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Meet Kimberlee Ward of Eternal Balance Candles

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberlee Ward.

Kimberlee, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Back in 2017, the idea of owning a candle business came up when I was living in Missouri and dealing with constant microaggressions and racism in the workplace. Out of that, I started to meditate regularly to control the anxiety that resulted from my experiences. As I would meditate and journal to express what I was going through, I would burn candles. Creating those settings is what I wanted to create for others. I then noted that I do not want to just build a brand of candles but one that encourages people to live each day intentionally. A brand that will help people recognize when they need to engage in self-care and one that will lessen the daily stressors that we all encounter.

At the time, in Missouri, I was not in a place that was going to help me grow as an entrepreneur. After a year of moving back to Colorado, the idea came back to the forefront of my mind of owning a candle business. I went back and forth trying to figure out if it was a good idea because there are so many candle businesses out there. I began to tell myself there are multiple businesses of anything I want to go out and get and it is a matter of figuring out how to distinguish myself from other candle companies. In October of 2018, I decided to buy all of the supplies I needed and taught myself how to make candles. I watched countless videos but actually making the candles is what helped the most.

My coworker then told me about Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute (RMMFI) here in Denver that assist underrepresented folks with learning about business and how to launch/re-launch. Because business is not my background, I decided to reach out to them. I was in contact with them for a few months before I applied for their Business Launch Bootcamp and was accepted in December 2018. On December 10, 2018, I pre-launched my business through Etsy and officially launched in June of this year with my own website. I went through the 12-week business launch Bootcamp where we focused on four pillars, which are marketing, finance, management, and operations. On top of Eternal Balance Candles, I work full-time as an Academic Advisor at Arapahoe Community College. I got to where I am today having a supervisor, Edward Nance, that allowed me to go through RMMFI’s Bootcamp class, the connections I have made through RMMFI, and networking and my friends. I am more of an introvert but I have pushed myself to connect more with other entrepreneurs and women in order to push my business forward. I believe the only way for me to be successful and level up is to connect with and empower other women.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning Eternal Balance Candles has not been a smooth road. With working full-time and running the business on my own currently, I have had a few breakdowns. I use my full-time gig to support my business which has resulted in a busted budget for the past few months and a lack of eating. Now I am not saying that to say you have to starve for your business to be successful. I have made sure this past month, July, that I was eating. It has now been eight months since I have been in business. I would say what I struggle with the most is being every person. I have to work on sales, finance, operations, management, marketing, etc… Another challenge is making sure that the content I put outfits the brand. When you do not have a lot of funding for websites and marketing, you have to get creative. I would love glamorous packaging and it is not in the budget right now. Sometimes not having the money for something means accepting what it is going to look like for now and recognizing that you will improve in the future. Being the structured and creative person I am this is hard to accept. Another challenge I have faced is wondering whether I belong in business and whether I have started a business that will eventually push me out of my full-time job. I am a black woman business owner, which is great because now I can provide young black women and other women with the notion that they CAN own a business and become an entrepreneur but learning how to juggle it all is when I have to stop and tell myself self-care is something I need too. I also have struggled with comparing myself to other businesses and male-owned businesses as well. From my observations, I can see that men and even my male friends easily get more traction and support for their business. To shift my thinking, I look back to where I started and I take a look at my one-year key management strategy to know I am doing okay; even ahead in some areas. I remind myself that business is challenging, takes time to build, and the rewarding part has been how much I have learned and how many women I have had the opportunity to connect with.

Please tell us about Eternal Balance Candles.
At Eternal Balance Candles, I create an experience. I create a candle that is there to assist with relaxation, boosting moods, and challenging people to live each day intentionally. Living each day intentionally means crafting your day in a way that gives meaning and purpose to the things you do each day. So I get people to process what they are giving their time to and whether that is currently serving the vision that they have for themselves mentally, physically, and spiritually. It is about taking care of the mind, body, and soul. Overall adopting a mindset of mindfulness. Many will tell you that you have to go out and search for your purpose and through Eternal Balance Candles, I am telling you that you can create your purpose. What I am most proud of is how Eternal Balance Candles has inspired people and how much people tell me they love the candle they purchased. My motto is creating a candle that blends appearance and aroma with intentional living. I know that some people do not want to think intentionally and they want a candle that smells great. I am happy to be able to provide all of those things. What sets me apart is the intention piece. Currently, people are able to write in their own intention on the candle and that idea will expand eventually to something greater.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
A favorite memory of mine is when I first started playing basketball. One of my mentors Don Latimer who played for the Broncos, which I did not know until much later told me I should try out for the team in 5th grade and I practiced and practiced to make sure I made the team. It is my favorite memory because I continued to play and I can honestly say basketball got me through a lot of rough periods in my life. I do not think I would be where I am if I was not encouraged to find something to hold onto after my mom passed away.

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Image Credit:
Indigo Brown, Darlene

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