We were lucky to catch up with Jenn Robinson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I chose the name Soul of a Home because we all have something that we want our homes to say to those that we invite to be within those walls. We all feel more at home when we’re able to add our own personal touches! Whether temporary or permanent, dorm room or mansion, apartment or house, adding our unique accents to our dwelling helps us, and others, to enjoy the space where we spend so much time. The soul of a home is the essence of the home and a reflection of whom we are.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

In 2020, like many, I began working from home and because I enjoy candles, I’d light one just before logging in. Having that scent really helped me as I went about my work day. However, I noticed that I would start to not feel well and would often have a headache or a cough or other respiratory symptoms before I blew the candle out for the day. Once I realized it was the candle, I realized that no longer burning them was not an option I was willing to embrace, so I began researching how to make my own! I researched waxes, fragrance oils, wick types, safety, etc. and quickly realized what may have triggered those reactions using the store-bought candles that I’d been burning. I started to create my own and also did extensive testing. One of the biggest “yes!” moments was having a good friend test a candle in her home. She has severe asthma and had been unable to burn candles for years. When she burned one that I’d created, she was surprised that she had no reaction and was happy to be able to enjoy candles again. That made me so happy to hear because that was the goal – a cleaner, safer, and enjoyable candle!

Each Soul of a Home candle and all wax melts are made from soy wax which I source from the Midwest. All of the fragrance oils that I use are free from phthalates which are chemicals that are used to make plastic more pliable. I knew I did not want that burning in my home or yours! Research has shown that phthalates disrupt our endocrine system and because health is something that is important to me, that is reflected in how I choose each and every component.

All candles and wax melts are free from paraffin wax as well. After creating candles, I expanded to wax melts and air + linen mists to provide several ways to enjoy scent. I carefully chose fragrances that I would personally enjoy as well.

I craft every candle, wax melt, and air + linen mist by hand as well and I design my labels, manage my website, social media, and everything else. It’s a one woman show over here!

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

I started off on Etsy initially. Over time, I started branching out by doing local pop-ups and markets. As I started to assess the fees from Etsy and realized how much control they had over my own business, I decided to leave about 9 months later.

The pros of Etsy are having a built-in audience; there are customers, including myself, looking for particular items. The cons are that the multiple fees really stack up, the site is highly saturated with every avenue of creativity, and your shop isn’t really yours; it’s Etsy’s. I also wanted the option to do local deliveries and wanted more freedom when it came to wholesale and bulk purchase opportunities. I left Etsy and went to Shopify and haven’t looked back! I appreciate the freedom I have to run my company as I choose. The built-in audience isn’t there and I do have to work harder to get Soul of a Home before people, but it’s worth it to be able to operate the way that I want to!

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I have a somewhat monthly newsletter that I send out where I share what’s coming soon, what’s on sale, and give sneak peaks of new products! I also include a discount code that’s specific to those newsletter subscribers because I am thankful for their interest. With every online sale, I include a personal handwritten note to thank each customer for their purchase. I know that a small business does not stand on its own and is nothing without a customer’s support! I want to always be able to do that because each purchase is meaningful for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.soulofahome.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulofahome/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulofahome/
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulofahome

Image Credits
Jenn Robinson