Who are you?

Danielle Calder (Creative Director) of Candelle & Co.

What does your business do?

The business makes design led candles branching out to more gifts designed by myself.

Where are you based?

I work from home in Erskine but am originally from Glasgow.

How did you get started?

I started with an in-house printer and microwave in my kitchen in December 2015.

What is your background?

I left school with poor qualifications then went on to do Graphic Design. I only did my first year then went on to work in a pharmacy for eight years. I was always creative from a young age.

My grandad taught me graphics when I was nine-years-old and I loved digital graphics from then on. I had no experience with candle making until I started researching and experimenting ahead of starting the business.

What is your top tip?

If you get past the fear of failure, you can do anything you put your mind to.

How long has your business been running?

I started as a registered business in January 2016.

Has anyone helped you get started and how?

My grandad and my husband have been a huge help. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to turn my ideas into a small business.

What was your first deal?

In 2016, I got accepted for notonthehightstreet.com. This was a huge deal for me. One of my design led candles went viral and was chosen for Christmas press coverage. I sold thousands of ‘prosecco made me do it candles’ last year and it has been a huge success.

What was your biggest mistake/or what would you do differently?

Last year was my first year and everything was trial and error. I made a lot of mistakes, I learned from them then made more. One of them was in the financial margin. You have to be sure what you’re selling and not sell yourself short. If you’re not making mistakes you are now growing or learning I believe.

Who is your inspiration?

I’ve had lots of inspiring women in my life over the past year. Nicole Pugh, managing director of a gift boutique in England (Berrys & Grey).

I can’t thank her enough for all she has done for me. I’m also a huge fan of Louise Rusk from Rusk & Rusk Ltd who own restaurants in Glasgow. I met Louise through the Scottish mother collective run by Kimberly Ritchie and had the pleasure of in Louise’s company and she has asked me to work on something special for this year’s Killer Heels and Cocktail event.

Where do you plan your business to be in five years time?

I would like to go global. I have had many customers from around the world from as far as LA to Australia. I would love to have Candelle & Co boutiques around the world.

Useful contacts:

www.candelleandco.com , Facebook - Candelle & Co, Instagram @candelleco, Twitter @candelleco