We were lucky to catch up with Evette Rios recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Evette thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Being a stay at home mom, it’s nice to unwind after a hectic day of cleaning & caring for the household. I happened to be just that person, who also loved to complete a day with the ambiance of scented candles. Candles with quality fragrance throw & ingredients can be pricey, so I decided to learn to make some of my very own. I turned to YouTube for information & stumbled upon a fellow candle maker by the name of Tiana Coats. Her work encouraged me enough to believe that I could turn this newfound hobby into a business! After a couple of months testing jars, wicks, fragrances & labels I liked, I launched an etsy shop.

It was a whole new world for someone like me, who was raised to believe that obtaining a 9-5 with retirement & pension, but it was exciting & I was finally doing something I enjoyed I looked forward to working on the following day, you know? It also gave me the opportunity to be able to create healthier & sustainable fragrance alternatives to offer to my community at an affordable price range, something very uncommon in this industry, that I feel makes my business unique. The entrepreneur life has not been easy, but rewarding in many ways that I will always be grateful for!

Evette, 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?

My business is what I like to call an Eco-friendly fragrance business. I offer a variety of products in my shop such as soy candles, wax brittles, wax sachets, reed diffusers, room & linen sprays, vintage glassware & secondhand home decor. I don’t believe I could ever put the things I do in business in one particular box or industry category, but It’s something I dabbled with for fun, that soon turned into a passion as I was a stay at home mother that longed for independence.

When I finally decided to relocate back to Detroit, it was for a reset on life. I was a newly single mother looking to lead a more fulfilling life for myself & my family so I took the risk of going back home. I don’t know why, but of the few things I decided to bring along, I took the bare essentials for my newfound candle hobby. I knew it was something that had potential, financially, but more so was something to keep me sane & grounded during such a hectic time in my life; candle making can be very therapeutic.

Becoming a small business owner came at a perfect time for me, it’s something as a kid, I would never imagine I could do! I can be as creative as I want & I love it! Being able to share my craft & educate my community on healthier lifestyle alternatives, is what matters most to me in my work.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn was to treat people as they treat you. Growing up, I heard the phrase often when someone did another person wrong, & I soon became accustomed to just that. I feel that I am loyal & understanding in all of the relationships I developed. So why would I want to forgive or at the very least, show kindness in a public setting? Naturally I am a witty, thoughtful, & inviting person, so why was I masking my true self to reciprocate angst? I would subconsciously carry this tension, for it to only be exposed when a foe came near & of course, it would throw my whole energy off. Enough was enough! I decided if I was going to take my small business on full-time, I it was time I needed to be genuine, be myself & simply let go of things I cannot control. In return, I truly feel so much more peace in my business, with family, friends & more. Stay true to your core values & you shall persevere.

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

I personally hand-pour all of my fragrance products here in Detroit, MI. When I thought about turning my hobby into a business, I turned to YouTube & began my research. There I found influencers making tutorials about not only candle making, but creating a business plan, supplies wholesalers, packaging & shipping, different selling platforms like Etsy, Shopify, Amazon Handmade. Stuff I knew nothing about, but at that point, I was fully invested in becoming a business owner.

With some leads on where to find retailers in my niche, I was able to find the best prices for raw materials, packaging, & more. Majority of my raw materials such as fragrance oils, waxes, & wicks are sourced out of state, so shipping cost varies from supplier to supplier depending on their warehouse locations. Based on those facts & material ingredients alone, I weeded out which suppliers I wanted to incorporate in my small business. So I would definitely recommend aspiring entrepreneurs or even those current entrepreneurs wanting to expand, to do their research with YouTube, it can be very beneficial!

A lesson I learned from producing my very own products, is that trial & error is necessary. We’re all afraid to fail, maybe even afraid to succeed. But the fact is if you never try, you’ll never know. I believe as long as you put your best foot forward, stay true to your values & enjoy what you’re doing, you will elevate! We can do whatever we put our minds to, just be willing to take the risks.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thewiltedwick?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewiltedwick?mibextid=LQQJ4d