Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanice King.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Born in the small town of Fort Pierce, FL it was instilled within me as a child to walk in kindness, spread love, and pursue leaving
the world better than I found it. Living in the tougher environments in Florida where the odds were frequently stacked against you my family decided to move to the slower-paced more family-oriented Sumter, South Carolina where I could strive towards a brighter future. At the tender age of 15, I relocated to Sumter, SC.
Throughout my life, I have faced many struggles from homelessness to domestic violence. The struggles I have faced gave me the perspective on life to always strive for greatness and be a light to others who also are survivors of such testimonies. This is when I decided to pick myself up physically, emotionally, and mentally by creating something to assist others in finding the same peace of mind I did on their path to healing.
October 11th, 2017, I changed my life! I launched Heart-Filled Scents by Shanice, LLC that has since become HFS Candle Co.
My pride and joy launched with every intention to create products that would not only bring love but light to those via an extraordinary aromatherapy experience. Given the previously stated events, I suffer insomnia and anxiety so visiting places like Bath & Body Works were my go-to for aromatherapy relief. Doing this affected my health and became too costly so I started my research and found paraffin wax and animal byproducts were being used and I couldn’t use those products anymore. After much research and determination, HFS Candle Co. is here to change the entire aromatherapy experience one candle, spray, or body butter at a time!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The process has been very challenging, the biggest area was truly finding my audience. I started trying to accommodate everyone, that process ended quickly as I paid out more than I was bringing in! I had to regroup and refocus numerous times until I got the product and customer base I was looking for. In the beginning, the pandemic was slowing down the ability to get supplies but there has been progress and things returning to normal.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a chandler. I create natural vegan-friendly candles, wax melts, soaps, shea butter, sugar scrubs, etc. My nickname is #thewaxboss. My most popular items are my long-lasting, highly scented wax melts and candles, if properly used the candles last at least 60 hours of burn time.
I am most proud of my brand itself; I have grown so much these past 4 years, and it shows. My customer service is top-notch, my labeling and packaging is clean & crisp. I never stop investing in the brand or knowledge to become better in my craft.
What sets me apart from others is the information I provide to my customers showing that I am concerned about their overall health and well-being. I offer a percentage off for bringing the candles back once completely burn to obtain a refill (that’s a perk of using true natural products).
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Most important lesson I’ve learned was know your audience, it is significant to know who your customers are and what they like. After this everything else fails in line, from products, services, packaging, etc. Another thing learned was to stay focused, the market is over-saturated but there is room for everyone to find their niche and rock it out.
Pricing:
- Candles $15-$25
- Wax Melts $7 – $15
- Soaps $8
- Whipped Shea Butter $8
- Custom Candles/Gift Sets $25-$65
Contact Info:
- Email: heartfilledscents@gmail.com
- Website: www.hfsbyshanice.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hfs_candleco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hfscents
Image Credits
Lo Scott
