We were lucky to catch up with Simeitsa Stamoulas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Simeitsa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I had just moved out of parent’s home and was learning to live “Little House on the Praire” lifestyle. I was doing canning, making homemade sausages and yogurt. I came across candles and thought it be cool to make candles. Little did I know, I stumbled on this whole crafters community for candle making and other health products.

Simeitsa, 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 Simeitsa Stamoulas. I have a science background working as a Medical Research Technologist. Candle making is similar to being a scientist because you are creating experiments putting different oils together in a special medium and then finally testing out your product. For me my business is a growth process as I learn about what my customers like or dislike. Learning how to represent my products has also gone through some changes. I learned how to do a product photoshoot. I got involved with events making wedding favors and advertise on “theknot” and “weddingwire”. As my business continues to grow I feel as though I have grown with it. Learning and collaborating with other crafters has helped me grow my business and myself.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn would be don’t expect to just sit back and let word of mouth be the sole advertisement for your business. Stepping out and visiting craft fairs, advertising, and visiting door to door shops will benefit the growth of the business. Don’t be afraid of getting out of your comfort zone and engaging with customers. Get to know them and start up a friendly relationship with them. People come back knowing your product has a high quality standard and the person behind the product cares about their consumers.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Candle making has been a creative therapeutic art for me. The years I have started candle making were pretty difficult times emotionally. I had to work through ( and still currently) dark memories in the past. My candle game has not always been consistent. A few times I wanted to stop mainly because I felt tired and wasn’t able to keep a commitment in my schedule. I was booking event after event and it started to drain me. I had to allow myself some time away from making candles to be able to make the distinction that candles was a method of healing and therapy for me and not some manufacturing business that hauls out boxes and boxes. The fact that making candles (and other self soothing healing products) are a means to heal and build myself illustrates my dedication and commitment to making a quality product. I never want to take out the “human” quality in my products.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.candles-and-beyond.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/candles_and_beyond
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/candlesandbeyond

Image Credits
Simeitsa Stamoulas