Melissa Nelson has Candles For You
One young Jamaican woman has decided that she wants to shake off the usual everyday hustle and bustle of the status quo, run-of-the-mill grind, and begin the long journey on a business career that is different and unusual.
The story so far of Melissa Nelson, 25, might not, on the surface, be shining as bright as the emerging sun, but once you get a peek into the thinking and the brains behind the operation of this emerging businesswoman, it would not take one long to assume that her customised candles will glow so much that the wider world may soon be swept off its feet in embracing this refreshing change in gift items.
Nelson, a full-time employee of parts giant Bert’s Auto Supplies, has embarked on a part-time business that is dear to her in as much a way as consuming the essential foods of life — she is focused on making and selling her customised candles and operates under the brand name,Candles For You.
“I saw it being done overseas and I thought that it would be fitting for the Jamaican market,” Hellshire, St Catherine-born Nelson told the Jamaica Observer in a mid-week interview.
“The moment I saw it being done overseas, I started doing my research and I did the first customised candle for my friend who was having a baby boy and the feedback was great,” she said, admitting that she was afraid of entering into the industry that for Jamaica was ‘foreign’ soil.
Officially starting to make and distribute the gift items on Valentine’s Day last year, Nelson registered the home-based business in October 2015 and is now shaping up to expand it, as her love for what she does only a few hours a week because of the demands of her full-time job, has grown leaps and bounds.
And the more word spreads that she is involved in the business, the more the orders come in.
“Candles For You, which is now a limited liability company, is on Facebook andInstagram. There is great demand for the customised candles. I sold several items during the Christmas period, and even on Christmas Day when I was sick, I got two orders to do candles which I had to fulfil”, the former Spanish Town High and Kingston Technical High School student stated.
“In the space of a year I got in equipment to allow me to do the job,” revealed Nelson, who credits her success in large measure to the start that she got from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, through its Entrepreneurial Programme.
“I get most of my orders on the Internet, mainly through Facebook and I am encouraged by all that has been happening,” she said.
The variety of gifts is wide, ranging from images with inspiring words, to family pictures, graduations, and weddings.
Prices range from $1,500 to $2,500, and to satisfy her heart, she always follows up with purchasers to test their level of satisfaction with the product. She even wants to know where in the house, and how prominently the items are placed.
Although candles are usually used to brighten up surroundings, many times when there is a power outage, or when lovers get overly romantic around a meal, Nelson urges that her candles, due to their sophistication, be lit only in cases of real necessity.
“Some people tell me that they light their candles, but they don’t allow them to burn below a certain level. You really don’t want to burn off what you have put on the outer layer of the candle, so lighting the candles should be a last resort,” she said.
Her lifelong dream is to find a permanent home for the operations, have an adequate number of staff in place and supply her products to the local and export markets. She has already received enquiries from overseas, and is now in the process of sending her first such item to the United States of America.
“I also want to get my family involved because I can see the operations going places. I am excited, it’s new to me but I really love it and I don’t get bored at all,” she said.
So as she continues to do her job as a customer service representative at Bert’s, the time may yet come when running her own enterprise will change the life of this budding entrepreneur into one that a country like Jamaica that is struggling to achieve credible economic growth, will embrace.