We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Baker-Taylor . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Amanda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I have always had a love for any and all things that smell good! When I find a candle/fragrance/spray I love, I stock up on them. I want my house to smell great at all times.
As an asthmatic though, you have to be careful.
Certain fragrances, certain types of candles, products etc will cause me to cough and have difficulty breathing.
I mentioned to an amazing friend that I would love to learn to make candles so I could choose what they are made from and with.
Few weeks later; she surprised me with a candle making class for my birthday!
The class was a very tiny portion of the actual process but just mixing fragrance oils and creating something I love was enough for me to know this was something I wanted to pursue .
I began the journey by joining tons of candle maker pages on social media and watching YouTube videos from established chandlers who were using the kind of products I wanted to use and were successful.
I started purchasing supplies in January and began testing.
Candle making requires a ton of research, ton of supplies/materials, tons of patience and it’s definitely a science to it.
I tested different vessels, waxes, fragrance oils and wicks.
I was pleased with my end result and by May I was giving them to friends and family for feedback.
The first batch was like perfection. Smelled amazing, great hot and cold throws, burnt evenly and fully.
Then came the devastation. The next batch was horrible. Had very little smell, didn’t burn smoothly or evenly.
I couldn’t understand what could have happened. I didn’t change a thing.
I was so disappointed and discouraged; I was ready to throw in the towel.
I took a week to have my pity party and I missed it so much; that I stayed up pretty my the entire following weekend doing research.
I went back to the drawing board and started with a new wax that was organic, all natural, locally sourced and easy to work with.
The following weekend. I produced 30 candles.
I began testing and burning and was so happy that they were flawless.
I wasn’t quite ready to trust it just yet, I had been fooled once. So I made another 30 and once again. Gave out to friends and family for feedback.
The feedback was everything I could have hoped for.
They loved them and couldn’t believe they were all natural, burnt so cleanly, evenly and had such a strong fragrance that lasted.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Once I was happy with the product I was able to produce. I spent the next 6 weeks ordering supplies and producing candles to prepare for a launch on my moms birthday. I lost her many years ago but she was and always will be my biggest supporter so it only seemed fitting to launch my new passion on her birthday.
When trying to decide on a name; again, I thought of my parents. Something my parent and I both shared was our middle names being Lee.
So I felt it was a great way to honor them by naming something I was so passionate about after us. That’s how Lovelee Flames was born!
I’m a business financial analyst crunching numbers and solving companies financial dilemma by day and a chandler every other minute of the day! No days off!!
I started my company July 2022. Since my launch I have expanded my product line to include Wax melts, Room and linen sprays, and custom favors/gift boxes.
The difference between Lovelee Flames and other Candle Companies, my candles are 100% soy, that is grown in the US, made with cotton wicks and clean fragrance oils ! I am proud of what I produce and I’m so happy so many love them as much as I do. My little hobby has turned into a very successful business !

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had worked in the medical field since 14. I was offered a position in a Health Service Center assisting uninsured patients. It honestly was my dream job. Helping people has always been a passion of mine. One of my patients I was able to assist with medical coverage and prescription assistance actually came back and offered me a job managing a home for individuals living with disabilities.
A few years later; I relocated to Buford, Georgia. When I moved to Georgia, I could not find a job in the medical field, nor as a case manager or direct care worker.
Desperate to provide for my sons, I applied at a staffing agency and was offered an interview for a copier company as a payroll administrator.
My payroll experience as the group home manager, supervising my house staff, got my foot in the door.
I ended up working for Milner for almost 16 years.
I held several positions during my time there, learned so much and met the most amazing people.
I am still grateful that they gave me a chance; in a position I had the least experience in when I couldn’t get one in fields I had worked in for years !

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

YouTube and social media groups were crucial in guiding me how to manufacture candles. I attended a candle making class, but that is just a smidgen of the candle making process.
The supply list alone is massive. Then you have to determine what wax works best for you; you wax matches your goal.
There is soy, paraffin, coconut, apricot, soy blends, etc etc.
Once you narrow down the kind of wax, you have to determine the type, there are so many version and so many forms.
You have to determine how much wax/fragrance oil your vessels will hold and then determine your fragrance oil percentages and wax weight.
There is truly a science to candle making.

A lot of these questions were answered by watching YouTube videos from other chandlers who did testing and comparisons of waxes and fragrance oils.
My decisions on the types of materials I needed were based of my insistence of making a clean candle, a natural, and organic candle.
So I would say YouTube, Facebook groups and a lot of testing are how I began to manufacture my products.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.loveleeflames.com
• Instagram: Loveleeflames
• Facebook: Lovelee Flames Candle Co

Image Credits
Cameron Shelton