Cella Art Candles
Tsunoda Stylings is a Japan-based agency that strives to create successful, responsive websites that are fast, easy to use, and built with the best techniques. At Tsunoda Stylings, we search for new and experienced small business owners looking to promote their businesses without breaking the bank!
We partnered with the African American Chamber of Commerce Cincinnati Chapter for a one-month social media giveaway. Please meet one of the four winners Francine, the CEO, and founder of Cella Art Candles! She has won the business logo redesign and media kit package, and we are excited to show off the new designs we created for her. Read below to learn more about her and what she plans to accomplish with the hand-crafted soy wax candle business and her new social media designs designed by Tsunoda Stylings.
Jasmine: Tell me a little about your background. How did you come up with the name of your company?
Francine: I’m Francine Donaldson. Growing up as a child, a family friend in my town called me Francella and sometimes just Cella, and today I still bear that name. I love to be always occupied with something because I get bored easily, and that’s one reason why Cella was born.
Jasmine: When and how did you start your business? What is unique about your company?
Francine: I started the business in 2015 but launched it in October 2018. I am the sole creator of these beautiful hand-poured, 100% soy candles, and yes, I created them in my tiny apartment. I used the name Cella because that is the part of me that I have kept since my childhood, and it’s like the best part of me that I could possibly share with the world through candle creations.
I pour lots of love and positive energy into each and every Cella Art candle I make, so they are unique. It's not just a candle; it's a light of true healing. My life's trajectory changed drastically because of the smell of candles, and I'd like anyone needing to see clearly the path they need to take to do so in a calm state of mind and in a place that is lit up clearly.
Jasmine: How and where are they made? What services or products do you offer?
Francine: I always come up with some ideas, and I found that no matter how crazy an idea for creating and providing something sounds, I will give it a try. The label and logo ideas were first created on my smartphone and later enhanced.
Besides creating candles, I am a full-time educator and YouTube content creator.
View Channel Here
Jasmine: Why did you decide to become a business owner?
Francine: Candles kind of chose me, and besides that, I'm from a business background. My mom and dad have never worked for anyone in their lifetime. They've always had their own businesses. It's second nature for me, and I'm also a graduate of the University of Technology Jamaica with a Degree majoring in Marketing and a minor in Human Resource Management.
Jasmine: What is your mission/company saying? How did you come up with that?
Francine: Candles that are so ‘LITT’ is the slogan because they are pretty cool and fun in an artsy way, some with nice “ sayings“ on the labels that will make you smile. These sayings are designed to add value to your life and help to exercise your jawline when you burst out a laugh or to bring you back to the present the same way affirmations do.
Each candle has the fragrance stated on the jar coupled with a saying. The saying on the labels is something I came up with that I feel might make you happy when you say it out loud.
Jasmine: What products/services would you like to add in the future?
Francine: I'm still thinking, but it would definitely be products that add value to a person's life and renew their mind or fill a basic need.
Jasmine: What’s the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you in regard to your business? and What advice would you give to anyone who wanted to start their own business?
Francine: I can honestly say through it all, the best advice I’ve taken heed to is never stop and keep going, meaning there may be other competitors, but you still proceed with your goal. When you walk into a store, down the chip aisle, there are lay’s, Grippo's, Tostitos, etc., but that doesn’t stop those companies from putting out because there’s another brand to the left or the right of them.
Jasmine: What advice would you give to anyone who wanted to start their own business?
Francine: Go for it! Don’t think; just do it.
Jasmine: How did you find out about Tsunoda Stylings?
Francine: I saw a social media giveaway post in Black Women in Japan group on Facebook.
Jasmine: Does your business give back to your community/charities?
Francine: Cella Art candles have sponsored gift items for events such as The Jamaican Charity Gala held at Tokyo American Club, Autumn and Artsy Brand Networking Festa held in Shibuya and a party hosted by Jahjastarz.
Jasmine: What are your goals for 2022?
Francine: My goal is to meditate more and get relaxed to take on my five-year business plan.
Jasmine: Any closing remarks you would like to give to our readers?
Francine: In the words of my idol and the greatest shooting guard with a 20-year career and 5 rings in the game of basketball Kobe Bean Bryant: "The projects we wanna spend time on are not the ones that when we look at them, we can say I can do this. But it's the ones that make you say to yourself I don't know if I can animate that; I don't know how to write that story. I don't know how to do that! Those are the projects we wanna take on because, through that curiosity, you'll reach a level that you didn't think was possible."
Making candles or having networking events; that's what I'm doing. These projects are the most challenging things in my life at the moment, but with the right level of consistency is what is making the path easier to trod. I am forever consistent with my passion. You should be too. GO FOR IT!