Today we’d like to introduce you to Yariela Duran Antigua.
Hi Yariela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I always had an inclination for handmade items and entrepreneurship. As a young woman, I moved to the United States more than 15 years ago and have lived in New York City and Florida. I worked in different jobs, mostly in a retail environment, in sales and/or customer service role. These jobs helped me grow and mature as a person who strives to delight my customer with good products and services. And three years ago, I decided to put that desire/inspiration into work to delight my customers from my own business. Out of all the things I could think of to make this happen, the first thing that came to my mind was creating some of my favorite items, candles, body care products, and home decor items. Burning candles is one of my favorite things to do because it arouses memories, experiences, and environments; therefore, I knew I could offer that to others with passion. After about two years of testing, designing and creating candles and body care products, I launched SolWickandBody.com to bring the art of fragrances to every home.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. I have experienced so many challenges I doubted if I should continue with my work, especially in 2020. The current Covid-19 pandemic has made it very difficult to operate the business because most supplies and goods to manufacture my products were not available. However, I kept going because I believe that most successful stories are shaped by difficult times, failures and challenges. Those experiences have shaped me and my business to forge itself as a successful brand.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
It takes years and months to create the products I offer at Sol Wick & Body. At Sol Wick & Body I hand make every product. And I’m conscious of our environment and I take into account the impact I can cause. Therefore, I use all-natural and eco-friendly products. Our wax, wicks, oils, scrubs, soaps and containers are toxin, sulfate, paraben and cruelty free. I aim to have a positive impact on the environment while providing an affordable, high-quality product for our customers’ homes.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as the moment when we stand out in a market where there are so many competitors and it is relatively easy to enter. I feel successful when we receive repeat orders. It means our customers are here to stay, believe and recognize what we do. However, I feel I have a long way to go, and my ultimate success would be to serve 1 million orders within two years.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@solwickandbody.com
- Website: www.solwickandbody.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solwickandbody
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solwickandbody
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