Michelle Gephart is the owner of SparklePuss Soy Candles. “I married my best friend at 22 and lived happily ever after. Prior to children I spent most of my time with a direct selling cosmetics company. Looking back, I really learned how to run a business from doing that. Before starting SparklePuss® Super-Scented Soy Candles, I went to nail school and opened a home-based nail salon. Exposure to professional nail products and having my own salon inspired me to start a line of my own. That first product was called “Healing Heel Stick” by weeLUXURIES and is still sold today although it is now called “No-Ick” Heel Stick™.”
“In January of 2005 I was given a soy candle as a gift. It was beautiful and sleek and simple looking. I thought, “I can do that”. Little did I know what goes into making a quality candle! But the internet makes just about anything possible and so I began learning and buying supplies. I truly thought I’d put up a website and become an instant success with my soy candles. Isn’t that funny!??! It sure didn’t work that way! I launched my do-it-yourself website and my Etsy shop in December of 2005 after lots (and lots) of wick testing! I think I spent $300 on a Yahoo keyword for 30 days…that’s how it all got started. My first order came from a lady in Florida just a day or two after I went live! I set my goal to sell at least one candle in every state that first year. My family tracked the progress on a blank copy of the USA on the refrigerator. It was very exciting! We nearly met the goal. Since then, we’ve sold in all 50 states and a number of foreign countries. We are truly selling worldwide. I want to give all my customers a huge “thank you” hug for all their support and encouragement! Without them, there wouldn’t be a SparklePuss®!”
“I wish I had a really awesome story about how this endeavor became named SparklePuss®. The real reason is I like cats and I like anything sparkly and glittery. I wanted to put together a name that was unique and memorable and had nothing to do with “a company of country candles”…and one I could trademark. I worked with a friend to develop the SparklePuss® image. Since we both had small children, I’d go over to her house after bedtime and sit next to her at the computer for a couple of hours at least once a week. I would tell her what I wanted and she’d manipulate her computer graphics program. That’s when I realized I should not have majored in math! I should have gotten a degree in graphic design or marketing or something creative.”
“My favorite part of working my business (besides getting to work from home) is serving customers…I am here to serve. I really try to meet the needs of people who come to my website. Sometimes visitors feel like they are bothering me if they have questions. But I LOVE the questions and their interest in SparklePuss®. I also love the challenge of launching new scent collections twice a year and I love that customers enjoy my handmade products. There’s a lot of creative fulfillment for me in what I do.”
“Currently, five different product lines keep me busy, each with their own “brand” (website, logo, labels, etc.) and we’re in the process of putting all of them under one LLC called Lemon Lollipop. For now, SparklePuss® will continue with the Nine Lives scents until the fall when nine new scents debut.
Visit SparklePuss.com and use the code CHIC09 for 20% off any size order through May 15.
