How do you like to create an atmosphere? We often think of décor, lighting, and even music when it comes to styling our spaces. But there’s one sense that can get overlooked - our sense of smell. You can use scents to both shape your atmosphere and define your brand, and that’s where Burning Flame Candle Company comes in. 

“I was a waitress since I was 18 years old,” founder Lauren Burke says.  As a single mom, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the restaurant industry to a halt, and with CERB not covering all her bills, Lauren explains that she knew she needed to pivot. At the time, she hoped a small side job could generate some extra money.

“My mom is a mixed-media artist; she was a crafter, she grew up in that generation where they sewed, painted, scrapbooked and things like that. So, learning from her, that was always what I was good at.”

Lauren admits that, years earlier while attending art school as a self-described folk artist, she was highly critical of herself. In art school, “they’re very tough on you,” she explains. Looking back now, she recognizes that folk artistry is a big part of what the East Coast is known for.

Ten years after finishing her education, she returned to her roots and started making candles. She calls it a ‘perfect alignment’ of her creative background and having grown up with entrepreneurial parents.

“To be able to circle back years after going through my education and being able to use all of those transferrable skills in this candle company, it’s been a blessing.”

In the early days of Burning Flame, Lauren was making candles in jars with no labels, and offering free delivery for her customers. She created an Instagram page, and her candles started selling out.

Initially, Lauren had eight scents in her collection, but quickly discovered that she was keen to say ‘yes’ to every request. “At the start of a business, you want everyone to like you,” she explains. “I kind of went a little crazy and I had over 150 scents.”

Three years later, she has since cut that number in half, offering a smaller selection with the addition of seasonal catalogues.

Lauren also learned that her existing model of hand-delivering candles one at a time wasn’t sustainable. The next question was how to sell more volume. She realized that retail might only be a small fraction of her sales, and that wholesale could change the game entirely.

Though private label candles have become more popular in recent years, at the time for Lauren it was an innovative shift that allowed her to move many more units.

“I thought, if I wanted to do local collaboration, what are the big companies in Halifax that I could do a private label candle for?”

Lauren says that she built her business on the idea of presenting candles in places where candles don’t already exist. Her first stop was at East Coast Lifestyle.

“I knew right away, that’s who I wanted to go for. I went, and I dropped off a little sample box, and right away they said ‘yes, we’ll take a thousand units.’ When I got that first win with East Coast Lifestyle, a lightbulb went off and I thought, okay, custom candles are what’s going to make this a successful business.”

From there, Lauren went to real estate companies, construction companies, and any other businesses that she knew were going to want to order large quantities. Since opening, Lauren has sold approximately 30,000 units.

She explains, “The custom label and private label is really what’s built my business and kept me going over these last three years.” Additionally, over a dozen retail stores currently carry her candles.

In April of this year, after completing the Self-Employment Benefit Program through CEED, Lauren moved her banking to CUA.

“Being a woman in business, I don’t own a home, I don’t own any significant assets. My credit score was pretty average. In order to loan the money, there needed to be some form of collateral.”

When other banks wouldn’t consider Lauren for a loan, she turned to CUA.

“CUA had agreed to take collateral on my stock, because I had invested every penny I made into supplies.”

It was this flexibility, Lauren explains, along with CUA’s belief in her and in her character, that made all the difference.

“I’ve been with a different bank since I was 11 years old. I used to go into that bank with my dad, and I would talk with the teller, and it felt like there was a community there,” Lauren says. “Fast-forward, I started my own business, and they wouldn’t do a thing for me. Not only that, but I couldn’t personally get anyone on the phone to talk to me.”

Since moving her business banking, she says, “I feel like everyone I’ve spoken to at CUA is a human being, and they feel like family. I’ve been able to really be vulnerable, and that’s a feeling I don’t think you get in today’s market, especially with a bank. They came to my shop, they saw what I was doing, and they just took a big risk. And none of the other banks would have done that.”

“I would have never made it,” Lauren says. “I would have probably given up.”

Long-term, Lauren’s goal is to see Burning Flame candles in bigger retail chains across the province. A recent accomplishment, made possible by receiving her Women’s Business Enterprise certification, is a pilot project with Lawtons Drugs that will begin by the end of this year.

And when asked about her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? “I think that we are so tight knit in Nova Scotia that you would be very surprised at how quickly you can grow if you just put yourself out there and connect with other businesses that are in the community.”

Throughout the upcoming fall and holiday seasons, Burning Flame’s candle customization is perfect for corporate branding, holiday gift-giving, fundraisers, and weddings. You can find Lauren at Christmas at the Forum in November. To see the latest Burning Flame candles on display, visit their flagship shop, located in Bedford at The Coffee Pro, and online at burningflame.ca.

Our team at CUA is happy to have been able to help Lauren on her journey, and we can support businesses like yours with the Nova Scotia Small Business Loan Guarantee Program. Learn more about CUA’s commercial products.