We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Miryam Bat Israel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Miryam below.
Miryam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
What I hope to instill in my descendants and those who have known me in my life: I want those who come after me to possess the courage to seek out and identify their passion in this life. To pursue it relentlessly.
What I want my descendants and all who know me to learn from watching how I have lived and conducted business:
Honor first and always, the Almighty, for without Him, nothing is possible and with Him, all things are.
Be inspired to pursue your passion with purpose and capitalize upon it. You can’t clock in and clock out on this. Respect the process, put in the sweat, re-invent, adjust, and start again if you must. But stay committed. Without commitment, it is merely a hobby. Cultivate and nurture your passions to flourish into something rewarding, and profitable to you and to others. This can then become your legacy, bridging the gap and building upon the blocks leading to generational wealth.
I want to be remembered for my love for Almighty Yahweh, and the desire within me to do my best to live a righteous life as a Hebrew Israelite woman. I want to be remembered for my commitment to all I have set out to do. I want to be remembered for my strength, but also for the softer, human side of me that understands struggle, uncertainty, and insecurities.
Miryam, 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 started on this journey with a true passion for a great-smelling candle. Not the one that only smells great when you put it to your nose in the store. But the one that lights up your entire home when you get it home and light it. Because that is the candle that is worth my money. I was encouraged by one of my sisters to pursue my passion for this beautiful candle and make MY candle. She said, “Why don’t you just DO IT?” Hmm…why not, indeed? That was 2013. I then began selling my candles in small scale; rolling along in a rolling suitcase to and from my job. I gained a lot of traction too!
I am now the owner of the Makeda Candle Company, based in Owings, Mills, Maryland. I am an online business creating wood-wick soy wax candles and wax melts in various varieties…from luxury candles to glass vessels and tins. We also have Aromatherapy cotton wick candles. Most recently, we have added Sugar scrubs and body butter for the perfect self-care “me time” combinations for our customers.
I am most proud of the elegance and sophistication that the MAKEDA brand manifests. A “less is definitely more” attitude, our candles can with the unique markings and makings of the MAKEDA brand. Our quality candles bring a superb scent throw, Our candles are packaged with elegance and love. We also love to educate and show our customers how to love their candles so that they will burn from start to finish.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
My lesson was to learn to be true to myself and follow my own path.
When I got serious about taking my candlemaking to the next level and officially starting my business, I didn’t realize until later in my journey that I had taken on what others were trying to teach me. As a result, THEIR vision for my business became MY vision for my business. The jars weren’t right, the brand colors weren’t right, the packaging, none of it. I ended up re-inventing my brand before I even got off the ground. A very expensive lesson to learn. However, I refocused, adjusted my sights, and started again. And now we are off and running.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Lots of creativity. Before I started my online business, I had ZERO ability to create video ads on social media. I was completely out of my element. I even enlisted the expertise of the younger more tech-savvy members of my family to jump-start my social media presence. It didn’t take long to develop the desire to get out there myself and try to make videos on TikTok, IG, and all of the outlets. To my complete delight, I realized I am quite a photographer and videographer. It took a small investment in a few photography supplies from Amazon and I was on my way. The photos you see here are my work. So it turns out that I really began to draw followers with my style, some material fun, and classy and eye-catching. MY ADVICE: Don’t sell yourself short in creating your own material. Be bold, step out, and create. You will likely find an untapped talent within yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: makedacandle.com
- Instagram: makedacandle_company
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makedaspage
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Miryam Bat Israel Deborah Bat Asher