We were lucky to catch up with Jolicia St Louis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jolicia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Our journey started as a result of a traumatic car accident in 2017 in which I lost my ability to speak for a few months and suffered from severe anxiety/PTSD. I used candles regularly to help ease my anxiety and I realized candles signified self-care for me. Each time I lit a candle, it gave me the mental/emotional break I needed to decompress and re-evaluate how I would tackle the
stressors in my life.

One day, after enjoying a candle, I told my husband I wanted to start a candle business. After months of research, formula testing, and behind-the-scenes business structuring, Jaelle Candle
Co. came to be. I started my company to help others just like me. Whether it’s a burnt-out parent, exhausted after a long day of taking care of their kids, a working professional who had a hard week at work, or a fellow anxiety sufferer like myself, I wanted to provide the same
opportunity for escape and self-reflection I experienced when I lit a candle.

This company is a
representation of prioritizing self-care to live your best, most fulfilled life. With each candle made, whether in our mobile classes or through wholesale, I get to help others learn to light their way to self-care, naturally.

The name “Jaelle” holds a special significance, a blend of my daughters’ names, Jaleah and Arielle, who inspire me daily with their resilience despite their Autism diagnoses. It’s with them in mind that I’ve committed to developing an employment program for individuals within the neurodivergent community.

I don’t know if my children will ever be fully independent, and I know I’m not the only parent of a child with special needs that faces this reality. Our employment program will provide an opportunity for children like Jaleah and Arielle to take advantage of as they transition to adulthood.

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.

Jaelle Candle Co. is a social enterprise candle company whose mission is to provide employment opportunities for individuals with neurodivergence. With each candle made, we are working towards expanding our operations and building a neurodiverse workforce in our community.

Our business is solving three different problems: the lack of high-quality, customizable candle options, a need for meaningful and unique experiences for collective groups to enjoy, and access to employment for neurodiverse individuals.

We solve this problem by offering our clients high-quality, non-toxic handmade candles with the option of private labels or custom scents for special occasions or corporate gifts. We also provide mobile candle making classes throughout South Florida for people to make memories with their colleagues, neighbors, friends or loved ones in the comfort of their home or selected venue.

What sets us apart is not only our social impact commitment, but also our elevated customer service experience. All of our clients, whether candle class or wholesale, receive the best of the best. From inquiry to execution, we strive to provide a seamless and stress free booking process.

I’m most proud of how far we’ve come in just a few short years. We’ve worked had the opportunity to work some amazing clients including JP Morgan Chase, Miami Dade College, Ferguson Showrooms, Radical Partners and a host of local nonprofits and residents. And we’re just getting started! We have plans to expand and offer virtual offerings for in home group gathering or corporate team building.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Our initial capital was $500 that I committed of my own personal funds. I knew I needed to begin by purchases products and testing the candle making process for myself so I researched the required materials and sourced high-quality vendors who held my same regard for sustainable ingredients. From there, I started attending vendor markets and advertising online in the hopes of making individual sales. This generated enough revenue to break-even with the cost of goods to make the candles. Additional funding came through grant programs provided by Miami-Dade County such as the Mom and Pop grants. I also participated in the Accion Opportunity Fund’s FedEx E-Commerce Learning Lab which awarded a grant upon completion.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Honestly, Google and word of mouth. I had the pleasure of participating in Urban League of Broward’s Small Biz Co-Lab which paired entrepreneurs with experts across six industries and the marketing expert, Andre Kay, was so instrumental in setting up my website. During my time with him I changed my website platform from WordPress to Shopify and intentionally set up my pages for SEO optimization. Through website language and a Google business profile presence, I’ve had a steady flow of inquires without any additional marketing. I also have to credit my repeat clients and even first-time clients for being so amazing and sharing about our business to people they know based on their experience working with us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jaellecandleco.com
• Other: email: info@jaellecandleco.com