In this special blog, we take you behind the scenes and give you an opportunity to get to know a little more about us and why we started our small business.
Tell us a little about yourself:
R - Hello! I'm Rachel and I grew up in a very small town called Bosworth, MO. I'm a wife, mother, and a full time nurse. In my free time, I enjoy wood working and solving puzzles. Will and I really enjoy going to escape rooms on date nights!
W - I grew up in Independence, MO. After high school, I moved out to Charlotte, NC for a few years and eventually moved back to MO. I have a full time job outside of our business working in supply chain in the animal feed industry. In my free time, I enjoy playing with my kids and dogs. Spending time with Rachel and planning out goals for the company.
When did Diedrich Candle open? Why did you open it?
Diedrich Candle originated during Covid. I (Will) started working from home as my job closed their office. I always wanted to make my own candles. With the extra time on my hands and a nudge from Rachel, we made a very small batch of candles and listed them on Etsy. Within a week we sold out and that's when we knew this could be something special. From there we moved our candles into a few local businesses and in Jan 2022 we launched our webpage. There was never a plan to progress to having our own webpage, it just sorta happened. However, it has been one of the most exciting adventures we've been on watching this business grow into what it is today.
Do you have any advice for those dreaming of starting their own small business one day?
Our biggest piece of advice is to do your research on the market you plan on entering. Research your competitors. Why are they doing well? Ask yourself, "what is it about my product that is different? What will make it stand out from everyone else?" And don't forget to source everything to keep your costs down.
Finally, don't be scared to take a LEAP OF FAITH. You won't know everything going into this adventure. They'll be lots of times you think things are going well and you'll get knocked down. When that happens, get back up and keep going.
What is your favorite scent?
R - My favorite candle is Cucumber Melon. When this scent hit my nose it always takes me back to my early childhood day's in the 90's.
W - You know... I REALLY like Butt Naked. The name always makes me laugh and I love how people laugh out loud when they find it on our table at craft fairs. I've always been a beach bum at heart and you can't beat the tropical scent that this candle gives off when it burning.
What is your overall goal for the company?
The main focus we have for Diedrich Candle is to provide top quality, strong scented soy candles. Until we can no longer keep up with demand, we want our candles to remain in small batches and hand poured.
Keeping this main focus in mind, we have set smaller goals throughout the year into 2023... big news is coming! I can't say much right now but I will tell you, we have jar size options in the works along with new product launches. Stay tuned, more details on this are coming soon!