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

Amber, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

The weekend I launched my candle business, I made over 1k in sales! I will never forget the feeling of sitting on my couch, laptop open in my little apartment and watching what had been months and months in the making actually paying off! Just straight up euphoric. I had never been so proud of myself before. Knowing I risked everything for a dream only I could see and then actually seeing that vision become a reality, euphoric fits the script perfectly.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I own Sweet Cheek’s Candles! My dessert candles and wax melts are all hand-crafted by me and not only look good enough to eat but will make your home smell just as delicious! I love creating and coming up with new ways to keep my creations unique! My scoopable wax has become a top seller! Crafted to look like real rainbow sherbet, strawberry shortcake and other delicious desserts, the wax is soft enough to scoop a piece right into your wax warmers! Just a fun and unique way to enjoy your wax melts and keep your home smelling amazing!

I got started on my journey after becoming a single momma during the peak of the pandemic! What had been office hours shifted to working from home, the pay wasn’t enough to cover my bills plus childcare…and the whole sitting on a phone 8-10 hours a day, at a high-volume job, while simulatemously wrangling a new born was waaaay too much for this momma and for what felt like ZERO reward. I still struggled financially and I was miserable. So, I decided to quit my job, picked up delivering food to pay bills and started throwing everything I had into starting my own business to build something long-term for my mini and myself! I had always wanted to be self-made but struggled with enough confidence to take the chance on myself!

I promoted my little business for several months on social media before launching! Bringing followers along for the ride in me learning my craft! By the time I finally launched I had created so much ‘hype’ about these candles, I SOLD OUT launch weekend. It blew my mind. I had almost 200 candles made and just as many (if not more) wax melts **POOF** gone in 2 days. Mind. Blown.

I am grateful to say, while the journey hasn’t been easy, I have continued to grow and have big plans in the upcoming years for Sweet Cheek’s!

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

A few months after launching my little business, I went thru a serious lull in sales. Like.. WEEKS would go by with none. It was so discouraging. I think a lot of people wondered why I even kept going and putting so much effort into it! But I did. I tested out some new wicks, wax and added some new fragrances in. I kept promoting. Kept throwing my little business in their face. Upgraded my look, got better labels and just kept going. I keep thinking, if I had given up I would never of seen how far my business was capable of going. I can barely keep inventory in stock these days!

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

I feel like I am always pivoting being a small business owner. When I launched, I thought I had the perfect wax and wick combo, perfect jars, everything. I’ve changed my mind and formula so many times since launch! I keep finding new ways to improve my line. I’ve even had to switch the style of jars I use because the ones I loved stopped becoming available to me. I think being a business owner is all about pivoting to find the best products for your customers!

Contact Info:

• Website: Sweetcheekscandlesllc.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/sweetcheekscandles
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/sweetcheekscandlesllc
• Other: Sweetcheekscandlesllc.faire.com