Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Rocha.
Amanda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My candle-making gig began about three years ago as a way to save from my insane obsession with Anthropologie candles. I was addicted to the expensive habit of candles and one day I saw a video, on how to reuse old wax in candle jars. So I bought some wicks and set out to use the old wax to make a new candle. After this first disastrous attempt, I found a better way to make candles. I instantly fell in love with the process.
It started out as a fun and oddly relaxing hobby where I made one scent. This quickly grew exponentially when I found a place with hundreds of scents. And from that point on I was hooked. I branched out quickly playing with paraffin and then I heard soy was better. At this time I learned that cotton wicks were the way to go. So I started working like a mad scientist in my at-home candle-making workshop. I learned so much from making small batches and it was great experimenting with scents and different jars.
I started to make candles for family, friends, and co-workers as a way to grow my ever-increasing addiction. It wasn’t until someone asked if they could buy a few candles for gifts that I realized a few extra bucks buys a lot more experimental scents and supplies. This quickly snowballed from a few hours a month to a few hours a week. Word of mouth is a very effective marketing tool. I grew without even knowing it, and one day someone suggested I leave my day job and open a shop. Honestly, the thought had crossed my mind, but I was afraid of going into the unknown with no real start-up experience. I mulled it over for months about it before I got the guts to start an Instagram with an online shop. The process was so tedious and time-consuming. I was a hairstylist with a husband and a one-year-old son. The most consuming thought in my head was “Am I biting off more than I could chew?”
Once I learned, through trial and error, how to set-up an online shop and had decent pictures I hit a wall. Trying to explain a scent online is sooo hard! Even now with over a dozen scents, I get stumped and I have to walk away and chew on it for a good while until inspiration hits. On my publish date, I still had no idea or expectation that it would be so time-consuming. On Instagram, you have to post frequently to stay relevant and build engagement to allow your site and posts to be seen by more and more people. Staying organized and lots of pictures have been my key to success. I probably could talk about Instagram all day if I wanted too. It’s a whole other world.
It was so exciting getting my first order from someone I didn’t know. I was nervous the entire time I was packing it up to ship. Doubts began to creep in but their response was encouraging. It made me so happy to see my candle in someone else’s home on Instagram. It was also great to hear that she loved the simplicity of my candles. Simplicity is the reason my shop is called Sencillo and Co. I wanted my candles to be simplistic in design and how I made them. I wanted them to sit in any decor and be an accent and not an eyesore. I want a clean and safe burn, so I use a hundred percent soy wax with cotton or wooden wick. There are no artificial dyes in any of my products. I just wanted a candle that smelled wonderful, burned safely, and was an experience every time you lit the wick.
Has it been a smooth road?
I wish it were a smooth ride but I need obstacles to learn from and I’m grateful for them. Even though at the time, I’m like “why me?” Setting up my online shop was hard but once I got the hang of it, its been much easier. Headers, spacing, fonts, etc were very confusing at the beginning. I have a love and hate relationship with Instagram. I love meeting people and have made some great friends online but posting and engaging is sometimes hard and doesn’t even get me started on hashtags. I think the biggest struggle is trying to juggle home, work and small business life altogether.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I try and surround my business around the word Sencillo. It means simple in Spanish and I want to bring simplicity in this busy world we live in. I use a hundred percent soy wax, which gives a cleaner and longer burn. I use cotton and wood wicks without additives to continue giving a clean burn and no dyes. I want my candles to add to the decor or even blend in. I always hated buying candles and then realizing that it stood out and didn’t even go with my room. I handpick all of my fragrances to be subtle but enough to really enjoy the scent without it being overpowering.
I´m most proud of including some Mexican inspired scents and names. I love being able to bring my heritage into my business and I love being able to see people respond really well to it. I mean who doesn’t want to try a Pumpkin Pan dulce or a Como La Flor candle.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Dallas is a great city to start a business. We are so diverse and there are so many wonderful people, who are willing to help. I have had a great response and local small business owners are so amazing here. I’ve met some pretty awesome women who lift me up and are more than willing to help me out when I need it.
Pricing:
- Large 20 oz Candle $20
- Medium 16 oz Candle $15
- Travel Candle 3oz $5 or 3 for $12
Contact Info:
- Website: Sencillo-and-co.myshopify.com
- Email: Sencilloandco@gmail.com
- Instagram: Sencillo_Candles
- Facebook: Facebook.com/SencilloCo/
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