We recently connected with Phiana Scott and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Phiana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?
The best thing that I have done to show my customers my appreciation is giving back. When we started this company we vowed that as our customers poured into us, we would pour into others. We are able to achieve this by giving back to mothers who are experiencing challenging times and in need a self care reminder.
One year we found out that our customer had lost her mom to cancer. She and her mom were super close and losing her literally turned her world upside down. Knowing that she was grieving such a tremendous loss, we wanted to give her something to let her know that we cared, supported and were thinking of her. So we curated a personalized self care box. It contained a candle, scented flowers, body care and a hand-written affirmation note. I remember her opening the box and seeing how emotional the gift made her. After the hugs, smiles and tears, I could tell that this was something that made an impact on her and she really appreciated it. That has been one of the best memories I’ve had and I believe it was one of hers too!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hey friends! My name is Phiana Scott and I am the owner of momMY TIMΞ candlΞ co.
momMY TIMΞ candlΞ co. is a brand that offers aromatic home fragrances and vegan cruelty-free body care to modern day mothers. Our collection of products aid in creating an uplifting and stress-free self care environment, allowing you to reinvent your personal self- care journey with each scent selection. Each candle is handcrafted in small batches with 100% soy wax, yielding a product that’s non toxic, skin-safe, long lasting and made with premium phthalates free fragrances.
It is our vision to encourage, inspire and impact mothers all around the world, one self-care experience at a time. Which is why for every 3 candles sold in 1 single transaction, we donate a self-care kit to a mother in need of a self care reminder.
Know a mother or group of mothers that may need a self-care pick me up? Contact us at www.mommytimecandle.com, share her story and let’s remind her that motherhood is a community & that we love and support her!
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process./
Yes, I do manufacture my own candles for my business. However, when God placed the idea on my heart back in 2018 during my NICU journey with my daughter, I had absolutely no idea where to start. Becoming a candle business owner or candle manufacturer had never crossed my mind.
If you could imagine starting a business in an area with no background can be quite challenging. I did not have a connect for a candle manufacturing vendor nor did I already know how to manufacture candles. I was completely green, so I looked to Google and You Tube University for a lot of the answers to my questions. I spent a total of three years researching and studying the candle industry, manufacturing vendors, testing waxes, wicks, fragrance blends, fragrance loads, and vessels needed to manufacture my “perfect” candle. Of course, you don’t have to spend three years on research to become knowledgeable, everyone’s timeframe will be different. However, it personally took me three years because I found myself in analysis paralysis. I had all the information I needed to take the next steps, but I was hindering myself by fear and over analyzing the work I had done. I would say that’s when I learned one of my first lessons in my manufacturing journey. Don’t get so consumed in making everything perfect that you began to fear the idea of even trying. If you have the information and the knowledge of what supplies and processes you need to manufacturer your product, then go for it! Believe that you have the capacity to take that information and transform it into something great! Trust yourself!
Manufacturing vendor or become a manufacturer?
Once I researched candle manufacturing vendors, their process, the turnaround time, cost, etc., I decided that I wanted to control my manufacturing process. I wanted to cut out the middleman and create a product that went through me for the entire process. My goal was to offer a healthier candle option to consumers, one that was clean burning, slow-burning, cruelty-free, vegan, and non-toxic. The only way I could ensure that there was integrity, purpose, quality, love, and care behind every item that went out to my consumer was not to just secure a manufacturer but to become the manufacturer.
I will be honest, manufacturing your own product is not easy. There are a lot of unforeseen challenges that arise, which create space for teachable moments. One that I can vividly recall is when I experienced my first supply shortage. I can remember during the pandemic there was a shortage of soybeans, which resulted in a shortages of soy wax. So of course, when demand goes up for a resource and supply is down; the price skyrockets. I could not believe that I was now paying 35% more for my wax and waiting longer shipping times as well. I was so distraught, and I beat myself up about it knowing that I should have been more prepared. However, at the time I had the wrong mindset of not wanting to overbuy and I doubted myself and if I would be able to sell what I had already ordered. As you can see that negative thinking, cost me, literally. It was a total disaster; I had no more supplies to manufacturer my product. Therefore, I scrambled and was forced to buy at this new all-time high price if I wanted to keep my business operating. It did teach me a valuable lesson; one I will never forget, order the supplies that are at the core of your business in bulk and keep a stock reserve. It will provide you relieve when a crisis arises, and you won’t have to panic with the rest of the industry.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe the reputation of my business has been built with two key components. One, my personality, character and how I have chosen to do business. Two, the quality and performance of my products. Each of these pieces have played a vital part in establishing and maintaining a reputable business. I would say my integrity, character, compassion, love for people, and service has been what has initially attracted patrons to my business. However, providing my customers with a product that is of quality and consistently meeting their expectations is what has created the loyalty. I could not be successful or establish a stellar reputation without these components being at the core of my business. Having a blend of both is ultimately what has helped established our reputation and has led our loyal patrons to speak about us and refer others to our business. It has truly been a blessing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mommytimecandle.com
- Instagram: @mmtcandleco
- Facebook: @mmtcandleco