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

Autumn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

I first got into candle making by chance. A friend had bought a candle making kit, and she invited me over to try it out together. It was so much fun that, when I got home, I went down a crazy rabbit hole and started learning as much as I could about candle making. The blend of science and craftmanship that candles require deeply resonated with me. I wanted to make my own unique fragrances and channel my love for cats into them somehow…thus, the idea to create cat-inspired candles was born! After seeing other candle makers who took the leap and started their own business, I decided to launch a business myself, based around the creation of sustainable cat-themed candles.

I jumped right into the preparation phase and spent a chaotic year working to bring all my ideas to fruition. For me, this meant spending a ton of time learning. I got an additional job to put money towards starting the business. I learned as much as I could about both candles and running a business from many sources of information. I learned about sales tax, web domains, and inventory management. I learned how to register my business as an official LLC. I learned how to make content for social media. I learned about product pricing. I learned about brand design and reaching target audiences. I learned about local markets, ecommerce, and wholesale options. I sourced suppliers and tried many fragrance combinations until I found the ones that brought my cat concepts to life. I made so, so many candles and spent months testing them for quality, safety, and performance. And finally, I launched on February 1st, 2024.

Looking back on that year of preparation, I can confidently say that going from idea to execution was not easy or linear. Although the process was fulfilling, it was also messy and stressful. There were so many moving parts to keep up with and at times it was hard to stay focused. At first, I questioned whether I was doing something ridiculous…who was I to be spending so much time and money and creative effort to launch a business that could fare horribly? I also felt isolated because, at the time, I did not personally know any other small business owners. To get through it, I had to learn to trust myself and fully believe that if I did my best, then my best would be good enough. I had to listen to and continuously protect the creative part of me that came up with all this and wanted to bring it to life in the first place. Although the process was long and difficult, it was worth it, and I have become a better person through stepping out of my comfort zone.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! My name is Autumn, and I am the creator behind Flickering Feline Candle Co. I make cat-inspired candles with a focus on sustainable packaging materials. I just launched in February 2024, so I am still a bit new to running a business, and I appreciate the love and support shown to me throughout this journey so far.

I have always adored and been fascinated by cats. I grew up with several, and used to volunteer at a local cat shelter as a teenager. When I first picked up candle making as a hobby, I had the idea to make fragrances themed around cats and their many moods and behaviors. Cats are an unending source of inspiration to me, and I wanted to translate that into fragrances. For example, their loving slow blinks make me feel safe and cozy…so I created a warm, comforting fragrance to represent that. As for the sustainable packaging part of my brand – that was a no brainer. There is already so much pollution and environmental degradation occurring because companies will not do their part. To me, it is only natural that I do all I can to make sure my products and packaging are sustainably crafted and have minimal negative effects on the environment.

In the future, I plan to expand my little business and release artwork themed around my cat fragrances. I’d also like to do limited edition candle fundraisers and donate proceeds to both local organizations that rescue domestic cats, and larger organizations engaged in preservation efforts for big cats. One day, I’d love for this to be my full time job…but for now, I am still just starting to take flight! Check us out if you’re interested; there’s something for cat and candle lovers alike!

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I sell my candles on my own website, with my own domain. I considered selling on a site like Etsy, but decided against it for several reasons: 1). I did not like the idea of Etsy taking a cut of every sale. Every sale is valuable, especially when just starting out, and I did not want to have to substract fees when figuring out my net profits. I was also concerned about Etsy’s transparency in regards to fees and fee breakdowns, based on negative things I’d heard from other small business owners who use Etsy.
2). My end goal would always be to have own website, so I did not want to worry about setting up on Etsy and then transitioning to my own site. I especially did not want to confuse returning customers about where to find me. I also preferred to fully customize my website and listings myself.
3). I have lost faith in Etsy’s commitment to small businesses due to issues with AI generated art and drop shipping listings proliferating the site. I did not feel comfortable having my business in their hands.
There are definitely pros to using a site like Etsy, such as the built-in customer base and not having to design your own site, but for me, the cons strongly outweighed the pros.

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

During my first pop-up market, the only sales I made were from family members who came out to support me. While I appreciated them coming out, I was disappointed no one else was interested. I was worried that my ideas and products weren’t good enough or that I was doing something glaringly wrong. To top it off, it was very cold out, I was hungry because I didn’t bring enough snacks, the wind kept knocking over my display decorations, and we had to leave the market early because of an incoming storm. I felt like the universe was giving me a middle finger.

However, I managed to bounce back and not spiral into doom by putting everything in context. I figured that I couldn’t have a much worse market experience, so it had to go up from there. I decided to improve my display to try and draw in more people at the next market. Additionally, I contextualized that February isn’t the best candle buying season, and that the particular market I was at was more of a flea market than a small business market (i.e., I wasn’t the best fit for it). I also realized it wasn’t all bad, and that there are other things to consider than just sales. At that market, I met another small business owner and got to trade products with them. I also got the experience of setting up and breaking down, so it wouldn’t take as long the next time. Overall, it was a good learning experience, and helped build my resilience going forwards.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.flickeringfelinecandleco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flickeringfelinecandleco/