Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marci Lynn Jackson . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Marci Lynn , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea to start a candle boutique was birth from my need to transform. In 2017 I found myself in a low space and no tool that I had ever learned or taught was available to me. I realized that I was a slow drift from shore and I had to find my way back to myself. I have always been an entrepreneur but I had never offered a product. I had to be intentional with my growth so I made it my business to find something that I loved and use that to make my way back. As a minister, I started to share with others my transformation strategy, and when I shared the intentionality of my growth strategy others wanted to be a part of it. My strategy was to be intentional about everything including my environment. The atmosphere in which I dwelled had to speak to where I wanted to be. From making my bed to the soap I used to the way my home or office smelled, It was about the way I thought about myself. I had to do things that created a positive mental space for me to dream again. As I traveled to speak I thought about the woman I encountered and wanted to share with them a piece of my journey to wholeness and happiness again. Each candle is a piece of that journey. I curated each candle around milestones of the space I was in or needed to grow to. The names and the scents are all reminiscent of those moments for me and now all the other people who encounter MLJ Candle Boutique.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a believer, a dreamer, and a woman who hopes for the best in myself and others. My story is of a woman who believed in herself, failed, forgave, and believed she could again. I started The Candle Boutique as a hope stone for others to find ways to believe in themselves again. I sell fine fragrant candles in my online store that I hope inspire you to dream and explore all possibilities of your life. I sell moments. We all attach fragrances to moments in our lives, that is what each candle represents.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
When I started MLJ TCB, I found a manufacturer who I thought could meet my demands and offer me a perfect product. What I realized was as the industry grew, I had to either order more products that would sit on my shelf or encounter a longer turnaround to receive new products. Ordering a product means you must keep up with demands and if your manufacturer ca not do that in a timely fashion, it will cause your business to lag. Also, in the craft space, if I did not make my products myself/in-house, it kept me out of platforms that could be lucrative to my business. So in 2022, I started to manufacture my own products.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Becoming my own manufacturer meant I needed to learn the craft of making candles. Candle making is a science and let’s just say I am no chemist. I had to stay with it and push through the days my recipes failed.
Contact Info:
- Website: marcilynnjackso.com
- Instagram: @marcilynnjackson
Image Credits
Driven Images