We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Antwon Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Antwon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always loved candles and scents and when I was 19 I was a on the doorman on the upper eastside of Manhattan. A lady in the building was a teaching a fragrance class in her apartment and she said if I have time I could come up and she would teach me for free. I was 19 and could only afford free so I took her up on her offer. I played around with mixing scents and candles for 10 years and I promised myself if I have the time I would start a fragrance company… then Covid happened so I kept my promise to myself and started the company is August 2020,

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.

Dojo Candles LLC is named after the my grandmother, Doris Jones, hence Dojo. I created the company during the pandemic in August 2020 and we began selling online and later expanded to farmers markets. When I created the company my goal was to create highly fragrant, complex, unisex scents. Our products are made with clean ingredients, emphasizing the importance of using eco-friendly materials. We offer designer duplications for more affordable and reasonable prices, making luxury scented products accessible to everyone. Our focus on sustainability and affordability has made us a favorite among candle and fragrance lovers, and we continue to grow rapidly in popularity.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I started my business during the Covid-19 pandemic so I used my unemployment checks and took advantage of the rent moratorium to start the company.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

I ventured into selling at the Farmers Markets in 2021 to much success so naturally I was looking for ways to expand and I thought a mall kiosk would be a great way…. Boy was I wrong! I went to my local Westfield and took a tour with one of the leasing managers. I was given a pamphlet that quantified the monthly traffic and average medium income for the area, Sherman Oaks. I was quoted $2,800 per month for my kiosk. The price was steep and when I tried to negotiate the price I was told this was market rate and every vendor pays the same amount. Since I couldn’t negotiate price, I negotiated time and decided to start with a three month lease. I was excited for this venture….until I wasn’t. Recalling the experience produces a mild form of PTSD. When we opened it was clear the projections I was given was incorrect. The mall was completely dead and the people that did go to the mall went for a particular reason, for instance, to get a shirt from H&M or get their Apple fix. They weren’t that interested in stopping at a mall kiosk. Todays malls aren’t the malls of the early 2000s. To make matters worse I found out I was paying the most out of all the cart kiosks. After the first month I asked to be let out of my lease and I wasn’t allowed but I was offered a year lease at a lower rate. Because the mall was so horrible I had to work the shifts personality to stop the financial bleeding. To make matter worse mall security gave out citations if we opened late or closed early. We barely made it out of that three month lease. If you’re thinking about opening a mall kiosk seek therapy.

Contact Info:

• Website: Dojocandles.com
• Instagram: @dojocandles
• Facebook: Facebook.com/thedojocandles