Meet Krystal Burhenne | Team Leader & Candle Obsessed Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Krystal Burhenne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Krystal, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
This business is my side hustle. I have worked in my current full time job field for 8 years. I work in pharmaceutical benefits management and lead teams who make an impact on lives everyday by ensuring members’ medications are received. It is a complex and highly strategic field of work. However, I graduated with a BA in Marketing Communication but then life took me elsewhere. I have never been able to express my creative side in my career. When my husband and I decided to start Luxe Candle & Bath Co. in 2018 it gave us a chance to break out of the 9-5 work week and be creative. We started this company from nothing and it has grown more than double in the last year.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think that our ingredients really sets us apart. We use a luxury blend of mainly coconut oils with a small amount of soy wax, which makes the candles have a stronger scent throw. The fragrance industry is not highly regulated and can contain harmful chemicals. We use cleaner made oils that are phthalate free. We also source modern and upscale vessels for our candles to match the aesthetic in our customers’ homes. Each vessel can be upscaled or recycled. In addition, we sell clean based ingredient bath products made by woman owned businesses as add-on’s because who doesn’t love to be pampered??

Last year COVID made us realize we needed to re-think our current sourcing strategy. Wax and materials were sold out everywhere due to low supply and high demand. There were times when we thought we wouldn’t have wax and would have to shut down temporarily. In order to stay ahead, we bought supplies in large amounts. Since money went to supplies then other important stuff like investing in marketing and branding had to be put on the back burner. We have learned that for 2021, we need to source our own material for ourselves and buy in bulk. This will help keep us well supplied, offer even better products designed by us and keep prices fair.

I am most excited seeing the progression of our business and how our products have changed as we have become more experienced. We are always innovating and planning ahead and also looking to invest this year in custom packaging.

We want our brand to be discovered that anyone can have luxury candles in their home at affordable prices. Our candles burn well and can be smelled throughout your home. Our brand is also about sustainability and reducing waste–less plastic and less unnatural chemicals.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some of our favorite spots in the city are located in near southside district as it is comprised of local art, restaurants and small businesses. It is a great area to walk around and explore. We love good outdoor seating areas like at the Bearded Lady or delicious pizza and frose’s from Cane Rosso!

I also love to head out to University Park area near the zoo and the restaurant spots along the Trinity River like Woodshed Smokehouse for live music and BBQ. Fort Worth has beautiful museums such as the Modern Art Museum. There is a lot to do and could not be done in one day! The people in Fort Worth are so friendly and laid back. It is also easy to get around for newbies like us when we first moved here a few years ago.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Mike really deserves a lot of credit! He came home one day and proposed this business idea as a way to start having multiple income streams when we were saving aggressively for the down payment on our house. I remember we had a meeting in our living room throwing out our visions and then just decided to go for it. He has always encouraged me to challenge myself, take an extra leap and helped me be more confident. We balance each out out well because we do not always agree on what might be our next best move for the business, but we always come together to an agreement. I think these decisions have made our company even better!

We didn’t know if our business would even succeed or if we would even get 1 customer. It has since turned into a passion of mine.

Website: www.luxecandlebath.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/luxecandlebathco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Luxe-Candle-Bath-Co-110255590358342/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Image Credits
Headshot photos by Amber Tice Photography