I started Three Trees Candle Co. in 2023. At the time I was - and still am - a full-time secondary school maths teacher. Most people's reaction when I tell them that is some version of "how?" and the honest answer is that I'm still working it out.
But I've learned a few things along the way that feel worth saying out loud.
It will take longer than you think. That's fine.
Everything takes longer when you're building something in the margins of an already full life. A product launch that might take a dedicated business owner a week takes me a month. A website update happens on a Sunday afternoon when there's nothing more urgent to do. You learn to make peace with the pace, or you drive yourself mad.
The business grows slowly and steadily, which as it turns out is a perfectly good way to grow.
You have to protect your energy, not just your time
Teaching takes a specific kind of energy - the kind that involves being switched on, present, and responsive for six or seven hours straight. Coming home and immediately pivoting to candle admin is possible, but it's not always wise.
I've got better at reading when I have capacity to do creative work after school, and when I just need to stop. A business that costs you your health or your enjoyment of the job that pays the bills isn't a successful business, whatever the numbers say.
The skills overlap more than you'd expect
Planning, explaining things clearly, staying calm when things don't go to plan - these are all teaching skills, and they're all useful in running a small business. I built my own website, taught myself SEO, learned photography and product styling from scratch. None of it came naturally at first, but the habit of learning new things is something teaching gives you in abundance.
The hard days are worth it
There are craft fairs that are quiet and long. There are evenings spent on admin when you'd rather be doing almost anything else. There are moments when the whole thing feels like a lot of effort for uncertain reward.
And then someone messages to say a candle you made is burning on their desk every morning, or a customer comes back for a third order because they've worked their way through the range, and it reminds you why you started.
Three Trees exists because making something with your hands and putting it out into the world turns out to be genuinely good for the soul. The teaching hasn't changed that. If anything, it's kept it in perspective.
Browse the full Three Trees collection - made in small batches, in a home studio, around a full-time job.
Are you running a small business alongside something else? We'd love to hear how you make it work in the comments.