, but I have always considered it being exactly where I was supposed to be at the right time–I like to call it ‘divine timing’. I value collaboration, relationships, and connection–it’s a part of who I am and has contributed to my success as an entrepreneur. My rule of thumb is to emanate positivity and you will attract the synchronicities–or luck you seek.
Pricing:
- $22.00 8-oz Soy Candle
- $26.00 9-oz Tumblers
- $16-17.00 6-oz Travel Tin (price varies depending on wood or cotton wick)
Contact Info:
- Email: igniteyourpeace@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/igniteyourpeace
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/igniteyourpeace
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/igniteyourpeace
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/igniteyourpeace
Image Credits
Joel Olivo, www.jocomedia.com
