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

Keonna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I believe I started Infinite Glow Candle Co. at a perfect time. I thought about starting a business a few times over the past 20 years but I could not come up with an idea that I could fully commit to. For years I wanted to do something with food because I worked in restaurants and that’s what I knew. But I lost my passion with cooking because of working in restaurants for so many years

Candle making started as a hobby during the stay at home order in 2020. I had just received the notice that I was going to be laid off work. I wanted something that was creative and I would like doing. I’ve always loved candles. So I started researching how to make them. I gave them out as gifts to a couple of people. My best friend told me not to give them away. Basically to figure out something to do with it because they were good. She invested in me financially, and it went from there.

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?

Like I stated before, it started as a hobby. I was interested in learning how to make candles because I’ve always loved them. As I did my research, I learned about the different components to make a good or bad candle. My goals where to make candles that were safe and simple.

Infinite Glow Candle Co. use high quality ingredients for long lasting candles. The candles are made with soy wax. One of the major benefits of soy wax is it burns slower. Total burn time is approximately 57 hours. Soy wax also binds to fragrance oils well. Speaking of fragrance oils. I use fragrance that are free of carcinogens and phthalates. I use cotton wicks that have shreds of paper braided in the wick. This helps to prevent mushrooming and less likely have to trim the wicks. The jars are reusable. I have regular customers who returned them for me to reuse. In return, I give them a coupon to use toward the next order.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media played a great role in starting my business. When I was ready to go live, I posted on my personal Facebook page. I just said “I did a thing..” and posted pictures with the website. My friends and family who knew I was starting this venture shared it also. My first few orders were from friends on Facebook.
It was spring/early summer of 2020. There were a lot of outdoor markets going on. I used social media to participate in these markets. The organizers would post the vendors of the markets so that was another way of building my audience on social media.

I post regularly on my social media pages. I use Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to grow my customer base. I post new products, markets/events that I will be attending, and other videos to showcase my products.

My advice to anyone that is starting to build a social media presence is everything is content. From the behind the scenes/production to the final product. Make as many videos and take as many pictures as possible so during those downtime, you can make reels to post on your social media platforms.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What helped me build my reputation within my market is sticking to my core goals of the business. For the candles to be as safe for everyone as possible and simple. Another goal that I set for the business is to just be me.

At the time I started, there were several small candle businesses in my area. Some had the same ideas as each other. I realized that I did not want to follow the same pattern. I wanted simplicity from everything from the jars to the labels.

When a customer buys a candle from me, they are purchasing a candle that I put my all into. I care deeply about putting out a quality product that will warm your space, create a calming atmosphere or spark a bit of nostalgia.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://infinite-glow-candle-co.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinite_glow_candle_co?igsh=NnlidnJ3MzR5dWh5&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DyFKnBfQR/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@infiniteglowcandleco?_t=ZP-8ssw2RFrIMQ&_r=1