We were lucky to catch up with LaToria Bolden recently and have shared our conversation below.

LaToria, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The Story of Blissful Dandies came to birth just a couple of months ago-From the creative mind of LaToria Bolden- A mother of 2 daughters and an Educator. I have always been a candle lover and have spent hundreds of dollars buying them. The thought came to me-You should make your own candles- Not only will it be fun but rewarding for your family.

Blissful Dandies not only prepares one-of-a-kind scents made with Eco-Friendly safe soy wax-Hand poured with love-With every SALE made you are supporting our mother site Little Dandies Learning Academy, LLC- A private learning academy that serves Pre-K through 6th grade. LDLA is saving up for a permanent building that will offer services to all Pre-K through 6th-Setting them up for success and keeping them ahead during these times of COVID.

Every Scent has a story and I’m so excited to share with you my vision and creativity.

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

Tell the readers about yourself

My name is LaToria-Also Known as-Tori and I am an Educator. I have been teaching for a little over 4 years now. My calling to serve in this area came by accident. I was in the medical field for over 10 years but after having my first child things changed. My oldest was diagnosed with ADHD when she was in the 2nd grade. This was something very foreign to me but I know I had to do something-It was a struggle at first but being a parent you make things happen. I began to do my research and learned everything I could to aid her in her different way of learning. What I was doing seemed to had been working-without meds I must say- and hence my journey into education. At that point, I decided to go to school for education and successfully obtained my AAS in Early Childhood Education and my Bachelors in Special Education. I take pride in what I do and believe this to be my calling. I am currently an Apprentice Teacher working on my certification toward becoming a certified Teacher.

What Type Of Business Do You Own?
I currently have two businesses-I own my own Private School-Little Dandies Learning Academy, LLC where I do private academic support to students pre-k-6th grades. My intentions are to have a building in the future and offer certified home school support to those shining away from public schools or those who are home-schooling and needing a professional to guide their little ones to greatness.

My second business is Blissful Dandies- A Hand-Crafted Boutique where I hand make natural soy wax candles. I have always been a candle lover and have spent thousands of dollars on every candle you can think of. I take pride in formulating unique scents and long-lasting burning candles that will keep you highly motivated. I am all into Self- Care and candles have always relaxed me and transformed me to faraway places and that is what I want Blissful Dandies to give to my customers. I offer 8oz, 10oz, and 12oz candles. I started out with 4 oz but soon found the bigger candles were the way to go. My future products include wax melts, Designer Candles, Room Sprays, and more.

What Sets You Apart From Other Candle Makers?
I would say that I take pride in making unique scents. I take my time and formulate the right percentage of fragrances with each batch and go through a unique process when picking what essential oils to fuse together.

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work

I am most proud of just starting. I have done various businesses but I don’t think I was fulfilled by any of those. I needed something where I could express my creativity and be me. Building a business is not easy but If you don’t start then you will never know your own potential.

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

My best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth. I am a shy person and this part of the business terrifies me but I have learned to look past that and run my business in my own way. Being that I hand make most of my products-Vendor shows and pop-ups are a huge component of what I do.

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

I currently sell on Etsy and find it to be a great starting place for anyone who makes hand-crafted items and just starting out. The cons for me would be the fees but that is anywhere you go. I will eventually move onto my own platform once sales pick up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlissfulDandies?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blissfuldandies/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLISSFULDANDIES/?ref=pages_you_manage
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latoriabolden/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaToriaBolden
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM3CPSFbPLQlQSZLVr259ww
• Other: School Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littledandieslearningacademy/?ref=pages_you_manage School Website: http://www.littledandieslearningacademy.org/