Meet Zekilah Carter | Candle Maker

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

Hi Zekilah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I came up with the idea to begin my own business during the initial lockdown of the pandemic. I was just let go of my job and became depressed. I sat down with myself and decided that I was the only one who could change my fate, my mindset. That day I vowed to honor myself and put up a fight against my depression. I chose candles as a way to let my light shine.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am currently in my senior year of college at The University of South Carolina, that alone sets me apart from other candle makers in my area. Most events I go to I am the youngest vendor. I have made so many valuable connections, that I never imagined possible. I am most excited about expanding my business and teaching classes in my area and possible for travel. I got to this level with my business by talking to people and marketing myself, business aside. The process is definitely not easy and I am not exactly where I want to be, there has been many times that I wanted to quit, or I thought I was not worthy of success just because it wasn’t happening as fast as I hoped. When that happens I just take a mental break gather my thoughts and access the areas that would improve my business. I want the world to know that I am doing this to create generational wealth that I did not have growing up, I hope to explore other avenues of business with my life’s morals.

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.
I would take them to an outside market with local business and great food. On a Saturday I would visit my favorite market Soda City, we would grab food from multiple food trucks and experience a little bit from each culture. Next on the list is seeing live music at Main Course downtown.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shout out my boyfriend for his words of encouragement and telling me that anything I desired with my business was possible with drive.

Website: https://www.carterscandles.shop/

Instagram: Www.instagram.com/carters.candles

Linkedin: Zekilah Carter

Youtube: https://YouTube.com/channel/UCMBrCFMU3faJVc7TykaPSA