MML Turns 1!!!!

 All I can say is WOAH. I am so grateful to have made it a year. I would’ve never guessed that we’d gain over 100 customers, sell over 200 candles, and grow our Instagram followers from 0 to over 300 in the midst of a pandemic. We even sold out of 6 collections this year. But those highs didn’t come without some lows. The hardest part about running a business came about in the last half of the year when I had to make a tough decision. I had to decide whether to stay in Dallas or move back home. I knew that this move could hinder the relationships I’d made with customers, but I’d hoped that they would continue to support me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just customers that I was worried about losing, my supplier was also based in Texas. So, I decided to invest in tons of materials and supplies just in case I couldn’t find one back home or the shipping costs would be crazy expensive. When I first launched this business, I never would’ve guessed that we’d have to move. I’m grateful to still be making candles and not only gaining new customers but keeping many of my existing customers. Outside of this setback, I’ve had to learn so much in such a short period of time – starting with our website. When I first launched, I’d gotten feedback that it wasn’t clear what I was selling. This motivated me to do a major over hall on the site, and since it’s gotten a lot more traffic and our customers know exactly what we’re selling. Another customer mentioned that there wasn’t a ‘Shop’ tab, and I’m not sure why that never dawned on me or why it’d never come up from others before. I guess I had assumed that everyone would scroll down onto the home page in order to find the shop button, which was a poor assumption on my behalf. I had to remember that customers love ease when it comes to online shopping and can get easily turned off from giving you their business when things aren’t easy to locate or organized in a way that makes sense to them. 
 
As we got closer to the year mark, I am shifting my focus to the details. I know that I needed to continue perfecting our candle ratios (how much fragrance I was adding and at what temps), designing our minimalist yet luxe labels, and upgrading our packaging for an even better unboxing experience.
 
 In the next year, I hope to continue to meet customer’s needs for a way to make self-care a part of their routine in an affordable and luxurious way. I hope to continue to improve and do better than the first year, and trust God in the process. Whatever is in his will for this business is what I want. Prayerfully I will still be making candles for people to enjoy in their homes. I’m also hoping to have booked several Wick Sip & Pour events and assist someone else who is passionate about candle making and wanting to start their business. 
 
My promise as we journey into year 2 is to continue to provide amazing products that you all continue to want. 
 
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for a great year.