Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Acevedo.
Hi Daniela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m Daniela Acevedo, owner of Bountiful Candles in Titusville, FL. I’ve been an entrepreneur of sorts since I was a little girl. A daughter of immigrants, I watched my parents work hard to build their businesses in a new country and took in everything they taught me along the way. My mom taught me to be creative, persevere, and believe in myself; my dad taught me the importance of building customer relationships and managing finances.
Candlemaking started as a mid-pandemic hobby that my mom picked up and shared with me. As a new mom myself, I’d recently decided to stay at home full-time. However, I was missing a creative outlet and still wanted to bring money home. Candlemaking and designing labels for them sparked that creativity I was searching for, and my mom taught me how to make it into a proper business.
I’ll be honest: this was a lot harder to do than I thought. There was a lot of trial and error involved, many self-doubts, and the challenge of finding discipline outside of a 9-5. But once I managed to book my first vendor event, everything changed. The ideas started flowing, and my confidence started growing. The support I’ve received from my community, friends, and family has been beyond inspiring!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were definitely bumps in the road! As a new business owner, it’s hard not to compare yourself with other businesses that are already stable and especially the large-scale corporations, like Marshalls or Target. A lot goes into making a candle business successful outside of production itself. I would stay up at night wondering if my brand was trendy enough to attract customers, if my candles were burning well, if their smell appealed to a larger audience, etc. I would wonder how I could even compete with the bigger stores that sold candles for under $10 and if I was creative enough to have consistent new products or if I’d run out of ideas. I spent countless hours designing my labels and testing my candles for quality.
The biggest challenge that I would name is becoming a single mom as I was trying to get my business up and running. Living in Titusville, FL and 200 miles away from my family has always been tough, but it became a lot harder while going through a divorce, raising a toddler, and attempting to grow a small business. I would say that this challenge brought me very close to putting an indefinite pause on Bountiful and, knowing now what it’s become, that would have been a shame!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Bountiful Candles Co.?
I specialize in handcrafting high-quality soy wax candles of various sizes. I only use non-toxic ingredients that I would be comfortable having in my own home and, although they’re tricky to work with, I offer wooden wicks in my candles. Since not too many candlemakers are comfortable using wooden wicks as they’re especially time-consuming and tend to put cost over the safety of the candle’s emissions, I believe these qualities set my candles apart from others and make them unique. In the future, I aim to offer candle alternatives, such as wax melts and reed diffusers.
My dream has been to create a brand that would serve to give back to my community. I’m proud to say that Bountiful Candles is a Latina-owned business that strives to build strong customer relationships and is committed to serving the community. I’ll be releasing the details on a new collection very soon that will help me fulfill that dream.
My candles are currently sold by popular businesses in Titusville, such as Sunrise Bread Co., Pure Bliss Spa, Black Cat Coffee, and Juice n’ Java. I ship candles all over the U.S. and I’m working on partnering with a retailer that will bring Bountiful Candles to Dallas, TX! Follow us on Instagram (@bountifulcandles) to get the latest updates on my new collection and future partnerships to bring Bountiful Candles to retailers across the U.S.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Although moving out of Miami and away from my family was not ideal after I became a single mom, I am very lucky to have made a home for me and my son in a small town. Titusville has been extremely supportive of my small business which has helped it grow so much. I don’t feel I would have been able to do that in Miami, where the cost of living is higher and the competition is heavier. I’m lucky to have the support of my parents and their guidance as entrepreneurs, and I’m extremely lucky to have friends and family that continue to support my business in more ways than one. I’m happy to say that I’m thriving in this new life I’ve created for myself and my son, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Pricing:
- 3.5oz – $7.00
- 7oz. – $16.00
- Custom Candles – $17.00 +
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@bountifulcandles.com
- Website: bountifulcandles.squarespace.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/bountifulcandles
- Facebook: facebook.com/bountifulcandles
Image Credits
Alyssa May Scrivener
