Lyn Gilbert

Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your business?

My name is Lyn, the founder and creator of tulA candles and scents. tulA is derived from Sanskrit meaning ‘balance’.

The tulA collection is made using the purest of essential oils, capturing the vital power of the plant essence. All candles are hand poured in small batches using plant based wax from our Holywood studio. Environmentally conscious, vegan and cruelty free.

What inspired you to start your own business? 

Whilst on Furlough during the first lockdown in 2020 I kept myself busy learning how to make different products and discovered I really loved candle making and discovered that most candles contain synthetics and paraffin so I decided to try and create a candle using just plant based wax and essential oils, nothing more and tulA was born.

Can you tell us about a typical day in your business? 

My day starts with morning yoga, either at home or an early morning class. I love to start my day this way, it has such a positive impact on the rest of my day, it is the one constant every day and then after that everyday is different.

Days vary depending on my order demands. Some days are full on production days making stock or it could be spent preparing orders for either my lovely retailers or my on line customers. Then I have delivery and admin days also, so my workload is very changeable.

What do you love about what you do? 

The diversity of my business and all the lovely people I have met.

What do you find most challenging? 

Probably doing everything myself, I am a one person business and sometimes that can be a challenge.

Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 years? 

I would like tulA to be a recognisable brand that people can identify with and know that the brand carries authenticity and is a brand they know and trust.

What do you wish you had known when you started your business? 

Thats a very good question! at this present time I would say I wish I had known just how busy I was going to be ha ha, But seriously, I would probably say to make sure you are organised and try to plan ahead as much as you can as being so busy can be overwhelming if you are not organised.

What do you enjoy outside your business? 

I am very much a family person and love to spend time together with them. I also love yoga and enjoy attending class as often as my schedule allows.

Our theme this year for Womenfolk is Balance - how do you bring balance to your life? Any advice for other creative business owners? 

I believe it is very important to find balance in life if you can, in fact tulA is a word derived from Sanskrit which means BALANCE which was the inspiration behind the creation of my first candle collection. I would recommend carving out some ‘Me Time’ we all need to switch off and allow ourselves to slow down, find something you really enjoy like, taking a walk, going for a run, watch a movie or take a long slow bath, whatever it is that gives you some joy try and find time to do that.

Where can people find out more about your business? 

I am on the following platforms

Instagram @tula_scents

Facebook @TulA_scents

Website www.tulascents.com