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

Alright, Annemarien thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us 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?

How was Hooties started….

My family has always been huge on candles and diffusers, but with our daughter having severe asthma, allergies and eczema and my mother’s as well having been diagnosed with cancer. The selection was limited on the candles and products that they can use.

I have always been into crafts and even small candles to gift to friends and family, but never into a business. My family had other ideas and kept pushing why not do it as a business and do what you love. But…craft is not the same as a business.

I knew that I wanted to create a product that they could both use and not be afraid of reactions or harsh chemicals with that always in mind I started to work on Hootie’s.

It took many, many hours of non-stop work and research. I probably watched over 100+ videos to try to learn the process correctly, answer every question that I was not sure about. I purchased several starter kits trying to see which option was better. I was non-stop work every night for months. Candle making is a beautiful process, that requires non-stop testing, since there are so many variables that can affect the formula and performance of your candles.

The day that we created the final version of our initial candle to place for sale, it was a exciting and dream come true day.

Our company with products that are made of natural ingredients and clean fragrances was now available to provide people with a soothing body and soul experience.

Annemarien, 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?

Who am I and who is Hootie’s ….

My name is Annemarien and I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and a Candle Maker. I am dreamer, a non-stop crafter, a book and OWL lover.

My family means the world to me and it was them always pushing me to do my best and to follow me dreams that helped me take the leap I needed to start Hooties. . My husband “who is my right hand and greatest assistant ” that kept pushing to start my business and my daughter “best daughter and greatest supporter” that came up with the name. We love owls and she wanted that love to be represented in our brand.

It took many, many hours of non-stop work and research. I probably watched over 100+ videos to try to learn the process correctly, answer every question that I was not sure about. I purchased several starter kits trying to see which option was better. I was non-stop work every night for months. Candle making is a beautiful process, that requires non-stop testing, since there are so many variables that can affect the formula and performance of your candles.

Now today when I am in events and clients come up to say Hi, and tell me excitedly how happy they are with their candles and products it fills me up with pride that products made by my hands and dedication can make such an impact in someone’s home. Its a energy boosting moment not to give up and for us to keep creating new scents and products.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

Oh.. how it all started with events … Events are always a risky business, and lets add to that when you are just starting and not one person even knows of your company. Our first event was in our Hometown of Cape Coral, FL in a new festival “Mid-Summer Festival at Mercola”. The store had just opened not long before and it was a Festival to join the community. We decided to risk it all, and we paid for the spot and took every single product we owned “it was not a lot since we had no clients”. We were extremely nervous and afraid of losing all the money that was invested in getting all the supplies for the event. We had nothing, no tables, tent , chairs, etc.. we took a gamble. To our surprise within a couple of minutes of the event starting we made our first sale and by the end of the day , we had Sold-out all of our products. It was the start of our business.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Hootie’s Reputation is everything to us.

I am a big believer that what you put out to the universe is what you receive, and my clients are the purpose to our business and we treat them as such.

I always work hard on our brand, and don’t give up until I have a product that I would be happy in receiving and within a budget that I feel anyone can afford.

This motto has helped our business reputation, because our clients know that we always have an excellent attitude towards them, we dedicate our time to have hear them and interact with them, and that we provide a product that they can use knowing that it was handmade, Eco-friendly, cruelty-free with no harsh chemicals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hootiescandles.com
• Instagram: @hootiescandlesthings
• Facebook: @hootiescandlesthings
• Yelp: Hooties Candles and Things
• Other: www.hootiescandlenthings.etsy.com

Image Credits
All of our company pictures are taken by Sunflower Photography Inc.