This is where I tell myself the qualities of tenacity and stubbornness become valuable.  Those that have them will stay the course.  Roxanne Quimby, the founder of Burt’s Bees, said that part of her success in business simply came from being willing to keep pursuing your goals, to get up each morning and work no matter how bad the previous day was. 

So when I took the first tentative steps 5 years ago, I was an innocent with zero business skills, and zero knowledge about how to get a business to make money.  I know I wanted to own one, I wanted to be a business owner because I didn’t like having a boss, and having to ask permission for everything.  I had a small 3 year old daughter, no husband, and the thought of commuting to a job, no flexibility and 2 weeks off a year to visit my far flung family left me feeling a little panicky.  I wanted to do something creative, to travel and have a reason to travel. 

I started selling stuff at antique markets, flea markets and craft fairs.  Just stuff, and a lot of jewelry.   I didn’t really make any money, but from my first show at Lakewood Antiques Market, I was hooked.  This was was what I wanted to do!  I loved it, and I loved the people and I felt like I fit in.  It was an independent, opportunistic and creative way of making a living, for those that did.  I loved that I could take my daughter, set up and I was the queen of my destiny!   I could be late or early, noone except me to answer to.    I was in complete control.   

5 years later and I own a candle company operating from a 3000 square foot warehouse and 2 employees.   It sells to roughly 1000 stores nationwide.  It also sells online through a retail website, www.himalayantradingpost.com.    Himalayan Candles have carved a niche for candles that are unique, from rustic looking wooden trough candles to dainty distressed silvered tumblers.  They are hand poured, packaged and shipped out from our warehouse in Conyers. 

I had started pouring the candles in my kitchen with the help and encouragement of my boyfriend, Bart Webb.  We had gotten the idea from something we had seen at a gift show.  Rustic heavy bowls filled with wax.  I had imported a container full of home decorative items from India, and I had been selling wooden bowls.  Why not fill them with wax?  We did and we sold every one of them.  I started taking them to holiday festivals and craft shows and I would sell out.  People loved them. ..they were different, unusual and very eye catching.  The perfect present.  The wooden bowls and trays are still part of the line, although I have added many more items over the years.   

My dad told me once that  a business is built by adding one customer at a time.   I have added all our current stores one at a time through gift shows, road reps, word of mouth and the Internet.    I have long since moved the candle making operation out of my house and into a warehouse space.  I am no longer doing the production and shipping myself, and I now have free weekends to spend with my daughter!  I am also hopeful of turning my first real profit this year 2009 sales are up 80% year to date from last year.    It’s not been easy, but nothing worthwhile is.  Otherwise everyone would be doing it right?

My Dad, who has owned an engineering business  for 45 years, told me that if he knew at the time when he was starting out how hard it would be to build his business, he is not sure if he would have attempted.  He also said that if you can achieve success in business, than there’s nothing else quite like it.   I’ve spent many nights and weekends at the warehouse filling orders.  When my daugher was in kindergarten we spent many all nighters with her sleeping on the office floor in a sleeping bag, getting up the next day and going to school.   Whole weekends sacrificed and much going back to work after dinner.   I remember as a child waiting hours in a hot car pre air conditioning as my Dad attended to business.  I hope Amelia learns the qualities of patience and hard work from this, as I feel I learned from my father.