We were lucky to catch up with Lakia Pearson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lakia, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
My generosity comes from my faith in Jesus! Throughout the Bible, we see Him giving generously to feed the hungry, giving His time to teach the people and having compassion on the broken, hurting and needy. Christ gave everything, His humility, ministry and selflessness has impacted my life greatly. Also, growing up, I saw generosity demonstrated through various people in my life. My Mother and Grandmother often gave to help others in need even when they didn’t have much. I’ll also never forget when I was in high school, an anonymous donor paid for my cheerleading fees because I couldn’t afford it. When I went to college and came back to church on Sundays, various church members gave their time and shared wisdom with me as well money for gas, food or whatever was needed. You never forget those acts of love, care and generosity. It changed my life and taught me how to be a cheerful giver
When we started our company in November 2018, giving was included in our mission. At 1133 Candles, we are more than a candle company. It’s our aim to shine the light of Christ, refresh your home naturally with our scripture-inspired soy candles and give back to others in our community and across the USA. In Acts 20:35, the Bible says, “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It is a joy to serve our customers and in return give a portion of our sales and products to help at-risk youth, meals for homebound seniors, support high school sports, pre-born babies and various ministries. The past five years have been a blessing and we look forward to doing more and inspiring others to practice generosity.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Lakia Pearson and I’m a Pastor’s wife and mother of two children. I graduated from the University of La Verne where I was a track and field athlete, former Miss La Verne and majored in Psychology. I love to study the Bible, laugh, smile, enjoy delicious food, travel and spend quality time with my family. I’m the Owner and Candlemaker at 1133 Candles based in Lakewood, CA. We have been committed to creating honest fragrances since the start of our company in November 2018. Like so many of you, my husband and I enjoy lighting candles in our home. But after we discovered that they triggered my husband’s allergies, we had to do away with them. That’s when God placed it on my heart to create natural candles that could inspire people in their faith. I launched 1133 Candles based on the Scripture Luke 11:33 in hopes that these scents would illuminate homes with the light of Christ. We started sharing our products on Etsy, at local farmers markets, pop up shops, our own website as well as various gift shops and stores at wholesale. What is so special about our candles is that people with fragrance sensitivities love that they can light our candles in their homes. Most of our reviews reflect that our soy candles are clean-burning, long-lasting, affordable and strong scented to eliminate odors but not overpowering. Also, having Bible verses and scripture-inspired messages bring encouragement and make great Christian gifts for family and friends. Currently, we are preparing to serve our customers with Christmas candle gift boxes and bulk candle gifts for your special occasions. We also just expanded our mini candle collection to include bridesmaid candle gifts, birthday party favors, teacher appreciation gifts, baby shower favors and more!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Gaining wisdom, good marketing skills and developing good relationships have been impactful in my journey. I can’t say enough about the power of prayer, asking God for wisdom in every area of life and frequently reading the book of Proverbs in the Bible. In business, it’s important to make wise decisions and I could not do this effectively without the Lord’s help. It’s also a good idea to get an experienced mentor, someone you can learn from, ask questions and share ideas with. For those who are early in their business journey, learning how to market to your target audience is key. As well as, developing good relationships with vendors, suppliers and customers. Getting to know people, caring about their lives and how you can go above and beyond to help them or provide solutions for them has a lasting effect.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes, we love to collaborate with fellow business owners. If you own a Christian bookstore, gift shop, subscription box or online store then let’s work together. Our scented soy candles with Bible verses on them would be a great addition to your store. Customers enjoy smelling the candles and being encouraged by the labels; they’ll want to have them in their home all year long or as Christian gifts for family and friends. We also gladly promote retailers and encourage our customers to shop at local stores in their community that carry our products and more.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.1133candles.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/1133candles
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/1133candles
- Other: www.pinterest.com/1133candles
