We were lucky to catch up with Luisa Siguenza recently and have shared our conversation below.

Luisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

This is something I think about every day. Since moving here from Guatemala, I’ve been working 2-3 jobs. Even during the first several months of starting my business I worked two other jobs. Unfortunately, I injured myself badly and could no longer work. I’m eternally grateful to be able to put all my focus on my business and have the time to make it better.

Luisa, 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?

When I was a bit younger, I used to look at YouTube videos of women having candle businesses and it always interested me. I’ve always had the dream of owning my own company and I was determined to do it. I took my time to learn the candle business and the science in perfecting a scented candle. I eventually jumped in and decided to start my business. With the help of my family, I was able to sell my candles at my first local event! From there, we all worked day and night, emailing every possible event in San Diego to get my name out there. I’m grateful to say I’m known within my community and receive so much support from everyone.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’m very grateful to have a tech savvy daughter. She ran our social media at first as well as took pictures. Over time, she was lacking on keeping up due to her personal life so I had her teach me what she does for everything and despite still struggling, I keep everything up to date and improving.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

Last year, we decided to apply for December Nights. For those who don’t know, it’s one of the biggest holiday weekend event in San Diego that takes place in Balboa Park. We had applied later in the application deadline. We hadn’t gotten a reply until a month prior to the event. At the time, I didn’t have all the collections I currently have and it was just my husband and daughter helping out. The event was a huge risk for us; it was a very expensive event and we were scared about not breaking even with all the money we put into being able to attend. Day of, we found out we were put in such a secluded area. Despite having regular customers coming to support, they all had a difficult time locating our tent. A few other local vendors and I got together and with the chalk I conveniently brought made signs all through the park going towards our area. For the second day, with the help of our signs, we exceeded beyond our imagination in sales. And very excited to say we will be vending again this year!

Contact Info:

• Website: linktr.ee/meltmescents
• Instagram: @MeltMeScents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeltMeScentsSD/