Cheryl Maclean - Co-founder, CCO and raver
What do you do at Candle Shack?
I am head of all things relating to customers and products and one of the co-founders of Candle Shack.
What is your favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of the job is interacting with our wonderful customers. I have seen so many of them at the beginning of their journeys and turning their hobby into amazing businesses. I love nothing more than helping others realise their dream, giving them advice and also being a sounding board when they feel like giving up.
Why did you start Candle Shack?
Candle Shack started out of a love of everything home fragrance. I always bought candles but found that most didn’t really smell. After buying supplies and testing for a very long time, the Candle Shack brand was born. We had a lot of stockists all over the country. This was all part-time as my husband Duncan was an officer in the army and I had my own beauty salon, which I loved. We also had very young children.
After a couple of years, we had quite a few companies contact us and ask if we would be interested in making their candles. Many had bought ours and loved them. We were working long hours, evenings and weekends on top of our day jobs. It was very evident something had to give. We made the decision to leave our jobs and business and move from England to Scotland over a 5-minute coffee. Crazy right?
That is how we were and still are. Candle Shack became our life. We absolutely loved it. We have worked very hard over the years and built a lovely business with amazing staff and customers.
What are you most proud of accomplishing at Candle Shack?
I am most proud of having created a business that fuels the art of craft. To me, this means helping passionate artisans compete with and take market share from the big boys of the industry. Why? Because I truly believe that the best home fragrance products are made by passionate craftspeople like you, and not mass-produced in sterile factories.
What’s your favourite thing to do outside of work?
Oh, this is difficult as there are lots of things I like to do. However, I am a mum to 2 girls, and although they are 18 and 21, they still need me. I love everything fragrance – I am obsessed. I enjoy browsing shops, boutiques and mostly any shops that are fragrance- and candle-related. I am also currently studying perfumery, something I wish I had done years ago. If I am not being a mum, you will find me at festivals with Duncan. We love trance and techno (ravers at heart). If not there, I am listening to Duncan produce dance tracks or mixing on his decks at home.