We were lucky to catch up with Ken Adams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ken, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
As a retired engineer, I enjoy watching shows like Modern Marvels, How It’s Made and the Discovery Network to see how other people tackle challenges in their industry. While, their challenges may not be directly related to mine, there may be small tidbits of information I can use on future projects. I enjoy creating and building things so when it came to creating Oh Wow Candles, I had my work cut out for me. As a small business owner, there are countless ways to be creative. I’ve been involved with website development, marketing programs, purchasing challenges, material supplies, manufacturing tooling and design, promotional display designs and process flow to name a few.
I also enjoy learning about music by playing piano, guitar and drums. I believe the musical challenge helps keep the mind sharp. YouTube is another great place to learn new things and find inspiration for new projects.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Oh Wow Candles is based in sunny Southwest Florida and we’re family-owned and operated. Oh Wow Candles started as a fun idea for Ken, Founder and Proprietor, who wanted to supply his wife, Kim, with an endless amount of candles that would replace the over-priced, big-box retailer ones she was buying.
With Ken’s background in engineering and inventing, he got to work. He created a state-of-the-art recipe that swept Kim off her feet and had her requesting new scents. Eventually, every visitor that walked into their home would state: “OH WOW! Where did you get that candle?!”
As more and more people started asking about the candles, Ken realized that he could turn his hobby into a business where he could get his family involved, make a difference in the community and leave a legacy for his children. Ken began recruiting. His daughter Rachael had just completed her MBA at FGCU and came on board as the Director of Sales and Marketing. His wife Kim, having a background in nursing and a reputation for good taste, came on board to help with Community Outreach and scent selection.
At Oh Wow Candles our products are made with our customers in mind. We know the importance of keeping your family safe and that’s why our mission is to bring good, healthy, natural smells to your home without the worry of toxins and carcinogens. Our products are environmentally friendly and made with 100% natural soy wax produced from American-grown soybeans. Our proprietary blend of soy waxes and phthalate-free, high-quality fragrance oils are used to create our Oh Wow products that burn cleaner and just as long (if not longer) than our competitors.
Our candles come in a variety of unique fragrances packaged with a minimal jar design that fits any style and every budget. We’ve created a broad range of “Oh Wow” products so every customer can find something they will personally enjoy. Whether you’re stocking up on the holiday aromas, looking for seasonal fragrances, or shopping for gifts, we’re confident you will love our products.
We sincerely hope to earn your business with our goal to hear you say, “Oh Wow!”
Make sure to follow us on social media to know when we’ll be at our next local event so you can stop by and say hi!
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If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Perhaps the most important area of knowledge I have gained over the years is from a former boss who would tell me that we needed to “spend money to make money”. While that may seem pretty obvious, when starting out on a small budget, money can be a major factor. As we began expanding, that phrase kept reverberating with me when I needed to make buying decisions.
Another area of knowledge is in inventory management, sales and forecasting. It’s impossible to know when the next order will come in but focusing on trends, customer preferences and cyclic patterns will help understand the business better. I have released candles for sale that were a complete dud when they hit the market and that was because I didn’t focus on the customer preference. We now use focus groups to help determine what will be the next winner.
Lastly, I think it is important to continually monitor competitors and see what they are doing. Using a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities and threats) analysis can help you stay on the pulse of the competition.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We have 2 sales options with our business. We sell our Oh Wow Candles locally and over the internet. We also provide custom/wholesale candles to customers. The custom candles are great items for corporate gifts, wedding favors, fundraising efforts etc.
We are looking for additional partners to help spread our brand in new areas of the United States (ie distributors) or we can help create a brand for new customers looking to earn extra money. Either way, we can provide wholesale pricing so they can maximize their profits.
If interested in either path please feel free to reach out to us at the link below.
https://www.ohwowcandles.com/wholesale
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ohwowcandles.com/
- Instagram: ohwowcandles
- Facebook: ohwowcandles
- Youtube: Oh Wow Candles
