 
At American Soy Organics, we are proud to make products from candlemakers for candlemakers. Today, we’re highlighting one of those candlemakers: Erica Boucher from Memory Box Candle Co.
My Start
The first candle I ever made was actually for my sister’s birthday in December 2018. My husband and I had just moved into our first apartment and we didn’t have a lot of money to spend on gifts for the family, so I decided to try to make the gifts instead. I made my sister two candles in mason jars using craft store wax, and I absolutely loved it. I then headed to a local candle supplier and purchased real candle making supplies to make personalized candles for all of my co-workers for our Secret Santa gift exchange at work. I took a break from candle making after that and then picked it back up again the following Fall of 2019 when I decided to turn it into a business!
My Candles
I primarily make candles using a soy wax blended with a small amount of paraffin and beeswax. Honestly, it just became an unintentional custom blend that worked with my jar/wick combination. I went through a long testing process (like most people) and I have been learning more and adjusting my formula to “get it right” since I first learned how to make candles.
My Day to Day
As a CEO and Founder of Memory Box, my days are all over the place! I try to organize my schedule to the best of my ability, but I feel like my mind doesn’t always follow through. I pour candles and wax melts about 2-3 days a week depending on if we have a local market event coming up or not. I also do a lot of back-end work: product photography, email marketing, social media content, product creation and design, website design, inventory audits, bookkeeping, etc. There’s so much more that goes into a candle business than just pouring candles (that’s only one small part of it!)
What’s in a Name?
I love telling people the story behind my brand name. When I was brainstorming brand name ideas, I knew that I wanted to choose something that was a reflection of who I am, and one of the things that I have been obsessed with since I was a kid is the feeling of nostalgia. I decided to create scents based off of memories from my past so that I could tell those stories and share my love for nostalgia with others. I honestly didn’t know how this was going to be received in the marketplace, but it turned out to be something wonderful and I’m so happy I went the route I took!
Advice for Candlemakers
No one knows what they are doing… I’m serious. I went into all this thinking that everyone else had some secret that I didn’t know, and that they knew all the answers and all the right things to do in order to build a successful business. But that is not the case 99% of the time. Whatever you are feeling right now is something that so many other people have felt, including me. I have felt hopeless, lost, and also on top of the world, all in the same week. It’s a normal process as you build a business.
I’ll also say that as you build your business, make sure you put customer service at the top of your priority list. Without customers we don’t have a business, so make sure to treat every customer how you would want to be treated. |
