We Have Been Earning Upwards Of $35K/Month With Our Luxury Candle And Accessories Business [Update]
This is a follow up story for Black Luxe Candle Co.. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published almost 4 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
Hi, my name is Brittany and I am the owner and CEO of Black Luxe Candle Co. I run this business with my husband Julius. We make and sell luxury experiences through our luxury handcrafted candles and candle accessories.
In addition to that, we have also enhanced this experience by providing luxury candle-making classes in our storefront location in the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago!
Our customers come from a variety of backgrounds and from all over the country. A vast number of our new customers come from our local Chicagoland area. But all our customers are candle lovers who value their mental health and enjoy a taste of the good life.
By focusing on ensuring an amazing customer experience, we believe that we have found a way to reach more to give them the peace of mind they are searching for. As of the end of February 2023, we have been earning upwards of $35k+/month. This is a great leap from our $3.5k/month only two years ago. A large amount of this growth can be attributed to the introduction and growth of our new storefront location.
By the end of 2022, we smashed our 100k goal by making 220k in sales. That felt amazing but what caught us by surprise is that we have managed to make more than half of that amount before the end of the first quarter of 2023! Amazing!
Tell us about what you’ve been up to. Has the business been growing?
Since the last time we had this little chat, several things have taken place here at Black Luxe Candle Co. The business has continued to grow as we pour more of our efforts into it. As of right now, our volume is nearly double what it was last year at this same time. This is something we are very proud of. The candle-making classes have continued to be the premier feature when it comes to our customers seeking out what Black Luxe has to offer.
As Black Luxe grows we find ourselves pushing our abilities to the edge and expanding those limits.
In the middle of the summer of 2022, we were given official notice that we would have to move out of our storefront location at 1741 N. Damen Avenue in Chicago, IL. We were now at a crossroads. We briefly contemplated which path we would take. We could call it a good run and end our storefront journey. Or we could pass the baton to a new location and keep racing toward success. We caught wind of the building potentially being sold around Memorial Day. From there we decided to keep on trucking and look toward taking Black Luxe to a new home. We pursued this while simultaneously running the store.
In addition to this, we also aimed toward building brand awareness in the corporate sector. We were fortunate in that people were finding us. We didn’t have to find them. Of all companies, McDonald’s Corporate - headquartered in Chicago, reached out to us to host a mobile candle-making event for one of their larger events to take place on September 15th (the exact date we had to be out of the Damen Avenue storefront).
We told them we could do it anyway and at that point, we were set to host candle-making for 45 guests over 4 hours at their downtown headquarters. After going to scout the space and look into the logistics of how we would make it all happen, McDonald’s called us back and asked if we could host 125 guests instead. We were shocked but said “YES!” nonetheless. I tell this part, not to brag about what fortune has come our way, but to show that whenever an opportunity arises, you find a way to make the most of it no matter what.
While all of this was happening, we were continuing to search for what would be our new home. Being very strategic in our search, we looked to find a place that was reasonably priced within our budget while still being optimally positioned regarding location. We wanted to ensure we had the best of both worlds. Eventually, we found the diamond in the rough we were searching for.
As we embarked on this transition into our new space we continued to ride our original location til the wheels fell off. We continued to provide our customers with 5-star experiences throughout this process and the culminating event to wrap up our Damen Avenue chapter was our McDonald’s Corporate event during the day followed by an overnight move in the middle of the night.
From there we gave ourselves a month to focus on our transition and build out our new home to match the aesthetic that we (and our customers) desired. We had to turn down a lot of guests who were rolling in from the momentum of customer satisfaction that we had been providing. That momentum had to be brought down to a halt as we prepared for our reopening On October 14th of 2023. We reopened to a fully booked Sweetest Day weekend.
From that point, we’ve continued to move in an upward trajectory. These levels of growth can be attributed to a couple of things. The first is a willingness to meet demand while maintaining a level of scarcity in what’s desired in the brand.
If they ask for it, I’m going to try to make it happen. If what they desire is in limited supply, now they must compete with each other to get the experience they’ve seen others have. The second is by providing an experience so compelling, so engaging, and so entertaining, that they will automatically want to share such an experience with others.
This is how we have gotten our audience to see the type of experience they can come to expect by booking a Black Luxe Candle class. Julius, who does the vast majority of the hosting of our candle classes, is good at this. And he says that his job is to dictate the experience the guests will have and direct them as they create content.
Our guests are our content creators. Our guests are our marketers. Our guests are the ones spreading the word regarding their Black Luxe Experience. We put a heavy emphasis on customer satisfaction because we know it leads to more opportunities to satisfy new customers every week.
We often ask how our guests find us and they say one of four things: TikTok, Google, someone they know, or something they saw on social media. Our growth and SEO have gotten us to being one of the premier candle experience companies in Chicago, ranking at or near the top of various searches on Google such as “Candle-making class Chicago.”
What makes this even more impressive to me is that we have done all of this organically. We haven’t put out ads, or gotten any special influencers to promote our products. It’s just been us and our Black Luxe community driving this forward.
As of 2023, we have seen an extremely impressive January at 54k in sales, the largest so far. Our February was so busy we were not just fully booked but overbooked and scheduled to host numerous private events, corporate events, vendor events, parties for adults and teens alike, and so much more.
At the present moment, we are working toward rolling out new products, having special events, bringing in new talent, and continuing to dazzle our customers with the candle-making experience of a lifetime.
