Make it Great

I got to interview Jackie and she makes candles! I think it doesn’t need to be said how much I love candles! I was so interested in hearing what it is like to work from home making candles and selling them. I only sell them I don’t have to make them. She is a strong woman, that is all there is to that!

My interview with Jackie:

 Me:  Why do you work  from home as opposed to working a regular 9-5? What is your why?

Jackie: I worked outside the home for 15 years, mostly because I had to to pay the bills and provide health insurance.  In the process, I missed 90% of my son’s life until he was 7, which just broke my heart.  When I remarried in 1999, my husband made it possible for me to stay home with my son, and find something to do from home.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity!

Me:  What type of   challenges have you faced while working from home? How did you 
overcome these challenges?

Jackie: I think the biggest challenge I faced working at home is inspiration.  You have to be your own inspiration, and keep yourself heading toward your goal.  The best way for me to overcome this is to set goals, and then each day work on meeting those goals.  If you’re working at home, and/or running your own business, there is no one to push you but you.  Keeping a list of goals within sight and reviewing them daily or weekly helps to keep me on track.  And reminding myself that if I don’t do it, know one else will either, is often the push I need to get in gear.

In my case my husband is my biggest supporter and my business partner, so I’ve been fortunate not to have to juggle that issue.

My second biggest challenge is maintaining professionalism.  It’s difficult to remain professional when the dog is barking, the children want snacks, and the neighbor is at the door.  Part is mindset, part is location.  Mindset goes back to if you dress the part, it’s easier to act the part.  If you answer the door in sweats and say I’m working, the neighbor thinks “yeah right”.  But if you answer the door dressed as if you were on your way to work, and tell the nieghbor “you’d love to chat but you’re in the middle of a conference call”, they’ll listen.  And locating office workspace in the back of the house also helped with street traffic and the kids, etc.  If the kids can enjoy their normal space, they’re more likely to keep busy and not be underfoot.  Planning snacks and an entertainment “to-do” list ahead of time, the kids are eaiser to pacify.  Or even hire a babysitter for a particularly busy afternoon, and tell the baby sitter to act as if you’re at the office and call you on your cell phone if she needs anything.  Be creative to create your workspace.

Me: What have you learned about yourself since becoming a business owner? How have
you grown as a woman?

Jackie: What have I learned?  I can be the biggest procrastinator on the planet!  But if I don’t get the job done, no one else will either.  I won’t get fired, but I still won’t have a job because there won’t be any revenue.   I’ve learned that it would be easier to work for someone else, because I could actually take a real vacation.  But I would soon tire of it and pine for the daily challenge of running my own business and the freedom. I’ve learned that I really enjoy helping people and enjoy helping other people start their own business.

Me:  What type of  business do you have? What do you sell or promote?

Jackie: We are a family owned candle manufacturer in Northwest Illinois.  We have doubled our business 3 times since starting April, 2001.  We make and sell jar candles, decorative candles, wax melt tarts, votives, and other air freshener products. 

Me: What makes your business different from the other businesses in your particular category?

Jackie: This is a good question, and part of the reason for our continued growth!  There are 2 things that make us very unique. 

We have a diversified marketing/sales plan.  We market our products primarily through School and Non-Profit group fundraisers.   We donate 50% of the total sales to the school or organization, which is more than most programs.  Add to this the fact that our product is very affordable, and everybody wins.  We believe in sharing! 

We balance this market with Retail through our website, wholesale in the US and Canada, and through our Independent Consultant program.  Normally a company will pursue 1 or 2 markets, but not all 4. 

Me: How have you advertised your business? Which have been the mostsuccessful? Any downfalls?

Jackie: Our downfall has been not advertising from the beginning.  We let the expense of advertising discourage us.  At the beginning we relied on word of mouth, which did work very well for us in the local 60 mile-radius area.  Two years ago we began advertising in Country Sampler magazine, which targets a very direct group of our target consumers.  It did take the first year to establish our presence, and drive steady traffic to our website.  This year we have started an advertising program with PTO Today which targets 11,500 PTO organizations with our Fundraising information.  These are both very targeted ads that are designed to drive traffic to our website and our programs.   After one year, Country Sampler has been wildly successful for our wholesale program, and retail website sales.  We expect the same results from PTO Today.

Me: What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to join your company? 
What would you tell them about your industry?

Jackie: Our industry is very competitive, mostly because of the sheer numbers of people who want to make and sell candles.  What makes things different is not looking at that $10 sale, but looking at the bigger picture.  We are never thinking about just tomorrow, but thinking about what we’re doing to fuel the business in 6 months.  You have to plan ahead!  And you have to look at the big picture.  Always.

If someone wants to join our company, we get excited!  We are currently working hard to build our Wholesale Distributor program, which is an exciting opportunity.  We are looking for truly motivated people that are serious about starting and growing their own business!  They are truly independent, but we are here to help every step of the way.  It’s an exciting opportunity that so far has branched into 2 states just since the first of the year.  Working at home and running your own business should be a fun and rewarding experience, not something that you start dreading, or that costs you too much money to get started.  We don’t ask for our Distributors to pay a huge start up fee.  There is no start up fee.  We want to help people truly take charge, and run their own business, control their own destiny, and create their own income.  No gimmicks, just simple marketing.  Common sense.  

Me:  What would you say to someone who was about to give up on owning a business and 
working from home? How would you encourage them to keep pushing?

Jackie: I would tell them to sit down and start 2 lists.  One, write down everything positive about owning your own business and/or working from home.  And write down EVERYTHING!   Then the second list should be everything that bothers you about the business, and the downfalls.  This will help to truly evaluate your situation.  This way you can see the positives in writing.  It helps, trust me.   Seeing the negative list in writing makes it easier to tackle.  Make a plan!  For each negative on your list, come up with 3 ways to turn it into a positive.

And don’t be afraid to ask for encouragement from a trusted friend or relative!  Everyone needs a cheerleader!

Jackie Payne
Bushel Basket Candle Co
7 Years
www.bbcandle.com 

Jarmelia Ladson