Joelle Manique: Cashing-in on a hobby

No party or celebration is successful without a cosy atmosphere. Decorative and scented candles answer that imperative. Be it for a wedding, birthday, baptism, Divali, or Christmas celebrations, Joelle Manique offers a wide range of scented candles for all occasions. She tells News on Sunday how she turned a hobby into a successful business.

Joelle Manique knew that she wanted to start a niche business which was unique, but she also wanted to provide a product for which there is an increasing demand. “Candles are nowadays considered a must to decorate tables, floors or even gardens,” she tells us. Despite her lack of formal training in candle-making, Joelle took a leap of faith into the candle making business in 2006.

However, she would not start it alone, her daughter who was aged 13 at that time was also part of the adventure. In fact, the idea came from her daughter. “She is very active in a religious group which brings together youngsters. In this group, they have the opportunity to learn recipes, sewing and also, make decorative candles.”

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During school holidays, her daughter was fully committed to the job. “For her, it was like a hobby and I was helping her with the decoration. However, she stopped whenever classes would resume,” narrates Joelle. After some time, she thought of doing it in a more professional manner. Subsequently, she started making small moulds. According to Joelle, the business started growing. Today, she is the proud owner of Joelle Candles.

One of her most important customers is at the Caudan Waterfront to whom she delivers around 1,000 decorative candles every two months. “I also have contacts in Reunion who come twice a year to buy about 3,000 candles. In addition, I receive orders from hotels,” states Joelle Manique. To develop her customer network, Joelle received the help of the National Women Entrepreneur Council. She has also followed a course on packaging at the Small and Medium Entreprise Development Authority (SMEDA) and participated in various fairs.

Joelle attributes her success to her family, especially her husband and three children who have given her valuable support. “In fact, my husband is responsible for the purchase of raw materials while my daughter is responsible for customers’ orders and manages an account on Facebook to promote my candles,” she says.

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The constraints abound in her field, she has to get up at 5 am every day. During festive periods such as Divali and Christmas, when the demand is high, she has to work until 2 am. As far as prices are concerned, the range is from Rs 5 to Rs 1,500. According to her, the little floating candles are the most popular.

For this year, Joelle says that she will focus more on making candles for weddings and First Communions while paying special attention to the price. “Usually, a candle used for this purpose would fetch around Rs 350, which is pretty expensive. Therefore, I make candles tailored to the budget of low-income families. A candle for the First Communion would thus cost around Rs 75,” she says.

Joelle Manique is a humble entrepreneur, who did not let her lack of academic qualifications deter her from achieving her goals. “First of all, we must have a will. I think all women have an innate talent. They must be able to use this talent, especially housewives,” she says. Joelle believes that women should take advantage of free courses offered by different organisations to start their business. “If you think you can, you will,” she says.