We recently connected with Mariela Rodriguez and have shared our conversation below.

Mariela , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Coming up with Sirena Serena was hard. I wanted to let customers know that our product would bring peace, comfort and calmness to any space.I love anything mermaid, so wanting to incorporate that in was important because it would allow me to personalize it. With all of this in mind, definitely wanted it to be translated to Spanish because that would allow for the Latino community know that the maker is Latina. Sirena Serena means Serene Mermaid. Wanting to let out customers know that our scents are bringing to your space tranquility in a mermaid way (the added shimmery mica powder).

Mariela , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Mariela. I am a West Coast gal living in the Midwest and I make and sell hand poured 100% soy wax candles. I became a candle maker about 2 years ago and have been enjoying every milestone thus far.

I got into candle making, because I wanted to live a cleaner lifestyle not just for myself but for my family. I love candles and with that I was spending a lot of money on candles from big candle brands without knowing what it actually was made of. A lot of big brands use paraffin in their candles which I came to learn doesn’t make a clean burning candle.

I wanted yo make a candle that would look pretty but also a candle that would last a long time. With that I found that wood wick would allow for the candle to burn slower making the candle last longer. I found soy wax to be a a clean burning wax that would hold the scents very well. To add a personal touch with myself being into mermaid, a touch of shimmery mica powder was added to the mix.

Another few added bonuses with Sirena Serena is to ensure the candle vessel was a color that would stand out yet be sophisticated for any room space. Once the candle is done you are able to use the candle tin to store anything from jewelry, money, makeup pads and the list goes on.

With the candle tins you are able to recycle and not worry about waste. Our wax melts come in a eco compostable cups. Once you are done with the melts you can give it back to Mother Earth. The car diffusers are glass and can be recycled and the are made of wood.

I want to continue to grow and learn the art of candle making to ensure that I am able to give the customer the best product I can make. By sharing your thoughts about the product helps me learn but also sharing and tagging helps others find my page and know about me and my services.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Definitely ParaMi group and Mitzy have been a great help. They have helped me learn about different pop up events and getting to learn about the Latino community here in Kansas City. Instagram has helped by being able to reach other states and staying in touch with the right audience.

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

I am still working on this and I believe this will always be an ongoing thing. Posting stories every day as well as making reels (videos) is harder than I thought but it allows me to reach more people and able to get more followers.

My only advice with this, is to stay consistent. Even if it a short photo or video, post it and make sure that you have hashtags that most people will choose.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: sirena_serena_candles@yahoo.com
• Facebook: Sirena Serena Candles
• Linkedin: https://linktr.ee/sirena_serena_candles