We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Collette Bice. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Collette below.

Alright, Collette thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Before I started Wickry Candle Co., I worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at a UT Southwestern. Although I enjoyed the work I did helping patients in a vulnerable population, I felt like I was at a dead-end and did not have any opportunities to grow and further my career. Running my business has been the one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Getting to work directly with my customers and seeing their enjoyment from the products I make is very rewarding. As the sole owner of my business, I face exciting new challenges every day that allow me to step outside of my comfort zone and allow me to express my creative side.

Collette, 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?

During the beginning of the pandemic, I found myself with extra time and picked up candle making as a hobby after one of my friends started making candles. I loved being able to know exactly what went into my candles and aimed for more natural and higher quality ingredients such as 100% soy wax and phthalate-free fragrance oils. I ended up launching my candle line a few months later after getting helpful feedback from family and friends. Within a year of starting my business, I left my academic research job to focus on my small business full time. With that extra time on my hands to dedicate to my business, I was able to expand my scent selection, come up with new product ideas such as my popular room & linen sprays, and improve my product photography. Along the way I’ve also had the pleasure of working with other woman-owned local businesses that sell my candles as well as taking on custom projects with people all over the US. I have now almost hit my two year birthday of opening my business and I can’t wait to see what is in store next!

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I currently only sell my products on Etsy, which is a marketplace for handmade and vintage sellers all over the world. A major benefit to using Etsy is that it a trusted platform with millions of buyers and many opportunities for growth. The site also makes it easy for me to connect with a wide audience of shoppers without having to do a lot of marketing on my own. Order management and shipping is also easy to organize and keep up with, which saves me time during the week! Although they do charge fees, they are less than what sites like Amazon charge.

While most of my experiences on Etsy have been positive, there are some challenges when it comes to using the site. Since it is a marketplace with millions of active sellers, my listing photos really need to stand out or they will be easily overlooked. It is also easy for your potential customers to navigate to another shop directly from one of your listings. While Etsy has provided me with such a wonderful customer base and consistent site traffic, one of my goals is to branch out and start create my own website on Shopify, however that presents additional challenges around SEO (search engine optimization) and marketing.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

From my experience on Etsy, the biggest drivers of my business growth come from my product photography, using environmentally-friendly materials and my customer service. One of the best investments I’ve made with my business is using a professional photographer for some of my listing photos as well as lifestyle pictures that I use on my social media which has helped my products stand out. Etsy has also rewarded me with a Star Seller badge which they use to recognize shops that meet certain criteria such as having a review ratings average of 4.8 or higher, shipping out orders on time and responding to messages within 24 hours. I believe this has helped my store stand out from some of the rest!

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits
AshlieRené