Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tricia Schepp. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tricia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
I feel like being an entrepreneur is all about risk taking and trying new things. Probably my biggest recent risk was leaving my full-time job in 2023 in pursuit of the entrepreneur life. I had been running lumen, my soy candle business, as a side project since 2018, while also working full-time. It was easy to balance at first with working during the week and pop-up events on the weekends. Word of mouth helped lumen grow and I was getting asked to create custom candles for weddings, company events, staff appreciations. It got to the point that lumen sales were growing and it was time to leap, all in. It is now at a new level with retail partners who sell lumen in their stores and salons, attending larger pop-up events, plus doing the candle making, social media, website inquiries, online sales, pop-ups, bookkeeping, all of it!
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?
I had always been a maker and loved art classes in high school and college, writing articles for the school paper, photography, all the hands-on courses. As a career, I worked in Human Resources and as an Executive Assistant but craved the creative outlet. I was an original member of a craft group in Charlotte (that no longer exists) where we would gather and have a different project each month, led by a member of the group. Fast forward to 2018 when I got into candle making. I had done some research on how to make a candle, all the wax types, the oils available, the types of vessels I wanted to use. While doing this research, I learned my favorite candle (by a big box store not to be named…) was actually pretty unhealthy. My goal was to make a candle that I felt confident burning for my family and pets. All the way down to the wick type, I chose each element of the candle that was a healthier version of the mass produced candles I had been burning regularly.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I’d say being authentic in my social media posts, emails and conversations. By sharing the highs AND lows of my business, I am relatable to my customers. This is the real world where things are going to go sideways at times but we make it work! I think many people relate to those stories and appreciate the honesty (and humor). Another way I’ve grown is by being consistent with my local pop-up events; my frequent shoppers know they can visit those events, smell all the new scents, and speak with me.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I was under the impression that the business should be separate from personal. I suppose that’s because when I picked up a candle (from unnamed big box store…) back in the day, I didn’t know who made it; there was no name or face to the brand. As time goes on, I realize people want to know my story as well as the lumen story. They want to see photos of me sitting on the floor, labeling 600 candles for a corporate order. They want to know how many pounds of soy wax I used the previous year. I have been gradually slipping little gems of the “Tricia life” into lumen. You’ll especially see photos of my rescue dogs.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lumenclt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lumenclt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lumenCLT
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lumenclt
Image Credit:
headshot by Tony Ulchar of The Photo Outfitters