We were lucky to catch up with Brooklyn Smith-Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brooklyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?
My hero’s name is Albert Lee Jones Jr. He’s my grandfather. Since his childhood, he had an infectious smile and personality that made people gravitate towards him. He was a risk taker, he loved to explore, and if he couldn’t be found he was sure to be near by in the presence of a family member, or his “buddies.” There were many times when I would run errands with him as a kid, and he would have full conversations with people, and I would say “Pop-pop, how do you know them?” and his response was always “I don’t.” He walked with optimism and positivity, and he extended encouragement in each conversation he had. He had a unique way of making everyone he came in contact with feel like he genuinely cared about them, and was “proud” of them; and he was. Maya Angelou once said “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Now that I am an entrepreneur, I strive to emulate that. In my business I want people to feel welcomed when they come in, and encouraged by the time they leave.
Additionally, my Pop-pop is my hero because he taught me how to pursue my dreams boldly without looking back. He always told me “fear creates its own enemy, make your choice, and stick with it, and it will all work out in the end.” He took many risks in his life, purchasing a home, pursuing a business degree while working full time after he started his family, speaking his mind, but most importantly he operated out of love. My Pop-pop loved history and taught his family many lessons through storytelling and experiential learning. He instilled in us the importance of community, loyalty, and sticking together. Being raised with such integrity, and pure love lets me know that regardless of the challenges I face, I am well equipped with tools he acquired and created throughout his life, that are now in the toolbox he left behind for us in May 2024. He was the embodiment of God’s love for us as his children. Because of that I am able to know what fatherly love feels like and with faith, I will be just fine. That’s why he is my hero. Entrepreneurship is tricky, but if you can remain rooted in faith, and your core values, it does not matter the challenge, you CAN make it!
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
In a perfect world I would say, I had assets (maybe even some passed down from family), or took out a loan that covered everything and allowed me to hit the ground running. But, that is not my story. After looking at my current debts: college loans, a mortgage and a car loan, I knew that another loan at the very beginning was not what I wanted. I did not want to add one more weight to my shoulders. To be 100% transparent, I started off by taking $100 from my savings account and purchasing a starter candle making package from Lone Star Candle Supply and wax from the Maryland Wax Club, and got to work. I started off by donating candles/ candle pouring workshops to help with feedback and customer discovery. Donations were welcomed but not required. From there I had 2 ASSETS Idea Incubator classmates who believed in me and booked the first two BK Shanae Candle Pouring workshops. From there, I took the money that I earned to buy the next set of supplies that I needed. Each time I received a workshop request, or retail and wholesale request, I took the revenue and saved a small percentage and invested the rest into business supplies. I repeated this until I was fully stocked. My journey is one that is not just my own and I believe that this process is making my foundation firm so I can use my natural passion for teaching and pass the knowledge on to community members who come after me. All in all, this process allows me to maintain faith, gratitude, and appreciation for where I came from. I take pride in the humble beginning.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As a little girl, I loved learning. I would rush home each day to share what I learned at school with my mom, only to hear “your mom has work tonight.” Being raised by a single mom who worked 3 jobs was tough but early on (in elementary school)I knew that education was my way out.
Now that I am an adult, I realized that education is not always enough. Even after graduating from the IB program with a 4.5 GPA, then graduating from Franklin & Marshall College, I still found myself on a hamster wheel. Thus, I thought about how I could break the cycle and address the system. Aha! (lightbulb), the learning continues. I realized the importance of financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and access.
Thus, I took a risk and applied for the ASSETS Lancaster Idea Incubator which changed my life. I learned how to take my dream of being a multi Brick & Mortar store owner, and breaking it down into taking a much smaller first step, never forgetting the end goal. Hence, the birth of BK Shanae Candle Co.
The candle industry is very saturated thus BK Shanae Candle Co. is a candle company with a twist. You are sure to find your typical retail and wholesale candles, but the excitement is unlocked when customers participate in a BK Shanae Candle Pouring Workshop where they unknowingly take part in a chemistry lesson amongst friends and family, make memories, and walk away with a clean candle. The experience includes customers smelling up to 30 fragrances, viewing a variety of candle vessel colors and sizes, then participating in a guided and immersive candle pouring experience. Each customer gets to tap into their creativity and build confidence all within a women owned and Black owned business. This is an experience that does not exist within 40 miles of Lancaster City, and will eventually have a Brick & Mortar home in downtown Lancaster in addition to the current mobile service option.
This is the same idea that I pitched during the ASSETS Great Social Enterprise Pitch. After delivering an outstanding presentation and still landing in last place, I initially felt discouraged. But I quickly changed my mindset, put my faith in God and started my journey of resilience. At that point my wording changed from “I lost” to “I am a 5th place winner.” Coming in 5th place allowed me to take a different path, and learn things about marketing, finances, ownership, communication, etc. which I may not have gained, had I won. Thus, being able to build my business from the bottom gave me the knowledge, determination, and unwavering faith that I needed to continue. Now I can say that in just 4 months of becoming a Limited Liability Corporation, through candle pouring workshops, retail sales and wholesale sales, I’ve sold over 100 candles and served over 80 customers. It’s time for my 45 pound case of natural soy candle wax to be replenished, but I could not have done that without resilience. Resilience takes acceptance of where you are, believing that success is possible, and taking one step at a time to get there.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Bk_shanaecandleco
- Facebook: BK Shanae Candle Co.
Image Credits
The picture of me in front of a house with a light blue suit was captured by Jenny Foster. https://www.instagram.com/fosterjfoster/