The scent of success
Social media is helping one enterprising businesswoman penetrate the global market for scented candles, writes Izwan Ismail
THE phone in Nicole Rodrigues’ hand beeps a few times as she is explaining the process of making her scented candles. She takes a glimpse at it and smiles, showing me the incoming orders for her scented candles.
Since she ventured into this home business full time in June this year, Nicole’s life has never been busier. Orders keep coming in although she has no physical store front.
Thanks to the vast reach of the Internet and social media, she has managed to spread her home business throughout Malaysia and countries as far as Australia, the Middle East and Denmark.
The Dorothy
Scents (www. dorothyscents.com) label, which
Nicole uses as the brand for her scented candles, comes from the names of her paternal and maternal grandmothers, both of whom are Dorothy.
“I ventured into this business because of my love and passion for scented candles,” says the former corporate and communications manager of an international hearing aid company.
Nicole learnt to make scented candles a few years ago from a friend.
“I did a lot of research and experimented to perfect the processes and the quality of the candles. At the time, I made for friends and families,” she says.
Seeing its potential, she decided to leave her full-time job and make candlemaking her next venture.
Initially, Nicole only used Facebook to promote Dorothy Scents.
“I only had one fragrance at first — Lily of the Valley. Today, the range of scents has increased to 15 scents,” says the mother of three.
Among them are lavender, coconut, lime, strawberry and jasmine.
These days, besides Facebook, Nicole also uses Instagram and Linkedin to promote her products.
“These platforms work well in promoting my scented candles, especially with people from other countries with the creative use of hashtags.
To reach out to more preople, Nicole also uses FB advertising.
“Social media allows customers and potential customers to communicate with me and ask all sorts of questions regarding the scented candles,” she says.
Nicole also realised that a proper web portal is needed to make it easy for people to order and make online payments.
“I therefore took a course in web design and e-commerce. I designed and built the dorothyscents.com website myself, together with the shopping cart and payment mechanism,” she says, not without a hint of pride and happiness.
The online ordering system is done via Shopify and is purposefully designed to make the shopping experience fast and easy.
All orders go through a secure server that ensures total privacy for the buyer.
Nicole also creates packages for her products for special occasions like corporate gifts, weddings, corporate events, festive events, etc.
These days, she also supplies the candles for events at hotels.
Besides candles, she also makes bath bombs.
The candles
Nicole uses soy oil and blend it with fragrance and essential oil for her candles. All the candles are handmade at home.
In a day, Nicole, with the help of her helpers, can produce up to 600 candles.
“Paraffin wax is commonly used in candles but soy candles are another option on the market. While soy candles look and smell similar to their paraffin counterparts, they offer distinct advantages,” she says.
She explains that soy candles are made from soybeans, a natural, renew- able source grown in many regions by local farmers, while paraffin candles are made from petroleum, which is a nonrenewable source that contains carcinogenic substances.
These substances may be released into the air while burning, she says.
Using candles made from soy supports local agriculture and farmers, allowing them to make money and grow their operations.
Besides that, a candle made from soy wax burns cleaner with little soot released as the candle burns.
It is also long-lasting as soy candles has a slower burning time and cooler burning temperature.
BeTTer scenT
A soy candle works well for holding onto the scent from essential oils, which are often used to scent candles.
Because they burn more slowly, the scent is gradually released and there isn’t an immediate wave of a strong scent. This creates a more pleasant atmosphere for most people. The natural wax also holds onto colour well, which makes it look more attractive.