We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emma Ambrose. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emma below.
Hi Emma , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
My optimism unfortunately comes from childhood trauma and a lifetime of mental health struggles. I would escape into a dream world as a child, daydreaming about what my life could be like in the future.
“It HAS to be better, it will get better.” These were the words I would repeat to myself as an all too self-aware child.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I started thinking about making candles in 2019, I lived on a farm with my ex and his family. I wanted to render pig fat and mix it with an undetermined wax and make candles. The pig fat was often not bought at markets and they had BOXES of it. I gave up on that idea when the relationship turned sour and abusive.
In 2020 I was laid off, like most other people during the pandemic. I bought a candle-making kit and it sat in my studio for the next year. I am kicking myself every day that I didn’t just start sooner, but that’s imposter syndrome for you.
I made a trip to visit a high school friend in August 2021 where I brought my candle-making kit with me, we made the kit one night and I was hooked. Before I even got home from that trip I was deep into research mode for candle making. I ordered supplies and started rigorous candle testing in December 2021. I poured my first candle on Christmas Day 2021 and the rest was history.
I spent the next several months testing different formulations, wick sizes, and fragrance ratios. The thing about candle making is that it’s not as easy as people think it is. I have boxes and boxes of my failed experiments, which someday I will repurpose and reuse those supplies so they totally don’t go to waste. I focus on sustainability in my business, I will refill used candle jars that customers bring back to me at a discounted cost.
At the moment I am working a 9-5 as a merchandiser while I spend weekends working on my candles and doing in-person events around the Bay Area. I am hoping someday to expand my business into more wholesale and have a few more product offerings; Reed diffusers, bigger candles, mini candles, and I would love to learn how to make incense.
My website https://archercandleco.com/ is where you can find my in-person events and my Instagram is @archercandle.co
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My stubbornness is my greatest strength, and to some, it may be a weakness, but I don’t consider it a weakness. I will not give up on trying to figure something out. There were several times during my testing process when I so badly wanted to throw in the towel. I set it aside for a few days, a week or two at most, and then dove back in. My ability to research thoroughly and put myself into the perspective of a customer and what is trending has really helped me in building a brand.
My Advice I would give someone starting out with anything- whether that be starting a brand, posting your art on Instagram, etc. would be to just start, starting is the hardest part and once you do it, it will be so much easier to keep going. Research, it’s not doomscrolling if it’s productive, right??
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am looking for more stores/ businesses to make custom candles for. I would LOVE for my candles to be at Airbnb’s or at hotels. I am really wanting to curate scents that remind people of experiences, like a weekend at the coast that they want to remember long after the trip is over.
Custom candles for weddings, baby showers, 50th birthday parties, etc are also things that I am interested in.
If you would like to collaborate with me, you can email me at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://archercandleco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archercandle.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archercandleco
Image Credits
Ella Sophie
