Meet Nina Burke

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nina Burke. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Nina, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My work ethic comes from my dad. I would see him on the weekends getting his clothes pressed and laid out for the week. Those shirts were ironed to perfection. He would be up before the crack of dawn, dressed and headed to work daily. Other than vacation, I cannot recall my dad ever taking a day off. He is almost 90 and still wakes up fairly early…as for me I cannot sleep when the sun is up, trust me I have tried.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

In 2007, my eldest sister passed away from colon cancer. She loved candles and then 4 months after she passed I had a health issue arise. I needed a distraction from life. Years earlier, I’d worked for a spa in The Benjamin Royal Sonesta Hotel in New York City. I remembered that they carried a candle brand. The combination of the research of that brand + my own birth Chayil Candles. A pure organic candle that burns clean and completely. I launched Chayil Candles in 2008 and then a year later its sister brand via a trunk show, ccBlaQ & Co. Creating product is my zen. I completely zone out. I could make candles and soaps and put together packaging all day. It really is relaxing for me. Not at all like work.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Over the years, I have work in fashion, marketing, governement relations industries to name a few. I have gleaned that same knowledge – your customer is never who you think it should be. Be resilient. Stay on task. Do not compromise the intergrity of your product. When starting any business there are challenges, and as the world changes those challenges will contine to evolve in one area or another. In my opinon there is no such thing as a smooth road. I think the greatest hurdle I have encountered is constant reiteration of the fact that Chayil/BlaQ is not the average big box store candle. We are a small business with a high quality organic product. When you purchase Chayil and burn it you are going to get a complete burn; the vessel will be empty at the end. Even unlit your will get a strong lingering aroma in your space. With so many mass produced scent based products out these days, it is hard to convince people of the quality of your brand until they take it into there space and see the difference. The other huge hurdle I dealt with – particularly during COVID was getting glass vessels from distrubutors overseas that was affordable and not requiring an initial order of a massive quantity that would require a storage facility to house the vessels.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When I am overwhelmed, which by the way is very rare, I created. Some of my best ideas have come out of stress. Creative people’s minds never stop. They are always thinking. Ideas are constantly on go. My down time is when I am mixing and pouring. I am also extremely organized so, I write things down in a notebook so I can refer back and execute. There is no cookie cutter remedy that someone should follow. People need to find what works for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theluxeconsortium.com
• Instagram: chayilcandles
• Youtube: theluxeconsortium
• Other: TikTok @blessyd818

Image Credits

Nina Burke