We recently connected with Tristina Cooper and have shared our conversation below.
Tristina, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I keep my creativity alive by always coming up with new ideas, jotting them down. Daily interactions in my life gives me inspirations and I bounce ideas around with my family when we have discussions and meetings. I like coming up with new ideas for my candles then I try to make it to see how it turns out. Sometime the candles turns out good and some not so good. I research, read many different articles and materials on candles, watch videos and try to stay up to date on trends lol but that can be hard at times. I enjoy thinking outside the box and coming up with new things for my brand. I just don’t want it to be another candle on the shelf, I want the customer to have an experience when you light my candles! Light it and enjoy the aroma, let the scent take you to your “happy” place or space!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I started my candle company during the pandemic in my basement and named it after my children, Rich Peeples Closet. Professionally, I’m working on finding a small location to open, building my website, attracting and expanding my audience and customers. I’m always looking to learn more and more about the candle world, different techniques, looking for new and different candle jars to use and new gadgets that will help my business grow to the next level. Its great when I sell a candle or light one that I made! The most exciting thing about Rich Peeples Closet is that every candle is handmade, different in design, color, stickers and molds. No two candles are the same!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Being determined is a quality or skill that people should use daily in their lives.. Life isn’t going to go the way we think every time so having an understanding of not letting distractions interfere with your journey is important. When I first started out, I really didn’t know how to make a candle, I had an idea but wasn’t sure. I made a candle and it was a disaster. lol but I learned so much from that bad experience and I didn’t let it stop me. Prepare and be ready for things is something I learned early on. I was not prepping my work area properly, not having all the tools I needed which resulted in candle jars breaking, spills of wax, remaking candles and all that resulted in a lost for my company. I probably should have listed this next one first but communication/listening skills are very important in anyone’s journey. We must be open to receive constructive criticism, feedback, speaking in a positive tone and being professional at all times whether you’re in the conference room, via phone or at events. You are your product! I keep that in mind when I’m making candles, selling candles at events and telling people about my brand.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
My biggest area of growth in the past 12 months is the knowledge/information that I have learned about candles as well as meeting new people and sharing information. As previously mentioned I knew nothing about candles, I just knew that I wanted to make them lol. I have invested a lot of time and energy in research, videos, testing products and trying new techniques. Never giving up on making a candle. It feels good to watch a video, read about how to do something and then to actually master it, not only do that but sell it too! What an amazing accomplishment. I am pleased when making candles and the joy it brings to my life is priceless!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @richpeeplescloset
- Facebook: @richpeeplescloset
- Other: TikTok: @richpeeplesclosetllc
