The sense of smell evokes a lot of emotions. A whiff of perfume can bring back memories and trigger feelings. That is where the success of Halina Candle Studio, a rising business born during the pandemic, relied heavily on – the power of scents. It brought back memories of better times to consumers at the height of strict lockdowns.
Who would have thought that Kyla Paler, a former TV network publicity specialist, who reluctantly bought a small batch of candle-making materials in 2020 is now the CEO of a competitive brand? For someone who was initially clueless about business, she has amazingly grown her passion project in such a short time. “I didn’t,” Kyla replied when asked if she had a business precedent in the family to take after. “That is why it never occurred to me that I will be a full-time entrepreneur. I always tell people I started and ended 2020 as two completely different people.”
How it happened
Kyla and her mom, who goes beyond giving her moral support and helps out with logistics on weekends, have always been into fine-smelling things. Their home, the entrepreneur said, never runs out of incense and perfume. When she dabbled in candle-making to keep herself busy during the lockdown, her love language of giving gifts proved beneficial. She gave her limited supply of finished products as gifts to friends and things have since snowballed from that. Requests for Kyla to sell the candles led Halina to where it is now. The brand name could not be more perfect for how enchanting the scented candles must be.
The brand name Halina randomly popped up in one of Kyla’s conversations with her best friend. “When you say Halina in Filipino, it means to be fascinated or it also means, halika or come on,” Kyla shared and went on to explain how the intentional wordplay became the basis for her brand identity. She wanted Halina to be welcoming and unintimidating.
The smell of success
Through the years, we have often been told to “do more of what we love.” Kyla did exactly that and surprisingly gave birth to something beautiful. Her hand-poured candles made out of premium ingredients and encased in eco-friendly packaging now reach more homes and warm more hearts. “I still think of this as a community more than a business,” Kyla indirectly talked about how she stays grounded.
A self-confessed introvert, Kyla is learning to come out of her shell and enjoys nurturing and fostering a community of like-minded people. Her personal business mission of making people happy is very much aligned with the pass-on rate of happiness Halina is currently enjoying. “When you smell a scent that you like, it instantly uplifts your mood,” Kyla giddily said. “You get to share this feeling with friends. A lot of Halina customers give the products as gifts to friends. Their friends eventually become my friends, too!” Laughter ensued.
Having recently launched two new candle variants, Kyla is now working on a new line. “I’ve started working on a holiday collection and a few other fun candles on the side because Christmas here starts on September 1,” she excitedly shared. Her candle collections are consistent in having interesting themes that speak of faith, hope, and self-love. Some offer a bit of nostalgia with pop culture references. Among the numerous scents though, Kyla recommends Wishing Star for starters, an accidental blend with notes of black cherry, amber, and light musk that turned out to be a pleasant citrus surprise.
The business is indeed full of surprises. Kyla, herself, is inspired by personal stories from her patrons that emerge through time. One she cannot forget was how customers unpacked deep-seated memories of their dad. “She purchased a candle from us blindly and told me that she and her sister cried when they first sniffed it. They were so grateful; they never thought they’d be able to smell him again,” Kyla shared.
The satisfied business owner also added, “There was also a time before, I released paghilom (healing) and it had the message on the label, ‘muling susubok’ (will try again). There was this girl who told me that she cried upon seeing it.” Apparently, the lady customer failed the bar exams the previous year and was feeling hopeless until she read the message. “When she saw it, she was reminded to keep going,” Kyla ended.
That is what Kyla also hopes to impart to aspiring and budding entrepreneurs. She summed up her advice with three points, “First would be to just start. It’s so scary to put yourself out there, but just make do with what you have, do your research, and create something you are proud of. Two, don’t be blinded by the success of others. It’s so easy to get lost in envy or the spirit of competition, but remember to stay in your lane and stay true to your brand. Inspiration is good; imitation is not. And three, don’t let the pressure of succeeding take the fun of your passion away from you. To this day, I still make candles that are just for me. There are certain scents that are made because I love them, not because someone asked me to make them. There will be days when the business side of it all will get too heavy and overwhelming. On these days, take a step back and remember why you started.”
Kyla’s journey is inspiring proof of endless possibilities when you show up and put in the work. Halina invites us to light up our dreams and keep our passions burning.
Learn more about Halina: The Candle Studio’s success story by eavesdropping on The ReWINEd Podcast by Jimpy Anarcon on Spotify, Apple, and other digital streaming platforms. You may also visit halinacandlestudio.com.
For your random thoughts, e-mail the author at randomrepublika@gmail.com.