Commitment and drive. Josephine Tapp has them in spades. Over the course of a late-night Facebook Messenger conversation that spanned more than four hours, that became more than evident.
The second-year-old law student, who with a ‘lol’ described herself self-deprecatingly as “quite average, actually…Nothing too special other than some passions and a bit of commitment”, started her scented candle company Wick’et
one month ago – inspired by her mom’s love of candles.
Wick’et is all about “creating unique, novelty scented candles”, Tapp says. “Candles that represent various aspects of fandoms, such as Harry Potter and Pokémon (due mostly to me being a fangirl myself who wanted to own such candles, but found shipping to be inconvenient), and also aspects of Guyanese life and culture, like our Christmas, our countryside, and cricket.”
“It took me a while to find a name I liked. I didn’t want a name based solely on the product or on my own name, and I love puns. So I thought, wicks are in candles, cricket (which I think most recognise as an integral part of Guyanese culture) has a wicket and that was what I got.”
But the Facebook-based company almost never existed, as Tapp confessed that she was “rather reluctant to start such a venture” when she already had a sizable
workload. “However, through my interactions with a fellow student, Jubilante Cutting, who does so much with her time, even starting her own foundation (Guyana Animation Network), I thought “….I can”,” she disclosed.
Asked how she juggles her various responsibilities, Tapp said: “To be honest, candle making is almost therapy for me, so I actually consider it a break from school work to take the time to create my candles. Still, in terms of the business aspect, my mom is a major help. Since I don’t have a physical location as yet, she does my deliveries for me and gives me advice on pricing and so forth, saving me a lot of time.”
Tapp’s mom has been integral to the business in other aspects and her daughter lauded her ‘awesomeness’. “When I was starting, she told me that it’s important that I don’t drop this half-way, and adapt to whatever situations may arise. She started a company herself, on a much larger scale, so she knew it could be quite
discouraging when you invest and it seems you’re not getting returns. But, yea, despite the fact that I have been tempted to do so (give up) on quite a few occasions – especially when I encountered problems with shipping or suppliers or financing – she has kept me motivated through it.”
Her mom also influenced Tapp to keep her candles (made of soy) all natural, since she would only purchase for herself candles made with natural ingredients.
Reflecting on her struggles, the 22-year-old said she has “learnt to see every setback as a way to find a new way of doing things”. “I learnt to use words of doubt as encouragement. To use that as motivation to people who were not supportive that I did it. Also, I realised that sometimes, persons who were reluctant to support me were doing it from a place of concern. And that sometimes the persons who asked me 20 times if I was sure it will be successful cared about me and the success of my dream 20 times more than those who just said “do it.””
“Adaptability is very important, especially for producers; if you can’t get what you want when you need it, you need to find an alternative. Persistence. And enjoying what you’re doing. Having a genuine desire to do whatever it is you set out to do, not only entrepreneurs, but in any career,” she noted in listing essential traits entrepreneurs need.
Her advice to budding entrepreneurs is: “Talk to your family and friends; a few persons, persons you care about deeply, will almost certainly express doubt, but take their advice and incorporate that doubt into your execution. Make sure you are prepared for what they are worried about. As I said, it’s not always that they mean to discourage. And do your thing. If you’re sure this is what you want to do, go for it.”
In terms of encouraging entrepreneurship, she believes “a cultural shift is required: the realisation that local can be, and is, of just as high a quality as imported and that local producers do not benefit from the economies of scale that large suppliers do, so while they may be higher priced, they are worth supporting. You’re pumping money into your own economy rather than that of India, China or the USA.”
Revealing that the response to her candles which has been slow but good is growing, Tapp said: “Two varieties of my product have sold out completely. I look forward to seeing what this year brings and to finding new ways to keep my customers happy.”
The Triumph, East Coast Demerara resident explained that she hoped to expand her product line to include Game of Thrones and Guyanese forest-scented candles and lip balms made from local wax.
Contact: https://www.facebook/wick’et/ or [email protected]. Persons can also order or buy Wick’et Scented Candles from Lit, 9 Kersaint Park, LBI, Georgetown, Guyana (https://www. facebook.com/lit.guyana/ ) or Kards Plus in the City Mall, Camp Street (https://www.facebook.com/Kards-Plus-Greeting-Cards-Gift-Centre-1452818688075590/)
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