2Inspire Business Profile: Kay Francis of Francis London

In this business profile we feature Kay Francis, the Founder of  Francis London, a line of luxury candle products which is making waves across the UK and is one of the businesses that will be exhibiting at the ladies day in June.

Kay Francis

A typical day for Francis London is sorting through online orders and organising shipment. 

We also work on new marketing strategies to promote our brand and forge good partnerships. 

I started this company after going natural with my hair, then to mainly purchasing organic food. I wanted to only use products that were natural without losing the luxury. I learnt how to make candles and found there were natural sources that could be used as wax. I visited various perfumeries to learn about scents and from there I began making candles at home and sold them at the local market. The public response went well so from there I began to think about packaging and branding and this has bought us to where we are now. 

My biggest accomplishment so far is doing my first exhibition in earls court.

My biggest challenge is learning how to deal with the negativity of competitors.  We have recently started so out plan is to develop our range 

If I could do it over I would have made mass orders as ordering in small quantities wasn't cost effective and a lot of money was wasted as a result. 

We have received excellent feedback about our scents and packaging. One customer has asked us to do her wedding. 

Enough young women aren't being told to take more risks in terms of business. Despite their best intentions sometimes out parents weigh heavy on is following the safe path in employment. 

Be sure about what you want to produce from the start as changes can be quite pricey. 

I am inspired by friends and other local brands I have seen develop and I always remember "Build your dreams or someone will hire you to build theirs". 

Kay Francis 
@FrancisLondonUK