Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jaime Santos, founder of Cottage Cove Candle Co., located in Tillsonburg, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Cottage Cove Candle Co. offers hand-poured soy candles that bring warmth, hope, and inspiration into every home. Our customers trust us to create candles that are clean, burning, and of high quality. Often our candles are purchased to give as gifts to comfort and uplift friends and family during their most difficult times in life. Additionally, a portion of every purchase made with us goes towards supporting parents of pregnancy and infant loss.
Tell us about yourself
Cottage Cove Candle Co. began from a desire to inspire and comfort. After the loss of my baby, I was given a memorial candle that meant the world to me. It was such a thoughtful gift that held such sentimental value and provided me with a comforting way to honour and remember him.
After that experience, I searched for the perfect candle to give to family and friends who had similar losses in their lives, but I was never truly able to find what I was looking for. So, I decided to start making them myself, and Cottage Cove Candle Co. was born.
Although I now also offer a wide variety of seasonal and inspirational candles, my goal was always to create something that could be purchased as a gift to comfort those who are experiencing grief and loss.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I always knew that starting this endeavor was much bigger than simply starting a business. It was a way for me to connect with others deeply and meaningfully. I have had the honour of hearing the stories of those walking through their most heartbreaking moments and journeys. This work has led to a secondary endeavor in which I have launched a virtual therapeutic grief and loss program. As a registered Recreation Therapist, Cottage Cove Candle Co. has also allowed me to bridge the gap between my personal lived experience of loss and my professional training by connecting me with those whom I have the privilege of supporting.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
There are always challenges to overcome as a business owner. Often you have to continually remind yourself why you started and choose not to give up in the midst of hardship. You must embrace the continual cycle of making mistakes, learning from them, and implementing what you have learned. This, at times, can be very hard to do. However, it does create perseverance and character long-term.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Ask yourself what you are passionate about and incorporate that passion into your business. It is not my passion for candle-making that gets me through hard times as a business owner. It is my passion for supporting those who are hurting that does that. If you can create a business centered around something that is meaningful to you, not only will it help you keep going in difficult seasons, but your customers will see it. It will help to promote your success. In my experience, customers want to support a company that not only offers a great product or service but one that also betters humanity in some way.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Once you have an idea you are passionate about, step out and take one small step after another.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://cottagecovecandles.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cottagecovecandles
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cottagecovecandles/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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