By Zara Aderayo
Nigeria is a land full of undiscovered talent. And in a world where it is difficult to get a good paying job, people are setting up Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to generate income. Scented candle making is one of such business.
In this interview, Adedolapo Fasan, a 20 year old, 300 level Mass Communication student and owner of Oparline, a candle brand, shares her journey as a young entrepreneur.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am the second child of two children. I also draw and paint occasionally. I guess you could say that I am creative. I am an ambivert and sometimes I feel like I’m a contrast. Currently, I’m studying Mass Communication. Would I end up using my degree? I doubt that but who knows.
Q: It’s not usual for someone your age to run their own business. Why did you start the business?
Well, during lockdown, I had about three candles that were almost finished, and I got this idea to mix them together to make my own scent. So, I checked online how to melt wax. You’d be surprised at the number of things you can learn from YouTube videos. I still have the weird mixture. It was the first time I considered making my own candles.
Months later, my friend and I were broke and we talked about the possiblity of starting a business. I showed her a picture of the type of candle that I could make. She was encouraging and so I resolved to go ahead with the plan. Besides, I really love scents. I love the way they can produce different feelings. And I want to be able to make people happy or relaxed depending on the scent.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about process of candle-making?
It’s pretty easy. You need wax (your preferred), some fragrance, and maybe wax dye if you want to add some color. We use the double boiler method. This method is great for controlling the
temperature because temperature is everything in candle making. That’s why we use a thermometer. You have to add the fragrance, the dye and pour the wax into jars at the right temperature.
Q: How did you raise funding to startup?
I got a scholarship. And I realized that the money was rapidly running out. I decided that instead of spending it on clothes or keeping it idle in the bank, I would stop putting a foot in the pool and just jump in. And I did.
Q: Juggling school and work doesn’t seem quite easy. How many hours a day do you set out for work?
Surprisingly, I don’t work for long hours. I choose a week at the end of every month where I plan out all my contents for the next one month and then I use an app called Plann to auto-post, except for when I want to post carousels, then I do that manually. During that week, I also learn new
marketing strategies and that’s when I try to just get all the work in so that it wouldn’t distract me from school. And of course, I work through the rest of the month, but maybe for an hour or two daily.
Q: I am sure that running your own business has a lot of perks.
You are your own boss. You call the shots and when you make mistakes, you learn from it instead of being criticized. You also pick up self-control, patience, resilience and good financial habits.
Q: What are some common challenges you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?
You never know when business will be slow. Businesses are so unpredictable. There are times I’ve been short on cash and had to rely on money from my sales instead of putting it back into the business.
Q: Where do you see your business in the next five years?
I’d like to make my own perfumes, oils, body creams and so on. I want to build an intermingle of scents, skin care and self-care. People should associate my product with self-love and growth.
Q: Do you have any tips for entrepreneurs or anyone interested in starting a business?
Just do it. It will be scary at first and you will most definitely doubt yourself a lot, but the thing about dreams is that as ridiculous as they might be, they are still achievable. After all, there’s someone out there already living your dream. Why can’t you also?
Young entrepreneurs doing so good.
Please I really want to start up my own candle business but don’t know how to go about it
I don’t have contact of suppliers and all that
Please help me