Today we’d like to introduce you to Oyindamola Apanpa.
Hi Oyindamola, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am Oyindamola, my name means Honey mixed with Wealth, but I am popularly called Honey, and that is where the Honey part of my business name came from. I have always been an entrepreneur from a young age of 19. I have successfully started and ran a few businesses in the past, ranging from fashion boutique, gift servicing, event planning to food/catering business and now to candle & scented company. I started Honey’s Scented in 2020 around the time the pandemic struck. It started as a hobby, and after a long search for a job, I decided to turn my hobby into a business so I could support myself & my family. Also, from my research, I found out that about 15% of household fires happen because of candle burning, which is about 20 household fires daily (and this is more rampant during holiday seasons). So, I decided to create my own decorative wickless candles which helps to solve the fire and toxins problems that arise from using candles. All my customers need to enjoy lovely clean scent in their spaces (home/office) is a wax warmer to warm & melt the wickless candles to release scent. This eradicates flame, smoke, toxins & fire. The decision to make this safer candle option is helping me create impact in not only my community but also in the health of people using my products. I have started making plans on working with my local fire departments, city council & hiring a PR to help create more awareness for my brand & company mission.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Oh it has not been a smooth road at all. Creating awareness has been a major challenge for Honey’s Scented Company and our brand mission. People are more familiar with the traditional or common wick candles, introducing wickless candles to people has been a challenge. Every time I attend events or farmers markets and introduce my wickless candles to people, the common question I get is, “what is a Wickless Candle?”. People do not know there is a safer candle option for them, and I am on the mission to make every candle lover choose a safer candle option without the fear of fire or health hazards.
Raising capital to grow my business has been another challenge as I need funds to create awareness, do marketing campaigns, PR, open a physical store & for smooth operation. Without enough funds, it has been difficult to achieve the goals I set out for my business, such as reaching more people to let them know there is a safer candle option for them & they do not need to expose themselves to fire & health hazards before they can enjoy lovely scents in their homes/offices. Having funds for great marketing campaign will make Honey’s Scented Company known to my target customers & this will in return help create the awareness my business & brand needs. I also offer candle-making classes & currently, I struggle with finding & renting spaces for my classes, with my own physical store, I will be able to hold classes easily, sell my products & carry other makers’ products, to bring in more money.
As you know, we’re big fans of Honey’s Scented Company. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Honey’s Scented Company is a candle & fragrance company specialized in handcrafted, clean, safe, long-lasting scented products, such as Decorative Wickless Candle, Air Fresheners, Room/Linen & Toilet Sprays, Body & Massage Oils, Bath Bombs/Fizzers & Bath Teas, Curated Gift Boxes. I also offer Candle Making Classes for kids & adults, where I teach them how to make decorative wickless candles, shaped wax melts, wickless bubble candles, etc. Attendees select their choices of fragrance oils, flowers, and herbs and I guide them on how to make their own personalized decorative wickless candles. This is a fun-filled event with lots of laughter and great experience and the fact that my candles are free of fire, toxins, and health hazards makes it easy for kids to also attend and be part of the fun. Who says only adults can have a spa or pour-and-sip event? At Honey’s Scented Company, kids are not left out of our fun activities, they can also use all our skin-safe and toxins-free products.
My flagship product is the Wickless Candle, which is a candle without wicks, no flame, hence, no fire, soot, or toxins. I created this type of candle when I noticed the fire hazard & health danger associated with traditional wick candles. About 30% of household fires starts from candle burning, & I wanted to help reduce and solve this problem. With a Wickless Candle, you won’t have to worry about trimming wicks, breathing in smokes/toxins, and fire. To use a Wickless Candle, all you need is a Wax Warmer to melt the candle & release a clean unburnt scent.
