Lessons from a dirty candle
Intro
Copper Lane Candles has a blog! This would be more exciting if there were a writing team behind this, but as a solo-preneuer, it is what it is. I am nowhere near an author, but that also means my brand is as authentic as it gets. Amateur writing aside, hopefully you find inspiration, motivation, and some helpful pieces of info.
I discovered the raunchy candle niche, and it just clicked. What a perfect side hustle! Everyone has a different story, but I think I might be the only one stubborn enough to just decide one day that I’m going to do it. As in, blindly decide. No clue whatsoever what it takes, but it’s going to happen. It took several months of researching and experimenting. . . huge thank you to those who gave the early candles a chance! The more thought that went into it, the more obvious it was that it’s not just a side hustle. This is something to go on all in on. It’s a business, not a hobby. Starting a business is terrifying. Where are my other small business owners??
Learning how to start a business
I found some amazing resources that shaped everything about the brand. Please comment or email me if you’d like recommendations! The biggest takeaway is to find your why. There needs to be a reason for everything you do. This sounds like common sense, but it’s deeper than just a quick little reflection. Take as long as you need to figure out the core of why you need your business to grow. Why do you want to share it?
So I admit for several months I thought I wanted a successful side hustle to fund child care. This felt like a golden ticket that would make it possible to have kids. But that’s not even close to realistic. It hasn’t made enough to cover child care, and kids are still not a possibility right now. But that forced me to get more intentional. The first year of business was spent reflecting on that heavily. There were a lot of other things that I reflected on that year too, but that’s another blog post. Actually, there’s only one thing that truly lights me up.
I’ve always had a big heart for the animals in the shelters, and a passion to help farmed animals. My desire to help is so broad, I really can't pick between just volunteering at a shelter or volunteering at a farm sanctuary. And even then, I'm still limited with time and money to donate. If that’s the only thing that’s really a passion, then why not use my business to do it? I’m also a huge advocate for using businesses for doing good anyway. How humbling to be one of the ones supporting an animal cause.
The Lessons
Just do it. If you’re considering starting a business, go for it.
Find your why.
Be intentional.
Use your business for good!
I don’t know why I was so set on creating all this, but I’m so glad I’m that stubborn. Hopefully if you’re thinking about starting a side hustle, this is something you needed to hear. Or if you’re already killing it in your own business, hopefully it still helps.