We recently connected with Maritza Lerma and have shared our conversation below.
Maritza, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I have always been told that I was really creative in the workplace and at home. I love making stuff, and get so into trying to perfect a skill. During the pandemic in 2020, I had more free time; it pushed me to do hands-on stuff at home. I began knitting, did some crocheting, and purchased a candle making kit. I was surprised at how quickly I fell in love with making candles. Working with the essential oils just made me so relaxed during all the noise 2020 had. I started with wanting to make beautiful scented candles, then did some research and decided they also had to be safe and made with clean ingredients. So the challenge of finding good quality, non-toxic, pretty products that smell good and are strong began. I was hooked. I had to find out everything there is to know about candles. I watched so many videos, read books, did research, and did so much candle testing. I was obsessed with figuring out how to make the perfect candle. Once I found the perfect wax, oils, and wicks, I started giving candles away to friends, family and co-workers. The feedback and encouragement was amazing.
Like many small business owners today, I am still working full time and running my business. Luckily, my full time job and business are in many ways relatable. At my full time I am required to find businesses to sell our products, train them and help them produce more sales for our company. I am able to do so by getting creative with the marketing and at times incentivizing them to push for more sales. After getting many positive reviews on my candles, I began thinking about how I could make this a business and reach out to other businesses that could possibly carry my candles. I started sharing with my husband how I could do the same thing I am doing at my job now but with my own business. I wanted to start by getting it out to the public first to get a better view on how it does. I was so blessed that a month after launching I was contacted by a boutique interested in carrying my candles after hearing from an employee about them. Every week after my first wholesale delivery to her, she contacted me again and again, explaining how well they were doing, how much attention they were getting, and that she needed more. Right away I knew this was the right path for me and I could make this work.
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
I am your local Dallas candle maker. Making candles started as a hobby for me, but I quickly fell in love. My goal was to create a beautifully scented candle perfect for any home. I wanted the candles to not only smell and look good but have a clean and long burn. After many months of researching, creating and testing, I found the perfect blend. The candles are made with luxurious coconut soy wax. The candles are gluten free, toxin free, paraben free, phthalate free, vegan, and come from renewable sources. The coconut in the wax helps the candles smell stronger, and the soy helps them burn much longer. I use eco-friendly wooden wicks that give a relaxing crackling sound as your candle burns. Every candle is made by me with so much love.
Shia Scents is the perfect candle for every home. If you are wanting a clean, safe, long-lasting, beautiful smelling candle to burn and relax at home/work this is the store for you. I am so excited that Shia Scents will not only be available online, but this summer we will have a booth inside Painted Tree Boutiques. You will now be able to shop and find the perfect scent for any room in your home. It is an amazing feeling, to see something I made in so many homes.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I absolutely love seeing my candles in so many homes, especially when its homes of people I don’t even know. It feels amazing to see something I made being enjoyed by so many.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Reading is another one of my hobbies. It helps me stay motivated. One of the books that has had a great impact for me was the 10x Rule book. If you want results, you have to work for them. It taught me to never set my goals low; it makes it easy to get demotivated when you fall short of a low goal you set. If you times that goal by 10 and fall short of that goal, you will feel rewarded because you may surprise yourself and surpass your initial goal. Of course, if you set a goal 10 times as high as your initial goal, you have to work 10 times as hard, that’s the hard part, but definitely doable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ShiaScents.com
- Address: 7800 Boulevard 26 Booth J23 North Richland Hills, Texas
- Instagram: instagram.com/shiascents
- Facebook: facebook.com/shiascents
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maritza-lerma-669032ab
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJqBGASvYb6l789m-7P2Q3A
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@shiascents
Image Credits
Instagram: @renmorrison