Name of your website?Triple Scented Candles | Highly Scented Candles | Scented Candle Products | Kayloma Candle Co.
Your name?
Linda Cooke
Your Location (city, etc)
St. Albans
Please give us a short summary of your website?
We hand-poured all of our triple scented candles & melts. We sell primitive decor, angels, etc. We also have a Gift Shop as well as our online shop. All hand-poured in the USA.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I was a true city girl, two beautiful children Missy & Trey. Worked for the Board of Eductaion for 24 years. Then I had a lot of children over the years. My Son was killed in an auto accident and that changed my life. I retired from the Board, moved to the country on 73 acres, with my husband, beautiful here but too much time on my hands. Thought about Trey & my Dad all the time. Friends from school told me I needed a hobby. They asked if I could make candles. So I did and they loved them. Soon it turned into a business with an online shop and a Gift shop. My husband built me a store right next to our home. So now I love the country and love making candles. I have met some wonderful people online and in my store. Have made a lot of friends. My Mother was my inspiration, but I now have lost her. She passed away unexpected over the Holiday's. She was my number one fan. So I will keep making candles and melts to all my wonderful new friends all over the world. Each new scent that is added I will think of my Mother, and wonder how she would have liked it. She would have loved it!
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
We started in 2000 and our site was called Kayloma Farms Candles. So we wanted to keep the two sites apart, so we dropped farms. Missy's farm is called Kayloma Farms and our is Kayloma Candles.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
My Daughter lives on a farm, raises horses. She is a groomer and a Vet Tech. She loves her work and the love for animals. She has a family Joe her husband, and two children Clint, & Nikki. Missy was in Belize for a year, she and Trey loved Belize. Anyway her Grand-Mother passed away on her Father's side and her name was Kay, I love Roses, so have you ever heard of the Loma Rose. The Loma Rose was introduced in Canada by Hortico Inc. of Waterdown, Ontario, and not by the Greek gods. It has beautiful beauty. Deep pink with perfect form and distinct cup-shape. This is an English Garden type rose. The Loma Rose has a wonderful fragrance. We the put the two words together and that is what we came up with for my Candle Gift Shop. Kayloma Candles
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
Well I work really hard to give my customers what they want. A true triple scented candle. Some sites will say you can't use 3 oz of scent per pound, but with our designed wax we do use 3 ounces of oil in our candles and melts for each 16 ounce candle. That is why our customers keep coming back.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I enjoy what I do, making candles, so I don't want to become so big that I forget why I went into business in the first place. Giving people and candle or scented melts that they can really enjoy and smell the wonderful aroma that comes from a triple scented candle.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I believe that my investment of my time and my money has been a large success because of meeting new friends and giving back to people and knowing what is important to the customer.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I sure would not go large. I think you can become to large and forget the simple things in life and again forget your purpose in the beginning of your journey.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Well it is getting that way now. But my customers will come first.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Over head, I use so much fragrance oil that it really is hard to deal with, but that is why I am in business. To sell that one of a kind candle that really is wonderful.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Working hard to make sure each and every candle is a success. Not having enough hours in a day.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Word of mouth, and online sells. And a good web master who knows what they are doing.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I never dreamed that my website would be such a success. My customer's just keep coming back along with new ones.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Since 2000, still going strong, and I will run it till taxes get really bad. Big changes coming our way!
Who do you give your success too?
I would have to say God has given me a gift, I have had great sadness in my life when Trey was killed at the age of 21 years old, my Dad died shortly after Trey. My Mother had a massive heart attack looking at Trey's accident pictures. She pulled through. But has been very difficult to cope. My Mother just passed away this year over the Holiday's unexpected. So I feel even though God needed my Family, he sent me a wonderful, loving husband in 1997 and a gift I love to do. I am very thankful with my life. More people need to give than just take. The world is changing fast, but I will continue on my journey and just see how long I will be apart of that journey in life.
What is your website address?
Triple Scented Candles | Highly Scented Candles | Scented Candle Products | Kayloma Candle Co.
