We recently connected with Rekieshia Norton-Forrest and have shared our conversation below.

Rekieshia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

One night I was laying in bed scrolling the internet and I came across this article on how more Americans are starting their own businesses (this was at the heigh of the pandemic). As I was reading I started thinking about where I wanted to be career-wise and financially. Did I really want to be working a 9-5 career for the rest of my life? The answer was of course No. I started thinking about what is something that I love and could see myself doing as a business owner. First thing that came to mind was candlemaking. I have always loved candles and had them all over my home. That’s when the idea of creating a candle brand centered around black culture came to life. That night I went on Google and Youtube to see what exactly was needed to make candles. I would spend the day ( I was virtualy teaching so it worked out perfectly) researching and ordering candlemaking kits.

From March to May all I did was come up with a business name, test candles, find candle scents and think of names that would go with it, look for candle jars, test out fonts for my branding, decide what colors I wanted to represent my brand, create business social media accounts, etc. I had to figure out what wax to use (becuase there are so many different types), what size wicks would work with this wax and fragrance, what size jar do people buy the most, who do I want to target my brand to. It was and still is a lot of backend tasks that go into starting a candle business that didn’t know until now. I probably tested about 4-5 different jars before I found the one that I liked and was successful with. We launched on June 26, 2020 (my daughter’s birthday) with a business name and 8-10 candle scents to start.

Rekieshia, 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?

My name is Rekieshia and I am the owner of J.J.L. Candle Co. Our candle brandwas created and inspired by what makes me who I am…. an African American woman whose love for her culture is unparalleled. When I hear a song that takes me back to my childhood, my body moves. When I turn on the tv and my favorite old school show is on, I recite every line word for word. These are the types of feelings I want my customers to have when they light one of our candles.

Our products include candles, wax melts, room/linen sprays, body butters, and newly added bath salts.

Just being myself and staying true to who I am and what I want my brand to be is what sets us apart from others. I don’t try to do what others are doing. No one has my thoughts and ideas. I let my customers know how our candles not only give their homes an amazing, long lasting scent, but we deliver experiences that take them through a voyage of black culture with one look of the name.

I am most proud of knowing that I have continued on this journey for two years with no plans of stopping. Being ale to be an example of someone who took and idea and turned it into reality for my children is what makes me smile. Knowing that they know this business was named after them and for them is my proudest moment as an entreprenuer. I mean they are my behind the scenes assistants!

For anyone who is reading this, if you are looking for a candle brand that caters to your senses while giving you a touch of black culture, then J.J.L. Candle Co. is the brand for you.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

As an ecommerce, it was very important for me to choose a platform that offered a plethora of tools I needed to build and maintain my customer base. When I started I was using Square. It wasn’ bad, but I wanted more. I switched voer to Shopify and I am so in love with all of it’s features.

Pros:
-email marketing apps (i.e. Klaviyo) that have realy great segmentation
-various loyalty program apps (some are free!). I use Smile.io
-shipping costs are billed at the end of the month with your subscription
-lots of website templates
-ability to create automatic discounts
-so many different apps to add (inventory trackers, reviews, loyalty programs, upsells/cross-sells,etc.)

Cons:
-can’t think if any at the moment!

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

It would have to be going Live with Jesseca Dupart (aka BBJudy), owner of Kaleidoscope Hair Products. This came about because she was shouting out black owned businesses last August for Black Owned Business Month. The requirements were to ship your products to be featured, but you had to research the address to ship them to. My detective senses kicked in and I started googling. I knew she had just moved to Atlanta and was relocating her warehouse to Georgia. Long story short I shipped my candles hoping to the right location. Few weeks later, I saw she was going Live and something told me to go and watch. I’m so happy I did because she was about to open my package. I was able to join her and do an impromptu pitch for her and her followers. She gave me some amazing tips about cleaning up my pitch a bit. IT was a great way for me to get my products in her hands and visible to her followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jjlcandleco.com
• Instagram: @jjlcandleco
• Facebook: @jjlcandleco
• Linkedin: @jjlcandleco
• Twitter: @jjlcandleco1

Image Credits
Some images by CakeLipps, LLC