Palina Marachkina was looking for a side hustle. When ChatGPT told her that Bath & Body Works and a few other large retail stores owned 95% of the candle market, but that remaining 5% still represented a multi-million dollar industry, she bought a course on candle making. Then she took note that there were plenty of low-quality candles that were actually making sales on Etsy. She seized the opportunity and, with no prior experience, began experimenting with creating candles that looked and smelled like iced coffee beverages.

Through much trial and error, she perfected her craft within just a few short months, went viral on social media, and sold out her Etsy shop, LE PÉTALE. She quickly had to learn how to scale from making one candle at a time to making 100 candles at a time to keep up with demand. And she managed to do all of this on the side, while working her day job. How did she do it? Have a listen as she shares how she turned a simple side hustle into a successful brand, the challenges she faced along the way, and what it takes to stand out in the crowded handmade market.

Be sure to check out the Show Notes!

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