We recently connected with Charittey Scott and have shared our conversation below.

Charittey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

Growing up, I was always drawn to math. Problem-solving, finding different ways to find the right answer, and challenging myself to learn and do more. My senior year in high school, many people thought I’d for sure be going straight to college. However, I didn’t have much growing up. So to be honest, I knew that college would always be an option, but that at the moment I needed to pursue a career for stability. So I joined the Navy. During my service, I was surrounded by great mentors who assisted me in getting the information I needed to enroll in school. I enrolled, received my Bachelor’s and Master of Accounting, and 7 years later I separated from the military.

I became an Auditor for the federal government and thought I’d landed in the perfect place in my career. Shortly after, my husband received a job offer across the country, so we moved. During that time, I was able to explore the creative side of myself, and through that, I learned so much about curating a clean and non-toxic home through the art of candle making. I also learned American Sign Language, Financial Planning, and so many more skills that assisted me in life, that I didn’t truly have the opportunity to learn growing up in a small town.

I think public schools should have more opportunities for students to learn about the arts, especially high school. We spent time during the week in physical education, and honestly I feel that time could have been used for students to really explore things that they’re passionate about. If they could publically curate a space where small businesses could come in and work with students to show them what’s possible, they could literally start a business before even graduating high school. Personal and business financial planning classes should also be offered, to show students how to manage their hard earned funds to ensure a more profitable outcome. Learning about investments and the stock market, even at the most basic level, could definitely shift generational wealth in the most beautiful way.

Charittey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my business in 2021, just three months after having my second child. Prior to my pregnancy, we had just moved to Florida. I had always been in love with candles and the coziness it created for me. In efforts to make our place a home, candles was one of the first on my decorating list. Something popped in my head to research how to make my own candles. I ordered a DIY candle making kit, and completely fell in love with the process. It was so therapeutic, and I’m not sure if I ever felt that way about a hobby before.

So I started researching different waxes, fragrances, wicks, etc., and I found out how many toxins there were in so many of our products that we use everyday. I scoured the internet to understand what the terms meant, the regulations behind environmental breathing standards, and chose the ingredients I felt would be the most safe and still produce the aesthetic and scent throw that I desired. I wanted to feel confident that my family would be breathing clean air while I enjoyed the aromas in our home. And because I felt so connected to it, I decided to launch Chari Candle Co. to share this experience with the world.

Chari Candle Co. is a clean and non-toxic home fragrance brand that curates minimal and sleek home decor through aromatherapy. I handcraft Coconut Apricot Creme Wax Candles, Natural Room + Linen Sprays, and Reed Diffusers. Our products serve as multipurpose solutions throughout your space, are eco-friendly, and are upcyclable.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My most effective strategy has been attending vendor markets and events. Home fragrances are products that you have to experience in person. Most people don’t know how scent notes blend with each other, the potency, or even how certain products feel. When I began my business, I started selling on Etsy. Not understanding SEO at the time, most of my sales came from people I knew. However once I started attending markets, my sales not only began to grow, but I started seeing recurring customers continue to support my business. People share their experiences with their friends, and that’s how my clientele began to grow. Majority of my wholesale clients are people that I met at vendor markets or through word of mouth. So I definitely recommend anyone that has a product that activates the smell or taste senses to definitely try out vendor events.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Last year, I came across a company that curated a retail space specifically for small businesses like mine. I loved their mission, and thought this would be a great opportunity for me to transition into retail outside of vendor events and online sales. I applied, was approved, and was so ecstatic that this was going to be pivotal for my growing business! They wanted a specific quantity of specific products that I offered. Because it was more than what I had available, I made a personal investment to meet the requirements. The fee that was charged I felt was feasible, because they were in a prime location I knew would get traffic. I shipped my products, which ended up being almost 200 lbs. We were finally getting started.

The following week, my products were returned back to my home, half of them broken. All of the money, long nights and preparation I put into my products had been ruined. I was devastated but knew that I had no choice but to fix it. Once I was able to replenish the damaged stock, I drove the products to the store. Finally we were on the shelves.

However, things didn’t go as plan. Marketing in my opinion wasn’t done well at the location, so there was little to no traffic during the day. No one knew who they were compared to the “big” name brand stores, so many people didn’t see a need to explore because they had no information. What did that mean for businesses like mine? We had to try our best to promote our own products for the store to try to get traffic in, even if that meant spending even more money. At the end of my first contract, I still didn’t recoup any of my funds because what I made went toward my space in the store.

I could have completely walked away from business after that because I knew it would be a while before I’d get that money back. And to be honest, I had to work twice as hard afterwards to try to get as close to breaking even as possible. But I decided to take a step back, remember my why, and refocus my vision for the business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.charicandleco.com
• Instagram: @ChariCandleCo
• Facebook: @ChariCandleCo