We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Davis-Anthony a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Yes, I take vacations. Although there is some guilt about closing the shop for an extended time, my family is the most important aspect of my life, so making time together is a top priority.

Since we purchased a business that was already well-established, our long-time customers understand our strong family values and respect when we take time off. Hopefully, newer and potential customers also respect that we are a very small operation, and everyone needs a little time off.

Remember entrepreneurs, your well-being is vital to your lasting success. Take care of your needs, and be with the ones who love you as often as you can. Work will be there when you get back.

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.

My story* is fairly unique in that I found a business listed for sale online near where I lived, did some investigation, and together with my husband, purchased the business a few months ago!

I come from a long line of entrepreneurs and my husband’s family also has a few business owners in his family tree, so we felt very supported in our decision and knew we would have many people to turn to if we had questions or needed help.

The Candle Barn Company specializes in home fragrance products (candles, wax melts, and room sprays) and home decor. We are located in Shepherdsville, KY (a few minutes south of Louisville), and make all of our fragrance products by hand, on-site. We have wholesale clients around the country, and we have a profitable fundraiser available to our local community.

We strive to provide high-quality fragrance products and great customer service to all our customers.

*Note: My background is in higher education. I worked as an instructor at multiple colleges and universities for approximately 10 years (and still do part-time).

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

To purchase our business, my husband and I a large chunk from our savings account for a downpayment. Then we took out an even larger personal loan for operating costs and cash flow. We considered cashing in some investment accounts or taking a loan from a 401K but decided the personal loan was the best fit for us.

We found it difficult to find a business loan that covered an acquisition purchase for such a ‘small amount’ (less than 100,000), so we chose the personal loan route.

Our pathway to raising capital will not be for everyone, and I would caution anyone considering this route to speak with their banker or financial advisor to ensure they are making the best decision for their situation.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

When we purchased The Candle Barn Company, I had never made a candle, wax melt, or room spray in my life. Everything has been on-the-job training! Part of our purchase agreement was mentoring from the original owner, so I had confidence that I would learn the production part of the job much faster than if I had started from scratch on my own.

I have learned that every time I make a product it is slightly different, and that doesn’t make it bad. Our customers WANT a hand-made product, and that comes with uniqueness. There are limits, however. It is difficult to hand-pour hot wax into small wax-melt containers, and it took several weeks before I was able to make a product suitable for the public.

I still have much to learn about the candle and wax-melt world, but I look forward to continuing to improve my skills and offering our customers an experience they are willing to come back for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thecandlebarncompany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecandlebarncompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecandlebarncompany

Image Credits
Stefanie Walls Ashley Davis-Anthony