We recently connected with Erika Strassberg and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erika, thanks for joining us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

When we first opened our doors in January 2021, it was just myself, my mom & my husband (on nights and weekends since he works a full-time corporate job). We did not anticipate needing to hire so soon – which is a good problem to have I guess! So we started looking for people who represent our brand & who would be a good fit for the environment and interacting with our customers. Our first employee was actually a previous employee of mine at my corporate gig’s younger sister! Then we hired three more employees – all from them coming in to do the experience with us, and seeing our “we’re hiring” sign. We feel super fortunate to have such incredible staff on board at WWCS. They all bring so much personality, charisma, and their own unique flare to the experience. And we truly believe that’s something to be proud of!

Erika, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Long story short: I spent one too many years in corporate America. I have heard my whole life that the best way to be truly happy with the work you do is to go out on your own & do your own thing. Something many people are told, but few actually do. So, when COVID turned the event planning world upside down, I began evaluating what brought me joy, and what I would be happy doing for years to come. And that’s when The Weathered Wick was born. I started with a blank Word doc, that turned into a 21-page business plan, and is now a brick & mortar location in LoHi Denver. Imagine this: a paint & sip and the newest trendy hot spot had a baby – and that baby smelled really incredible. Well, that’s us! We are the first & only experience like this in Denver and are super passionate about creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for all who come in to our studio. When you join us for an experience you’ll be led through the entire candle-making process. From selecting the vessel you want to make your candle in, to smelling our curated fragrances and ultimately assembling your candle. You’ll leave with your very own scented candle – just as unique as you!

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Candles, believe it or not, are far more complex than most people know! There is a LOT of testing that goes in to finding the type of wicks and wax you want to use, vendors for all the supplies, what fragrance combinations to use, etc. So it was a whole journey to creating the perfect candle! I started with one type of wax, switched to another. I started using a small Presto Pot to melt the wax, then upgraded to a 65lb melter. Needless to say, there were many times along the way that I wanted to throw in the towel. I would get so down on myself that I couldn’t figure it out! But the lesson here: never give up. We can do hard things. And apparently, candles is a hard thing. So we make sure to make it as simple as possible for our customers in the studio!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

For us, authenticity to the brand is huge. From the first to last interaction with us, you understand who we are and feel the warmth & connection! Our space is curated to be inviting, the scents & colors of the candles all tie together, our social channels, our website – we aim for it all to scream THE WEATHERED WICK! And that’s what draws people in, but also back. We’ve had a ton of customers return to re-pour their candles and bring in other friends and family!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theweatheredwick.com
• Instagram: @theweatheredwick
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theweatheredwick