Kristen Pumphrey & Thomas Neuberger are the co-owners of California-based fragrance brand, P.F. Candle Co. and authors of “At Home with Fragrance.” 

Now a 63-person company, P.F. Candle Co. started as a one-woman Etsy shop in 2008 out of Kristen’s second bedroom. As fragrance experts, Kristen and Tom have scaled the business over the course of several years on their own with no formal business degree - DIY is at the core of everything they do. 

Today, products are sold in thousands of stores worldwide and their two brick and mortar stores in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Despite the company’s growth, P.F. Candle Co. still proudly makes their products in-house, pouring up to 3,500 candles a day all while modernizing the craft of candle making.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:45] Intro
• [01:32] From job loss to a creative business venture
• [02:45] Starting and finding success on Etsy
• [04:23] Switching platforms for cost savings
• [05:33] Scaling beyond Etsy artisan qualifications
• [06:10] Figuring out what’s worth the purchase cost
• [07:12] Outgrowing Squarespace’s limited customization
• [07:44] Leveraging social media to drive website traffic
• [09:15] Gaining online traction via retail partnerships
• [09:59] Episode sponsors
• [13:11] Managing sales mix changes during pandemic
• [13:56] A pro tip for women in business
• [14:58] From self-management to leading teams
• [16:49] Setting yourself apart to create business value
• [17:51] Finding motivation from team successes and growth
• [18:40] Preparing for competitive Ecommerce sales
• [20:20] Planning inventory for Black Friday, Cyber Monday
• [21:45] Evolving strategies from $1 million to $10 million
• [23:26] Prioritizing meaningful work over numbers
• [25:04] Face business challenges with creative fulfillment
• [26:09] Defining future goals for products and company
• [27:13] Get your scented soy candles at P.F. Candle Co.

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Follow Kristen Pumphrey linkedin.com/in/kristenpumphrey/
• Follow Thomas Neuberger linkedin.com/in/thomas-neuberger-6180b5113/
• Book a demo today at intelligems.io/
• Done-for-you conversion rate optimization service storetester.com/

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