Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Emman Price, founder of Silver Apricot, located in Burnaby, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a small home fragrance & décor business founded in Vancouver, BC, in 2020 amidst the global pandemic. We started the company with one simple mission of creating a toxic-free and sustainable home fragrance line. The goal of Silver Apricot is to connect Art, Travel, and Home Décor together, with being sustainable and toxic-free (product & company culture) in mind.
Our first collection is a City inspired by scented candles. All of our candles are made with coconut soy wax, with paraben-free and phthalate-free fragrance oils. We started the collection with 5 of our favorite cities, and the scents are inspired by each city's own characters.
Our customers appreciate minimalistic home designs like to travel and care for sustainability. Our candle is designed to bring joy and nostalgic touch to the person who opens it. From the moment the person unties that grey ribbon, reads that special message on the embossed card to opening the drawer box and unveiling the elegant candle with a paper city skyline sleeve. The beautifully designed grey box is minimally branded, as we hope our customers will reuse and repurpose it.
Tell us about yourself
I have worked in eCommerce for 2 of the biggest fashion brands in the world for the last eight years in Europe, Asia, and Canada. I am blessed with the opportunities I had, but the corporate culture was quite draining and started to wear on me. If there is one thing this pandemic has taught us is - You never know what is going to happen tomorrow. Like many people - I had one of those "epiphany" moments. I want to spend my time on something I like, building a company with values that I believe in.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Created our perfect candle formula with the cleanest materials, we could find on the market. As a small business, we do everything ourselves, from packaging design to making candles. We sourced and tried countless types of wax, oils, and used suppliers in Canada and the US. It took us almost nine months to find the perfect materials and formula.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Not let any obstacles/ challenges stop you; keep going. Self-doubt sometimes kills the greatest idea. Unlike working for a big corporation, resources could be quite limited in the early phase. I need to roll up the sleeves to do everything, keep learning and keep believing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Just do it. Don't give up, and be open-minded to pivot.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.silverapricot.ca/
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3DjgKuv
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silverapricot.ca/
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.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
