For years Angelic (pronounced Angelique) Lockett would burn as many as four candles at a time in her small Oakland, California apartment. That’s how much she loves candles. In fact, she would spend money buying hundreds of candles from retailers such as Target. That was until she realized chemicals from those candles contributed to her respiratory issues. She visited an apothecary shop where she learned that she could make her own healthy candles without all the harmful ingredients.
Seeing the light. In 2016 Angelic started making candles for people here and there as a hobby. Lockett would watch YouTube videos and read many articles to learn how to combine certain essential oils at the right temperature to get the perfect scent. “I knew I was close. The more I made candles, the better I got,” she explained. Once the costs of supplies started to add up, Angelic decided to turn her hobby into a business to make some money. That’s when Angelic (pronounced an-jeh-lick) Rose Essentials was born. Lockett sells her candles from that same small apartment and uses a website where customers can place orders. “It’s organic and slow-going. I’m doing everything through trial and error,” she said. “It’s fun to see it grow over the past four years,” she added. Her website details what ingredients and crystals are used to make each particular candle. What makes Lockett’s candles so different is that she uses one hundred percent soy wax. She doesn’t use vegetable oil or paraffin wax, which she says can be harmful. “I pride myself on giving one hundred percent transparency,” said Lockett. Candles sold at Angelic Rose Essentials also contain one hundred percent essential oils. Candle dye is what gives the candles their rich color, not like the preservatives or chemicals found in other candles on the market.
What Lockett wants to attract in her own life is what sparks creativity for making each candle in her collection. She has made a joy candle, a prosperity and abundance candle and an energy protection candle. The latter two are her favorite in the collection. She recommends the Lotus scent to new customers. Lockett wants to share her love of candles to bring joy and delight to her customers. She said, “I want it to have a purpose and be luxurious, but still have a homemade feel.”
Burning the candle at both ends. In addition to running her business, Lockett works sixty hours per week in child care. After a long day of work, she would come home and work on making candles. She said, “I would get sick a lot just from working so much.” “But I knew to get where I wanted to go, I had to put in work,” she added. Lockett said she has had to fight pneumonia and panic attacks in the process. Those health issues were just the beginning of challenges that she has had to face. Lockett said she didn’t have a lot of support from her family. “I felt like I was doing it alone. It was a lonely grind in the early years,” she said. What keeps her going is her desire to be her own boss. “I knew I didn’t want to work for corporate America. I knew I wanted to have control or ownership. I felt like I didn’t have any other option,” she explained.
Igniting a passion in others. Lockett’s goal is to influence others, especially the young people in her family. She wants to break generational curses and be an example for her sisters who have also started businesses of their own. She advises other entrepreneurs to study their industry and be prepared for opportunities. Lockett said she wrote action plans for the goals she wanted to achieve in business. Once the opportunities presented themselves, she implemented her plans. Lockett said she also found mentors online and listened to podcasts to learn how to run a business. “Completely immerse yourself in whatever area of business you’re trying to break into,” she advised.
Keys to success. In order to remain successful, there are a few keys to success that has served as Lockett’s guiding light. She said she does whatever she can to take care of herself mentally before she tackles anything else. A solid spiritual foundation and a strong work ethic also keep her resilient. “I don’t mind rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty,” said Lockett. “I like working and creating things and seeing the result.”
New businesses in the works. When it comes to business, Lockett wants to continue to grow it organically. “I wanted to keep the childlike wonder. I want to grow and share my art,” she explained. In addition to running her candle business, Lockett is now studying and training to become a yoga instructor. She wants to offer free yoga classes and start a non-profit to help at-risk youth. “Everyone can’t afford to tackle mental health. I want to devote my time to help youth with breathing exercises and proper posture,” she said.
To get to the next level in business, what Lockett needs more than anything is a mentor that she can go to for one-on-one coaching to help her avoid certain pitfalls. Funding would also help when it comes to buying supplies. A comprehensive website is also in Lockett’s future plans. Right now, Lockett is responsible for making the candles, packaging them and getting them shipped. A team of employees would help her streamline things a bit. “I’m just going through a dark tunnel. I’m the one managing everything,” she said.
Lockett is pretty open to whatever the future brings. For now, she is enjoying the sweet smell of success and is working on what she describes as being a better and balanced person.
To view Angelic Rose Essentials’ product line and place your order, visit www.AngelicRoseEssentials.com. Connect with Angelic Rose Essentials on social media at @AngelicRoseEssentials on Instagram, @ARoseEssentials on Twitter and on Facebook at Angelic Rose Essentials. Contact Angelic Rose Essentials via email at angelicroseessentials@gmail.com.