What have been your biggest challenges in the last year?
When it comes to our biggest challenges, the answer to such a question is constantly changing. As an entrepreneur, I’ve come to realize that challenges, roadblocks, setbacks, and new adventures never really cease.
One of our biggest challenges in the past year was having to move. In hindsight, it might feel like it wasn’t much of a big deal compared to where we are now but in actuality, we were really at a crossroads. Julius and I discussed whether or not we would wrap up this chapter of Black Luxe in a neat little bow and call it a day or keep powering forward and continue to break barriers when it came to our brick-and-mortar storefront.
Of course, we decided on the latter, but then the challenge of finding the right location to move to became our new focus all while still functioning within the original location to full capacity. We wanted to be sure to find the right balance between optimum location and affordability. When we happened upon 1252 N. Milwaukee Avenue we knew there was something worth checking out.
We signed the lease and began working on building the space out to suit our needs and desires in September and gave ourselves a month to get everything together and open it to the public once again. This was one of the biggest undertakings we’ve had to deal with over the past year.
Another challenge has been dealing with life’s problems and people who you thought would be willing and able to have your back falling short of those expectations. This is what I believe is a common problem regarding entrepreneurs of color. We have certain challenges that can leave some of us feeling isolated due to us being in a realm that is unfamiliar to the family and friends that have historically surrounded us.
Another lesson learned: the need for mental rest. It is extremely important to recharge one’s battery when running a whole business.
When this happens it can be a make-or-break situation for some entrepreneurs as it can feel daunting to take on the day-to-day challenges that come with running a business. The way we have been able to meet such a challenge has been by having the willpower to keep pushing forward one day at a time.
This led us to the even more pressing challenge of bringing people onto the Black Luxe team. Finding individuals with the passion, time, and knowledge necessary to join us in our endeavors has been a continuous challenge we have yet to overcome. We’ve come across people who have been well-intended in their desire to be a part of this journey, but a person who can believe in our vision and follow through with meeting expectations on an ongoing basis is difficult to find.
As Black Luxe grows we find ourselves pushing our abilities to the edge and expanding those limits. Getting a couple of extra personalities to stand in when we get mental and physical fatigue sets in would be great.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned has been to be careful about what you wish for. I’m kidding but I’m not kidding at the same time. I’ve worked toward putting Black Luxe in a position to strive and thrive in a world that can be full of surprises.
As I have continued to move forward I have wished for Black Luxe’s continued success and somehow, some way it has been happening. But, the old Spider-Man quote about responsibility did not lie. The responsibilities that have grown with the business’ growth can truly be humbling. It can be extremely taxing yet so rewarding.
This leads to another lesson learned: the need for mental rest. It is extremely important to recharge one’s battery when running a whole business. Getting the proper rest to match the feats we’ve accomplished is still a work in progress, but knowing that it is needed is half the battle.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
As far as plans for the next year go, we look to continue to expand beyond our current parameters by introducing new products. The funny thing about plans that we’ve continued to learn over and over again is that implementing them takes up mental space and valuable time. We’ve been planning on introducing new products for months and have not had the time to roll them out in a boisterous and attention-grabbing way.
When one aspect of the business is consuming most of the energy, but produces the majority of the revenue, you give that sector of the business all you’ve got. This is a reminder that the customer’s desires will drive the direction of the business. This also lends itself to the idea that the challenge of needing additional team members to be met would free up time for the implementation of expansive projects.
Another idea we’ve discussed regarding our ability to grow the business and the brand is to become a distributor of our own for other small candle businesses. We’ve grown to the point of having to purchase large bulks of materials from overseas. From time to time, we get individuals who call us up in hopes of getting materials directly from us. New customer demand has started to give us new ideas.
As we have recently had discussions with a representative from our bank who has been designated as our small business bank rep, we have been given new ideas regarding how we can leverage Black Luxe to take it to the next level. At this point, the possibilities have truly begun to open up and the sky seems to be the limit. We haven’t set any new 5 year plans in stone but we have floated ideas of what we could do to truly grow Black Luxe Candle Co as a brand.
What’s the best thing you read in the last year?
I can honestly say that with all of the time I dedicate to continuing to craft Black Luxe Candles, I haven’t taken much time to just sit back and read. And truth be told, it might have to be something I write into my schedule as a method of de-stressing and taking my mind off the business from time to time. What I have been doing, however, is listening to various motivational videos each morning.
Les Brown is still one of my favorites. I’ve also added Simon Sinek to this little list for insight into team building and leadership.
I also listen to a handful of podcasts that keep me in the know. A few of these include:
- The Product Boss Podcast
- eCommerce Badassery
- Product Powerhouse Podcast
- The Roadmap to $50K on Shopify
These help my mind stay sharp and keep me thinking of strategies to take Black Luxe Candles even further.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
As of right now, we are looking to bring in a couple of enthusiastic, people-oriented, self-starters to learn and adopt the Black Luxe way and work within our retail space.
If you’d like to reach out about an opportunity with Black Luxe Candles, send your résumé to hello@blackluxecandles.com, and feel free to tell us a bit about yourself and what got you interested in working with us.
Where can we go to learn more?
- Website
- Facebook Black Luxe Candle Co
- Tiktok Black Luxe Candles
- Instagram Black Luxe Candles
- Check out our Google Reviews
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