We recently connected with Liza Herrera and Natalie Odis-Herrera, the Mother+Daughter duo behind Zented Candle Co. and have shared our conversation below.
Zented Candle Co., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?
I’ve always had a knack for being an entrepreneur even at a young age. When my mom, Liza, started her candle-making journey back in 2009, I was about 11 years-old creating dog-walking flyers for the neighborhood and duct-tape wallets to sell to friends at school. Fast forward to 2020, I was a Junior at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas studying Psychology when the pandemic hit and I moved back home. I came to realize my mother’s passion project was something she wanted to take on full-time, and I knew I would be able to help. Her small business suddenly became OUR business; a Mother+Daughter-owned Company and I would not have it any other way. Fast forward to the present, with a degree in one hand and a successful brand in another, I am just over the moon with what we have accomplished together, side-by-side as a dynamic duo in just two years, and what is to come for Zented Candle Co. in the near future.
-Natalie Odis-Herrera, Co-Owner
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
It is insane to look back on where I was when I began my craft over a decade ago, to where I am now in the Candle industry. My candle journey began in 2009 as a hobby and quickly turned into a friends and family referral-based business by the snap of a finger. Those within my inner circle would arrive at my doorstep, smell the candles from the outside, and request to purchase a few for themselves. Fast forward to 2019, I began to receive more and more requests each Holiday season from individuals outside my circle and began to wonder if I could turn my passion project into something bigger. I had been entertaining the idea of establishment for years, and with a great deal of research and testing, I finally had a product I felt confident to sell to the public and began Zented Candle Co.
My daughter, Natalie, joined me on this venture in 2020 when the pandemic hit. Soon after, we launched the very first Collection of Zented Candle Co. in September of 2020. Blending my enthusiasm for creating the perfect candle and her savvy social media skills, we have grown our small business from nothing into something. With just the two of us running the business, it has been hard but so worth it!
If there is one thing about the Candle industry that many do not know, including myself prior to diving in, it is that creating the perfect candle takes a lot of research and testing. When you have hundreds of differing vessel sizes, fragrance oils, and candle wicks you must test varying combinations; it is all trial and error! There are times where you may utilize the same vessel, wick, and fragrance oil percentage as previous candles you have made and it still does not burn at its best, so back to the drawing board you go!
Here at Zented Candle Co. we strive to provide customers a candle that is both fragrance-filling and safe for their homes. To ensure a quality product, we hand pour each candle in micro-batches. We pride ourselves in using all-natural soy wax, phthalate+paraben-free fragrances, and we do not use any additives or dyes. As an eco-luxe brand living in a world that primarily relies upon web purchases, we have made it our highest priority to source materials from earth-minded and conscientious suppliers to maintain sustainability. Therefore, our wax is is produced from U.S. grown soybeans, our cotton-wicks are lead and zinc free, and our vessels are made with USA-made glass to which can be reused and recycled, thus we encourage shoppers to upcycle their vessels once the wax is no longer of use.
-Liza Herrera, Founder
How did you build your audience on social media?
It is a story we have all heard a million-and-one times, TikTok made me do it.
We started our TikTok page around the same time as our first Collection launch, September of 2020. Within 2-3 months, we had a video reach 1.1 Million views that brought over 18,000 visitors to our website in under 24 hours, selling out both our inventory and pre-order availability. Overnight we gained 16K followers and suddenly we had people all across the globe interested in our brand. My advice to business owners who are just starting out is to not be afraid of the Internet, and to put yourself out there. I will admit that TikTok is intimidating, and at times, frustrating but the app has the power to take your business to the next level by reaching an audience you would not have been able to reach on your own.
-Natalie Odis-Herrera, Co-Owner
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Authenticity. I believe that being authentic in who we are and what we stand for in regards to being a non-toxic, eco-luxe candle company has helped in building our reputation. By sharing our business journey from the ground-up, our failures/mistakes, and our candle-making process has given customers and fellow chandlers an insight into the Candle industry and what differs Zented Candle Co. from the rest.
-Natalie Odis-Herrera, Co-Owner
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zentedcandleco.com
- Instagram: @zentedcandleco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/zentedcandleco
- Other: TIKTOK: @zentedcandleco
Image Credits
Product Photos: NOVOA PHOTO, LLC