Tesania Stevens and Lue'Shante Wilson, two of the three young ladies behind the candle venture, on Sunday sat down with Laura Forbes during the latest broadcast of Live with Laura to discuss their entrepreneurship journey. 

Their aim, said Ms. Stevens, was to evoke a sense of cultural nostalgia with the candles’ scents and names. Sunday Morning, for example – one of the candles on offer – is about the unique Caribbean experience of that day. “Growing up, your mom was always blasting music and cleaning up the house,” she said. “So that was a great sense…to bring into our candles.”

Another important aspect of the business is its commitment to sustainability, Ms. Wilson added. Island Glow Candles utilizes eco-friendly soy wax in its products, and the young ladies incorporate recycled and thrifted materials into their candle containers and designs. 

The two-week camp that birthed Island Glow Candles was an incredible experience, said Ms. Stevens. “We had about two speakers a day…and they shared a lot of knowledgeable information.” A bit of a serial entrepreneur herself, the St. Croix Educational Complex student said that the advice and insights shared by the feature speakers was vital information for her moving forward. 

Learning how to become effective in a team under severe time pressure was also a valuable experience, Ms. Stevens and Ms. Wilson agreed. Moving forward, their induction into the Women in Business network will be a key factor in future success. “It's comforting to be in a family of people who think like me and can guide us,” Ms. Wilson, a student of the St. Croix Central High School, said.

The Island Glow Candles team will now tackle the challenge of scaling their business to a point where it can support a brand launch and several pop up shops at activities and events around St. Croix.