I am delighted to be joined for a second time by Marsha Flowers, who is the owner of Five B and Co Candles, and the newly launched Little Bee Scents. In our conversation, she shares how she has listened to her heart to expand her business in new ways. After thinking about what she likes best about candle making (the creativity, creating scents, and community), she realized that she also wanted to help other candle makers (and soap makers too!) bring their dreams to life. In the spirit of mentoring and helping others in the field she loves so much, Little Bee Scents was born.
Creativity in a Candle Supply Company
It’s been about a year since Marsha was last on the show, and it was a treat getting to catch up with her. In that time, she’s spent a lot of time reflecting on her business; on what was working and what she might like to change. She noticed that COVID had introduced a lot of people to crafts, and knew that she had always wanted to create a candle supply company. She also knew that she wanted to focus on building a community that supported each other because she didn’t like the competitiveness of some of the candle industry.
Taking all of those things that she loves, and focusing on creating the inventive scents that 5BandCo is so well know for, Marsha arrived at Little Bee Scents. A beautiful community has come together around Little Bee, with enthusiastic crafters using Masha’s scents in inventive new ways. The enthusiasm, kindness, and generosity of the community that has grown from Little Bee is a source of joy and excitement for Marsha: she is delighted by the many creative things that people are making from her scents.
More about Marsha
Marsha Flowers started pouring candles in 1992 when her kiddos were tiny, as a way to carve out space for her creativity. She feels that candle-making is her true purpose and is truly grateful that it has allowed her to make unique connections with amazing people. As Marsha says, when she pours a candle, there’s a lot of love in that little flicker.
We discuss how Marsha’s business has progressed from a tiny storefront in Weston, MO, that she opened when her youngest child started Kindergarten over 20 years ago to what is now a completely online business. Marsha is one of the people whose stories I share and talk about in my book Jumpstart Your Joy: Heart Centered Ways to Find Joy in the Messy Middle, which came out this year.
In this episode, Marsha and I talk about:
- The launch of Little Bee Scents and becoming the candlemaker for Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City.
- How she is helping people get creative and produce quality products by offering custom scents for them to use in their own business, without having to buy a large minimum order
- Why Marsha wanted to change things up in her business
- The process of crafting scents that match the smell of beer, hay, and the fresh smell of the earth after the rain
- Why candles offer comfort to people and connect us to memories in a powerful way
- How Marsha let her heart lead her to the place that made her feel good about her business
- Mad, glad, sad, or ewwww: Marsha’s new way of identifying her emotion over things, and following her first impulse about them.
- How to jump start your joy: through smiling and helping other people create things that they love
Resources
Marsha Flower’s candle website: Five Blessings Candles
Marsha Flower’s scent website: Little Bee Scents
Marsha Flowers on JSYJ in Season 6: Creating “Happiness in The Form of a Flicker”