1 – Q) Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
A) Comfort Candle Company is based in the beautiful Texas Hill Country town of Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg has been ranked high on many lists of most idyllic small towns in the United States, and for good reason. The people are nice and the weather can be just about perfect in the Spring!
Here in Comfort Candle, we offer different candle scents including fragrance from Citrus, Floral, Fruity, Gourmet and so many to choose from. Our current products are gift box, wax melts, fragrance spray, small jar candle, travel tin, medium jar candle, fragrance oil, and large jar candle. What’s good about our product is we use a soy wax blend, and the finest fragrances to handcraft a variety of products. These are purchased individually according to type, size and fragrance.
We are continually trying to add to and improve our offerings, to best meet our customers needs. As our way of giving back, Comfort Candle Company does fundraisers as part of its charitable efforts.
2 – Q) Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A) My name is Ben Boubel, the master candle maker. Each Comfort Candle is handcrafted by me. I have been making candles since 2000 and run the daily operations, while my wife Kandy contributes her computer and business expertise to our operations.
Our hard work and Texas-sized courtesy enables us to provide fabulously fresh products, fast friendly service, and Texas-sized deals!
3 – Q) What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
A) I started my journey when I used to work for another candle company where I saw that hand-pouring candles are wasteful and inefficient and can lead to poor quality and fragrance throw. That inspired me to start my own candle making company where we use the latest technology to meticulously craft a superior product that comes in around 40 heavenly fragrances.
We use no dyes, no additives and all-cotton wicks for a candle that burns clean and evenly, has long lasting fragrance and produces less smoke and soot than a paraffin wax candle. We also use no dyes or ultraviolet inhibitors, which lends our candles a certain consistent aesthetic and reduces their environmental impact.
4 – Q) What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A)
- Passion & Purpose: Start with a clear purpose and passion for what you do. It will drive you during the tough times and inspire those around you.
- Market Research: Before launching, conduct thorough market research. Understand the needs of your potential customers, the existing competition, and where you can carve out your niche.
- Networking: Build and nurture a network of mentors, peers, and professionals. They can provide advice, partnerships, or even potential clients.
5 – Q) What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A)
- Decision-Making & Problem-Solving
- Resilience & Persistence
- Interpersonal & Communication Skills
6 – Q) How many hours do you work a day on average?
A) 10-12 hours/day
7 – Q) To what do you most attribute your success?
A) Hard work, honesty and courtesy to our customers
8 – Q) How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A) We are currently optimizing our website nationally to rank on 1st page of Google on all major search engine platforms. We also consistently post content on our social media platforms to keep our customers informed about our new/seasonal products and promotions
9 – Q) Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A) I didn’t have any funding for this business. I bought half of this business with my personal capital investment and then bought the other half 4 years ago.
10 – Q) What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A) Hard work, perseverance and dedication to making quality products.
11 – Q) Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
A) This is my passion making customers happy with creating a great candle. I would love to be fortunate to continue for the next years to come.
12 – Q) Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
A) Probably my father in law’s peach business.