What lessons have you learnt from starting your own business?
When I first started making candles in my kitchen back in 2014, I didn’t know anything about how to grow a business. It took a lot of hard work and late nights. Perfecting my candles was the end goal and finding the right wax, the right wicks, the right fragrance ratio takes time. I was still working in a full time role, so I spent a lot of nights testing and trialing out different combinations until I finally found the perfect blend.
In the beginning, I made mistakes – underestimating materials needed; not packing boxes correctly; too nervous to outsource help with production. After four years, the Evermore candle making process is seamless. The lessons I’ve learnt to get here – if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it; don’t be scared to make tough decisions, you have to make that leap otherwise you end up stuck; outsource help when you need it; immerse yourself in your craft, learn and digest every detail and become an expert in what you do.
Why did you decide to re-brand the business after four years of trading?
The brand has been through a bit of an evolution design wise. The candles started out as plain white tins, with minimal branding. This had a lot of cut through with customers and stockists, but we soon realised that we needed to switch things up and that’s when the next round of design came in with our white-lidded jars, which did amazingly well. We had so much interest from large department stores, but we hadn’t thought about boxes or space for barcodes. I’m always totally transparent about the lessons I’ve learnt and this was something I hadn’t considered at the time.
Last year we had the opportunity to completely re-brand and invest more into the product. I now feel like Evermore is exactly where it’s supposed to be and I’m so proud of the brand it’s grown into.
What do you love most about the new branding?
Everything! I feel like the new branding has so many layers to it. The coloured boxes are so eye-catching and no matter which way we stack them, we always come up with a new colour combination that looks so fresh and unique. The glass jars focus on timeless design, we ultimately wanted them to feel classic and to fit into any home interior. I guess my favourite thing is the contrast between the boldness of the boxes and the simplicity of the candles themselves.
How did you choose the fragrances for the new collection?
I wanted the collection to cover the key scents you find in a fragrance chart – spicy, smoky, woody, herby and citrus – and for each one to evoke a certain mood. I’ve worked really hard over the years to perfect the fragrances. I now work closely with a perfume house to fine tune the scents and make them even more beautiful than before.
Each fragrance takes inspiration from the seasons and the skies, from the magic of the moon to the mystery of the seas, and while I liked the idea of classics I didn’t want them to feel too obvious.
Are the new scents similar to the fragrances you used to produce?
The scents are essentially the same, but slightly re-worked. We decided to review the intricate details of each fragrance and develop them just that little bit further to give them even more depth. The biggest change was to Moon, which whilst it’s still a traditional rose scent, the addition of cade brings a slightly smoky, grown-up layer to the fragrance.
What is your favourite Evermore scent?
Scent is subjective and can mean so many different things to different people. I love all of the fragrances equally, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Grove. It’s traditional and simple. If you’re buying a gift for someone, this is the perfect scent as it’s a very universal fragrance that everyone seems to love.
What do you find the most rewarding part of running a business?
It has to be the feedback we receive from our customers and stockists. Everyone has been so kind and supportive of the new launch, it means so much to hear that people are enjoying our candles in their homes.
What can we expect next from Evermore?
We’ll be launching smaller versions of our candles in time for Christmas 2019, which we’re really excited about. Over the next couple of years we’ll also be introducing a diffuser line as well as moving into bath and body with soap, body wash and haircare bars.