We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sparkle Scott a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sparkle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

I am a person who really cares about their customers. Customer service is one of the most important factors in running my business. While I am not perfect when a problem arises, I will take extra steps to handle it quickly and efficiently for the best resolution for the customer and myself. There was this occasion where one of my customers’ orders were in transport by USPS and for some reason or another the package was stuck in transit at a facility 25 minutes from where I live. Since I have a great relationship with my USPS carriers, I personally went to that location and spoke with the head Postmaster. They were able to locate the package it seems it was double scanned at their location which caused it to become stuck at their facility. When I say I was ecstatic that was an understatement. I was able to assist in the retrieval of the missing package and get it on its way to the correct customer location. The customer in question was especially excited and took to social media to share the good news with everyone! This one instance still brings a huge smile to my face because it shows I will always go over and beyond for all my customers to keep that smile on their face. It is a great example of exemplary customer service!

Sparkle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My love for anything with a great aroma sparked my inspiration to try my hand at wax melts. I decided in October of 2015 to start my journey. I went through vigorous months of testing and testing again until I was able to achieve my proprietary formula. We launched in December of 2015 and made our very first sales through Facebook messenger. Now we have our own website full of our brand products.

I am a one-woman show mainly with help from my family when I am super busy. When I first opened my doors, the only product offered were wax melts for the past five years. In 2021 we started venturing out and offered new products such as candles, car diffusers, linen sprays, and scoopable wax melts. We recently even added massage candles to our lineup of products. We have a one-of-a-kind wax melt which cannot be found any other place called the Soul Sista which is a wax melt in the shape of an afro. The Soul Sista’s are custom only in which our customers create their own scent blends.

It has taken a lot of hard work, dedication, and determination to become the small success I am today. Working full time and running a small business is very challenging at times, to say the least! Hopefully, one day, I can work full time for myself at Sparkle’s Wax Melts! This is a long-term goal I have set for myself. I love what I do that’s why I keep doing it! The smile on my customer’s face when they receive their package bring me so much joy!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building your audience on social media platforms can be difficult. You want everyone to notice your brand and you want to gain followers who have a real interest in the products you offer. The tip I can guarantee will work in your favor for social media is consistency! If you are consistent, you will see a change in your social media presence and more people will notice and began to follow you! If you set daily, weekly or monthly goals this will also assist and keep you focused. Once you gain your followers you want to communicate with them ask them their opinion get them involved. When people feel they are a part of something they are more aligned to support you more! Another tip I can offer is being grateful. Always show your appreciation and gratitude for your customers because they did not have to shop with you with you especially in a saturated industry such as candles or wax melts there are so many options available. I often offer giveaways and discounts off products offered as a thank you.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I have an E-commerce site as my choice to reach my customers. I have my own website with my products readily available for purchase. I was with GoDaddy for the last seven years and recently just this month switched to Shopify. The pros of having an e-commerce site are that your customers can always purchase, and they do not need to message you or even contact you. The products are always available with an easy checkout process for your customers. A con with an e-commerce site are just technical difficulties as with any computer system. Be sure to learn your e-commerce site in and out so you know how to handle situations should they arise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sparkleswaxmelts.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkleswaxmelts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparkleswaxmelts/

Image Credits
Sparkle Scott