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

Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

Manda Panda’s is all about giving back. We believe that the more you give the more you get in return. We have been fortunate to be able to donate to a cause that is near and dear to our family. For each large candle we sell, $1 is donated to the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, NC, which is where my father has received treatment during his six-year journey with cancer. Everyone at the Duke Cancer Institute puts their heart and soul into their job and it is our honor to use our business to express our gratitude for their mission.

Amanda, 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?

Manda Pandas is a woman-owned small business in Durham, NC. We proudly craft all natural, soy wax candles in a variety of scents and designs. and we give back to the community with every purchase. We offer other products such as coconut oil bath bombs and sugar scrubs to help you decompress from the stressors of daily life. Each item is infused with my own special touch and made with SOY much love!

I am beyond thankful to my parents, brother, and a husband who have been the most supportive. My parents let me take over a couple of rooms in their home to pour, package and ship our products. Everyone in my family plays an important part, be it gluing wicks, placing stickers, organizing supplies, taking packages to the post office, or selling the products. It truly is a family business.

Manda Panda’s took off with a leap of faith from our friend Cecelia, another female, local business owner. Her space, Cecy’s Art Gallery, is located next to the Farmer’s Market in the heart of downtown Durham. Cecy has the biggest heart and is living out her dream by supporting other local artists throughout the area. It means the world to us that she has shared her space with us for almost three years.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Our favorite way to grow clientele is by forming meaningful, authentic connections with our customers. During the holiday season, we attend several pop-up markets where we get to meet lots of new friends. We like to spread SOY much love and positivity through music, dancing, and conversation. This energy, mixed with our irresistible smells, helps us attract new clientele with ease. From there, word of mouth tends to be our most effective strategy. Social media allows us to advertise the aesthetic of our candles, but we haven’t found a way to send smells through the screen yet!

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

My Manda Panda story began five years ago when I decided to make a special, handmade gift for Mother’s Day. My mother burned candles incessantly, so I decided to purchase an at-home soy wax candle-making kit. I fell in love with the process; it became a perfect hobby to help me unwind from a long day at work.

Soon after, my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. We became cautious of the type of candles we burned at their house. Of course, it was a no-brainer to make all-natural, non-toxic soy wax candles that wouldn’t pose any threat to our environment. Making candles together became integral to his journey and healing process. It has been an amazing adventure and a therapeutic outlet for our lives. What began as a novel gift turned into a full-blown passion.

When I purchased my first kit, it felt like a smooth and easy hobby. As my interest expanded and I began pouring in bulk, I realized that pouring candles is a complex science! Sure, there are simple parts of the process, but it’s an intricate process from beginning to end. There have been SOY many trials and errors along the way.

Luckily, through a friend, I found CandleScience, a local, family-owned candle-making distributor in Durham. They have been an excellent guide to learning more about the candle-making process. We are also happy to present that by the end of 2021, they have committed to an entire line of “Clean Scents.” I have trialed many different types of wicks, containers, temperatures, scents, and color dye. I have so many families, friends, and co-workers to thank as they have helped me test burn and give me feedback.

Wick testing has been one of the most difficult challenges. We went in a different direction a couple of years ago with wooden wicks, as they were coming around as a new fad. We have not looked back since and love the aesthetic look and feel. Wooden Wick Co. is our distributor and is also a woman-owned business. We are thankful they make our custom cuts, which has literally cut down on the time frame to make our process more efficient.

The most important lesson this business has taught me is to be patient. All of the research, testing, tinkering, and trial and error has taken a significant amount of time and energy, but it has shown me the value of living in the moment and enjoying every step of the journey.*

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mandapandas.com
• Instagram: manda_panda_swc2