We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lekesha Chapman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lekesha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I’ve always thought outside the box. Becoming a full scale entrepreneur has always been one of my life goals. Taking a dream and being fully committed to it is nothing short of satisfying. Coming from full time nursing, I’ve experienced job security for many years which was a little frightening at first when starting out. When I decided to bet on myself and give 1000% to my own company, everything fell quickly in place naturally.
Lekesha, 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?
I have always loved candles. I mean… who doesn’t. Waxed Out was founded in 2019 as an idea pitched to my husband one night after a long shift as a full time nurse. I wanted to of course create a business for more revenue, but also make it fun and family oriented.
At Waxed Out Candle Gallery, we make, sell, and teach people from all over that visit our beautiful city how to make candles. Our first brick and mortar opened in September 2023 in Downtown STL and the support from our hometown had been so amazing.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
Our candles are made with 100% soy. We source from only two vendors which’s helps with direct sourcing and builds a strong customer relationship. Candle making may seem simple, but there are different elements and factors that determines how well your candles will perform.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Morgan Casey, owner of Date Ideas and Things to Do is a marketing genius. She recorded footage during one of our candle making classes months ago and it is still going crazy on Tik Tok. A lot of our out of town visitors find us via her video and we can’t thank her enough!
Different marketing strategies as a business owner is one of the upmost important things to learn. Rather it’s social media or local papers, consistency and authenticity is key. Marketing helps bring the business, but executing great all around customer service is what keeps the customer happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.waxedoutcandle.com
- Instagram: Waxedoutcandles
- Facebook: Waxedoutcandlegallery