Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyra Hill.
Hi Kyra, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
After graduating from high school, I always told myself, my family, and my best friends that I wanted to have my own business. Back then, it was just an idea and I didn’t pursue it because I was going to college to play volleyball and knew I would be super busy. My last year of college I started a job where I was an ABA Therapist working with children on the spectrum. I absolutely loved my job and being the around kids and their families but still had the idea of starting my own business one day. Whenever I went to dinner with my friends, I always talked about how working a 9-5 job was not how I saw my future. I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling so waking up early and not having the freedom to go out of town at any time was not for me. I stayed home a year after graduating and continued working before moving from Los Angeles to Houston. Once I moved to Houston, I was constantly on the go working and still adjusting to living in a new state.
Fast forward, a few months later, things finally slowed down once COVID-19 hit and I had a lot of time on my hands. I was finally able to start writing down ideas of different things that sparked my interest. One day I stopped thinking so hard about random businesses I could start and started thinking of things I really loved. I realized how much I loved candles and started looking into how to make them. If you know me, then you knew I always had a candle or wall plug-in in my room. I constantly went to different stores to purchase candles but a lot of these stores closed during the pandemic. Then I realized I could just make my own and not have to wait for these stores to reopen and I could save a lot of money. Moving forward, I started doing my research, ordering supplies, and testing. My dream of starting my own business was finally happening. I come from a family of entrepreneurs so it was bound for me to become one too. I announced my business to family and friends in August and officially launched in September.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road but with any business, there will always be struggles. I’d have to say my biggest struggle was finding the correct wick. There are websites that give you suggestions of different wicks to use but it really comes down to you testing and figuring out what works best for you. No one really knows this but there is a lot of math involved too. It is definitely a science. I am still constantly testing and trying new things with my candles. I have definitely learned a lot about being a business owner, especially after I launched. I appreciate all of the struggles because it has only made me work harder!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Key’s Home Scents?
I’ll start off with the name Key’s Home Scents. My name is Kyra (Key-ruh) but growing up, people always pronounced it wrong. I started going by “Key” as a nickname. It made it easier for teammates, coaches, and teachers to call me this since I went to school with two other girls who spell their names the same way but pronounced it differently! Everyone calls me Key so I figured Key’s Home Scents was the perfect name for my business. My candles are made from a natural soy wax, phthalate-free fragrance oils, and cotton wicks. What sets my business apart from other businesses is my clean, sleek look of the jars and labels. I am very picky and like things to look nice and neat so I put a lot of time into creating the perfect label that would look perfect in any home and in any room. I also wanted to create an affordable candle that still looked nice enough to be in luxurious homes.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
With being a new entrepreneur and just launching my business, I don’t have any lessons learned. However, during the covid-19 crisis, I researched other businesses to see what challenges they faced and customer service was the highest issue. That has been my main focus, along with retaining customers and new customers.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@keyshomescents.com
- Website: https://www.keyshomescents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keyshomescents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keyshomescents
