Today, March 1, is a very special day. IT'S OUR FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! We are beyond thrilled to have our one year anniversary celebration and it is all credited to the support of you! This year has been a great learning journey and an opportunity to meet tons of amazing people, even during a pandemic. I could almost say, it's because the pandemic and one hell of a year to remember (2020 anyone?) that we are here and so proud.
We have been able to pass love and joy into every home a multifaceted candle is placed in. There is a lot of pride & joy poured into every item that we make and we hope that you have been able to feel that over the past year.
Let's take a trip down memory lane shall we? So what has happened over the past year for multifaceted™? I will try and hit the highlights below:
February 2020: the multifaceted brand name began trademark and LLC process. Certain aspects of this were a major learning curve. The trademark application was actually denied because I was not clear enough on what this business was and honestly, neither was I. I know I wanted it to be handcrafted home decor with a bohemian theme and flowers. Now what that mean, I wasn't sure. But with patience and guidance from God, I was able to build on the very small thought that I had in building out a candle line. I originally wanted multifaceted to be a floral company that also sold candles to asset the flowers along with an accent line of bohemian home decor.
March 2020: I officially launched the handmade accent decor line on etsy! This was a proud moment. I hand selected every piece of the bohemian wall hangings that I created. The loops were mostly thrifted from a local art supply store with second hand goods and hand painted by me. I roamed the aisles of the fabric stores for hours to get the perfect blend of fabrics to build out the wall hangings and achieve the look I was going for. To this day, I have only sold one. They are still something I enjoy to sale on etsy but have not gotten a lot of energy applied to them. They will find their new homes in due time!
April 2020: Here is where I decided to add wreaths as a home accent option to go along with the wall hangings. I handcrafted each individual wreath with fabric, paint and flowers to build out gorgeous door wreaths to welcome your guest to your home. Again, I am very proud of the work & quality put into them but I only sold one. They, too, will find their new homes in due time!
May 2020: So this is the month multifaceted™ started gaining attention. In May, we launched our candle line! I was so nervous to see how people would respond to flower top candles but it was a HIT!!! And we haven't turned back since then. Our original four flower tops allowed me the opportunity to blend my passion for florals and home decor together and invite people to have a unique candle experience. After MONTHS of testing, we finally got the formula right with unique, one of a kind scents and a quality premium product that also worked towards helping the environment vs harming it. We also sent PR brand packages to influencers and that really helped kick start us with the line!
June 2020: As a Black American, June 2020 was a tough month. This was the month of protest and unrest following the passing of George Floyd. I, like many Americans, was heartbroken and needed to find a creative way to express myself with these emotions. I decided one day to create a candle to contributed to my culture and celebrated all the emotions, the heartache, the joy, the struggles and the preservenace. I simply named this candle, black. It is still one of my favorite creations and I also continue to sale it to celebrate my culture and community. This candle has now evolved to be named Black Lives Matter with a slightly updated masculine scent.
July 2020: This was the month we really started to take off! Multifaceted™ was shared in an article in a local Greensboro newspaper and began to receive major local attention. At this time, I had also started working with LaunchGSO, a local small business program. The combination of the two began to heavily influence growth with the brand. I sold out of the stock I had in less than two weeks and was completely overwhelmed. Totally was NOT expecting that but I completely welcome it. July was a great month. This was the exposure I needed because I was hiding behind the brand so much. I needed to be in front of it as a person to let people know the person behind it all. And that strategy has been working for me every since.
August 2020: Attention continued to flow to our brand from the local exposure. It was great, even though I didn't have inventory. I decided to up my creativity even more and figure out another way to add more differentiation to a candle. Summer was quickly coming to an end and many people, like me, were not able to travel as a normal summer due to Covid. I decided to make a really pretty, unique candle that smells like vacation spots. So our succulent candles were born! Each one had a unique color scheme and scent assorted with them. Our supporters were able to select from a trip to wrightsville beach (my personal favorite local beach) or bask in a covid summer. Both were reminiscent of beaches and tropical adult beverages.
September 2020: We had several supporters ask if we would make seasonal scents for the holidays and I honestly wasn't sure. I originally felt that every candle maker would seasonal scents so why should multifaceted™? Boy was I wrong. I decided, why not try it out? I came up with three exclusive scents that you can't just get anywhere for the season. Those three scents were the biggest hits to this day and will back again this fall! The scents, in case you are new here, were Fall, Old Fashioned and Sweet Potato Pie. So good and perfect for the fall weather & holidays.
October 2020: We hit over 100 sales online! It was a joyful occasion, especially during a pandemic. I still to this day can't believe I am building a brand during a major pandemic that no one has ever witnessed before. Wow, what a blessing! In October, we also released a special edition candle that I called, queen. It has multiple reasons for being titled queen: to celebrate women, have a non-traditional play on breast cancer awareness and to also launch a candle during my mother's birthday month. I actually wanted to launch it on her birthday but I didn't have it perfected in time. This scent is still in the line and continues to celebrate women every day!
November 2020: This was the best month of sales for our first year! We introduced the Christmas scents for the line and also celebrated my birthday! It was a fun opportunity to show our supporters the face behind the brand and add a little more fun personality to our aesthetic. The fast approaching Christmas season brought along our four scents: bohemian Christmas, Sleigh Ride, Candy Cane and Gingerbread. It's still hard to say which one was the best seller. We were awarded the opportunity to test out these candles at Randy McManus Designs in Greensboro! This came about with the amazing support of my mentor. She has been such a blessing to this brand and to me as a human being. At this location, we have been able to test our wholesale strategy and perfect how to display the products to attract our consumer. Again, major blessings y'all.
December 2020: With Christmas came lots of orders with almost daily trips to the post office or local deliveries in the area. It was great! I was so happy that people were gifting multifaceted™ to their loved ones! So good. We also introduced more seasonal scents to allow folks to make the best of being at home during a pandemic. We introduced Winter, Hazelnut Coffee and Sweater Weather. Each one is unique and brings a different flair to the coziness of being at home during the colder season. We also added candle care accessories to inform people on how to keep their candles and the air in their home healthy! It has been a great addition to the line that will definitely be around forever.
January 2021: I brought in the new year alone at home with my dog and working on multifaceted™ spreadsheets. By far nothing I would have imagined or hoped for but you take the good with the bad and keep on pushing. I decided to keep myself busy and not dwell in the fact that this was not a traditional new year celebration. I, like others, am always with friends and family to bring in the new year but that has been challenged due to Covid. With that, I decided to introduce a seasonal candle titled 'Brighter Days Are Ahead.' This was created with a specially designed artwork (by myself) to encourage people to keep their head up and stay positive during this new year.
February 2021: We started doing candle making classes! This was actually a plan for the third phase of our business strategy but the opportunity fell in our lap and we took it! Our first class was with AR Workshops and it was a blast! We have been booked every two weekends with classes every since! It has been great and such a blessing. The joy on people's faces when we are gathered together, responsibly of course, has been unmatched. I can't wait to see what this evolves to! More classes are in the works with a growing opportunity to have in home classes for nights in! Stay tuned.
March 2021: We are gearing up for year two after closing out one hell of a year one. We surpassed all of our goals and the opportunities continue to flow to us. It has been nothing short of a blessing.
I can't believe the amount of support and positivity I am getting from this brand that I am building from my home, during a pandemic. I am beyond grateful that I am able to put a smile on people's faces and show up in their homes in a positive way. It is a huge joy. I thank you. I pray that you continue to ride along on this journey into year two of multifaceted™. It's going to be one hell of an amazing ride : )
Remember life is short, burn the candles.
Be good,
Christina Degreaffenreidt