Katie’s Candles & Co: Katie McArthur transforms hobby into thriving Warwick business

It’s taken a young Warwick businesswoman only months to turn a creative pastime into a successful venture, and she says she has even bigger plans to come.

What started out as a hobby making gifts for her family and friends has turned into a thriving small business for one Warwick entrepreneur.

Katie McArthur said she began making candles in her spare time for loved ones, gifting them as presents on special occasions.

“I got too excited and started making more than what was needed and someone gave me the idea of advertising for the Warwick community,” she said.

This hobby transformed into a small business in July after Miss McArthur kickstarted the new venture with a focus on hand-poured candles using Australian products.

Katie McArthur started her own candle business called Katie's Candles & Co. Photo: Contributed

“It was kind of crazy how well things kicked off right from the start, I wasn’t expecting it to be such a hit so quickly. I had 100 followers on Instagram before I even started advertising them,” she said.

While conceding she was not a “creative person” at school, Miss McArthur said she had put a lot of energy and effort into producing a successful product.

“I am just proud of myself for getting this far, and taking the big leap of actually starting the business, that can sometimes be the hardest part,” she said.

Katie McArthur started her own candle business called Katie's Candles & Co. Photo: Contributed

Miss McArthur said one of the most difficult challenges along the way was perfecting her technique.

“My only small challenge was learning to get measurements and temperatures correct for the fragrance and wax. It involved a lot of trial and error,” she said.

Starting the business during Covid may have been daunting for some, but Miss McArthur thinks it was a blessing in disguise.

“(Covid) could have possibly benefited me as people have the time to be on Instagram and Facebook and find small business pages such as mine,” she said.

“I hope to achieve a business that is known for their brilliant customer service, and amazing products that is spoken about all over town, and I think I am already on the right path for that.”

Originally published as Katie’s Candles & Co: Katie McArthur transforms hobby into thriving Warwick business