My company & brand mission is to make & sell clean, safe & long-lasting products. I decided to start making Wickless candles instead of the common wick candle to help reduce household fires that starts from candle burning. From my research (according to National Fire Protection Association) about 15% of household fires starts from candle burning, amounting to about $291 million damages in properties & about 90 deaths annually around the US, not forgetting the health hazards of breathing in smoke & toxins from candle flames. After becoming more conscious of my health & switched to making wickless candles, I ensure all the ingredients (which I source locally from women-owned businesses to support them) I use in making my products are clean & safe. I have been making impact in not only my community but also everywhere my products are used, as I believe I am saving their health from toxins & their homes & properties from fire. I have started looking into ways to work with my local fire departments & city council in creating more awareness, letting people know there is a safer candle option for them. By doing this, I believe I’m helping the fire department reduce their workload & making our environment a safer & cleaner place. I believe my mission is bigger than my community alone, it is all about saving our planet. I teach kids & adults in my community how to make decorative wickless candles & the joy I see in them, especially the kids, gives me so much joy to do more in my community. Last October, I created a Breast Cancer Wickless Candle Collection (which will be sold yearly), a percentage of the proceeds from the sale went to a breast cancer NGO to support their cause. I also create more awareness on my social media platforms to educate people most especially within my black community as we have about 40% higher breast cancer death rate.
What makes me proud of my business is the fact that my business solves a very tangible problem, household fires.
My business offers safe, clean & long-lasting products & with my products & gift boxes, people can give lovely scented & unique gifts to their loved ones without breaking the bank. Whenever I am amid people or at events, talking to them about my business, my products & brand mission, I love the smiles I see on their faces, especially when they tell me I am doing a great job & they support my mission. I remember talking to a police officer at a City of Dallas, Texas vendor event I attended few months ago; he asked me what my business was all about & after I took him through my products display, he mentioned he had never seen or heard of a wickless candle before. After enlightening him, he thanked me for choosing to make this type of candle (despite the challenge to create awareness), making safe & clean products to help reduce household fires & health hazard. He even gave me ideas on how to make the awareness event I plan to organize with my local fire department a success.
My biggest accomplishment for myself is that I have been able to create something meaningful for myself, providing a source of income for myself and I hope that soon I can do same for my community, provide jobs & contribute financially. My business has made it possible for me to start supporting the causes I had always wanted to support; for example, in few months, I’ll be working with a new NGO that provides listening ears & support to abused & raped women. I will be creating a product collection to sell at the fundraising event we plan to organize to support them. Recently, I was approached by the City of Mesquite, Texas to make some Wickless Candles, Car Air Fresheners & Soaps that shows the beauty of Texas to be displayed & sold at the Visitors Bureau. This is a great milestone for me! What I am currently working on and trying to bring to life is the opening of my first brick-and-mortar store. We really need space for production, candle making class and gift shop. I am trying to raise funds right now to bring this dream to life, also to do more of publicity and create more awareness for my brand.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
I would advise aspiring entrepreneurs to go into a business they are very passionate about because running a business is not all rosy all the time, sometimes things may get difficult and very challenging that you might start questioning why you are in business and may want to quit, but it is the passion you have for your business that will carry you on, even when you are not making money like you would like, your passion will always remind you there will be a better day. What I tell people who come to me for business advice is, “let your passion guide you” go into a business that your passion for it will always get you up in the morning and keep you going.
What I wish knew when starting out was the high and strong impact that social media marketing, influencing, and PR all have on a business. Even though I have a BSc in Accounting and Finance and MSc in Marketing and Business Management, I still struggle with the level of marketing we have nowadays, which is so different from what I was thought in school. Nowadays, what we have is social media marketing (which we did not have while I was growing up or in school). Now I find myself learning how to use social media to market or create awareness for my business/brand. I would advise anyone going into business now to take advantage of social media, learn the ins and outs of how you can use social media platforms to market the business you intend to pursue, and start creating awareness for your business even before you start selling. Once you have your plans mapped out, start researching on social media platforms to determine your prospective customers, who they are, what they love, and how you can reach them. Once you start working on these, it will be easy for you to relate with your customers when you eventually start selling, and it will be easier for you to gain their audience and loyalty.
Lastly, I would advise an aspiring entrepreneur to get enrolled in an entrepreneurial training or get a mentor to guide them.
Pricing:
- 2 candles & a warmer ~ $50.00
- 4 candles & a warmer ~ $75.00
- Relaxation Gift box ~ $40.00
- Car Air Freshener ~ $15.00
- Wickless Candles ~ $15.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://honeysscentedco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeysscentedcompany/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HoneysScentedCo
Image Credits
Honey’s Scented Company
