Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Freeman.
Alicia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was the person that people joked about burning candles all of the time. As a newly engaged couple trying to ration our money for a wedding, turned into an effort to ration my candles, I started looking up which candles were best, which lasted longer. I saw so many options while shopping: Paraffin? Soy Blend? All Natural Soy? What… That’s when I found out about all of the chemicals and unnatural additives in most mainstream candle companies. Did you know that some candles release Benzene and Toluene? The same toxins in diesel fuel flames!
Being a rather health conscious household but also a candle lover, I set out to create a cleaner burning, more natural product. I gave these out for Christmas in 2017. Phew, I was not ready for the aftermath of that. Everyone was asking for more and urging me to make these available all of the time. They burnt cleanly from edge to edge, produced little to no soot and were made from 100% organic soy wax. As most people starting a business with little experience, I started an ETSY shop and it took off. As larger and larger orders came in, we moved the couch and tables in our 700 sq. ft. downtown apartment to accommodate the influx.
An upgrade in space, a ton of googling as new business acronyms came my way, and a stack of dog eared, overly highlighted small business books later, here we are. I’m Alicia and the owner of Linden Candle Company: a small batch organic candle company. Right now, it’s just my husband (Stephen) who helps in logistics and packing and me. We are in over 400 retailers and just launched in the entire Rocky Mountain region of Whole Foods. We are blessed to have built a circle of partners that are as passionate about providing high quality and organic products to the public as we are.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road, looking back, kind of looks like one of those with tons of dark tar spots from them filling in huge potholes. Maybe still slants in the middle a little. As with any new business, we had a plethora of struggles. I started with no business experience. It took A LOT of learning for me to be able to navigate things like terms, contracts, and insurance confidently.
With larger orders also come longer lead times for getting paid, but you still have to get the product out. For a long time, we paid ourselves absolutely nothing and put every penny back in the business to gain a larger amount of inventory. We both still worked full time jobs until big contracts came in, so it was late nights, early mornings and weekends spent pouring candles for a very long time.
We’d love to hear more about the company.
Linden Candle Company is a small batch, organic soy candle company. We specialize in clean burning and all natural candles. We put so much research and dedication to all of our ingredients. We use the USA harvested 100% soy wax, all natural wooden wicks and toxin and phthalate free scents. We love clean scents: Greenhouse, Fresh Cut Mint and Citrus and Sage are a few of our current favs!
I am, hands down, most proud of my dedication to quality. I will pay 3x more for materials rather than switch to less organic wax or a scent that has not been tested for toxins. Our customers and partners can always count on us for high quality products. I burn these candles all day, every day in my own home, so it’s important to me that I have the cleanest burning ingredients.
What were you like growing up?
My parents may disagree, but I’d say I was perfect (just kidding). I was the kid knocking on my neighbor’s doors, asking if they needed any work at the house done. I pulled weeds and did chores for some extra money. I was always interested in starting a business and had the dedication to go out and get work. I LOVED animals and probably didn’t help that my first job was at a pet store. We always had animals and I frequently did not help that by bringing more home. I was the weird kid who loved school and cried when my scholarship ran out and I couldn’t afford to take additional college classes even though I had already completed two majors. I always loved learning. That’s one thing I love about business every day is there is always something to learn.
Contact Info:
- Website: lindencandleco.com
- Email: lindencandleco@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindencandlecompany/?hl=en
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