4 minute read
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR NATASHA MARTINEZ
NATASHA MARTINEZ
By the Candle’s Light
Advertisement
by Wanda Rogers
Natasha Martinez wanted to be a landscape architecture, working with plants and design. The office jobs, the 9-5, did not fulfill Natasha’s desire to be out with the flowers and interacting with people. Being behind the computer was not what she was looking for either. She was crafty and needed to fill her creative spirit, so she tried out candle making. She picked some flowers from the side of the road and using some used soy wax, she made her first candles.
Initially, her candle making was for friends and family and for a creative release. Then in 2019, after attending a few farmer’s markets and getting orders from strangers, Wickd Petals Candle Company was born. Soy wax, fiber wicks, and phthalate and paraben free, all flowers are locally grown and dried.
They look as good as they smell.
Natasha rounded out her business, learning the ebb and flow of the candle seasons. Winter is when things are busy so this summer, she is working part time away from her business. October 2021 she is planning to go full time as the owner of Wickd Petals Candle Company. She has a website and is selling wholesale to some great stores in the Edmonton area, such as Freson Bros. The Scent of Candles
There are five scents that are year-round and then each season she has a feature scent. Wintertime it is pine, with local pine needles infused into the wax. Spring brings the blossoms with plum flowers and lilacs. Summer this year will be sweet pea and this fall Sunflowers will come to find their way into her products. All the flowers are sourced from local producers in the Edmonton area, or her own garden and Natasha dries them all herself.
When people first meet Natasha, many comment on her age. “Oh, you’re so young!” Initially Natasha felt uncomfortable; She felt people would not take her seriously or treat her professionally because of her young age. Sometimes, when her mom joined her, people would mistake her mom as the owner. Her mom makes sure to step back and let Natasha shine. Now that some time has passed as a business owner, she takes the age comments as a compliment. She handily tells them that she has lots of room and time to grow her business!
| 25
The Struggle is Real
In the beginning, she struggled to figure everything out. She knew how to make candles, but how do you do bar codes for a store like Freson Bros? She quickly found that the solution was to build relationships with other business owners who could help her learn the tricks of the trade.
A short while ago, she woke to an order from France. She was shocked; how did someone in France hear about her candle company? It turns out that the January issue of House and Garden UK magazine had featured her candle. She, of course, bought almost every copy available in Edmonton. The article brought customers from all over Europe.
What has success meant for her in the business, is it sales, the ability to create? What stokes her fire to continue? Natasha has a long list as an answer to those questions. It is when her business grew to strangers buying her products and not just her friends and family. Or when the House and Garden UK featured her candles. Or when she sees her products being used and loved. Of course, it never gets old seeing her product shared organically on social media. She is also hoping to inspire young entrepreneurs to take their dreams and make them a viable business. To that end, in July she is speaking at a workshop for Young Entrepreneur Training Initiative. They hold a contest where students in the Parkland Region in Grades 10, 11, 12 can apply for a prize of up to $500 to help start or grow their own business.
What will she tell those young entrepreneurs and anyone else? Take the leap. Jump in with all you have and do it. You will learn as you go, you will make mistakes, but it is so worth it. You will be proud of yourself for going for it.
The Future
Her five-year plan includes growing into a retail place, maybe space to do classes and workshops on making candles. For now, she knows that Christmas will be very busy and that she will be hustling to do most of her sales over the winter months.
Wanda Rogers has spent 11 years in Human Resources Management and now calls Airdrie home after many years in Northern Alberta. She lives with her two sons, crazy cat, Siberian Husky and ex husband with whom she cohabitats to raise their children and they all give her all she needs to write about.
