MANY an entrepreneur would be quick to glibly remark that the motivation behind his venture lies in “his love for the activity”. However, when candle sculptor Ravin Singh says that his passion for his craft is what drives him, it comes across as more sincere, particularly since he has persisted in the face of multiple travails.

The 19-year-old Bishops High alum says he first heard of candle sculpting from his mother some six years ago. She was a classmate of Bravo Arts founder, and sometimes candle sculptor, Steve Douglas. As a result of academic commitments, however, Singh did not take up the craft until last year, having found himself with time to spare after he had completed his CAPE examinations.
“I started playing with ideas in June (of last year), and making actual candles in July (of that year),” Singh told the Guyana Chronicle.
Speaking of his investment, the sculptor pointed out that he did not need a lot of capital, because his operations are based at home. He stated that he invested his personal savings, while his mother assisted him with the fixed capital items, such as “cooking pots to melt the wax.” His supplies, he said, are ordered Online, while some – such as the coloured sand – can be obtained locally.
Singh explained that his operating costs are somewhat subsidized, as his mother and aunt let him use the cooking gas in their kitchens for free. But he hastened to add: “Out of my own conscience, I will pay them (because)… I will be making a lot (of candles).”
The teen explained that he is largely self-taught, having looked at videos to learn the “basics” of candle-making. He insists, however, that his candle designs are original, and that he “continuously experiments”. His signature line of candles appears to be the sand-textured ones.

“I have never seen these (sand-textured candles) before,” he asserted, adding: “The idea just popped….I bought the sand, and I was like, ‘What to do with it?’ Should I let the sand form a base and stick the candle in? And I eventually decided to cover the candles with it.”

His first order, he said, came from a high school friend who purchased his candles as a birthday gift for an acquaintance. According to Singh, currently a first year International Relations student at the University of Guyana, production since then has been “up and down” as a result of time constraints. He said that demand, meanwhile, has been “occasional”.

“I have deliberately not been working on promotion, because I wouldn’t have been able to handle production and distribution,” Singh explained.

However, now that he has “settled” into his UG routine, Singh said, he has taken to more actively promoting his business by reactivating his enterprise’s Facebook page, and making preparations to exhibit his creations at GuyExpo this year.

Pointing out that GuyExpo presents a valuable marketing opportunity as “people from all walks of life, every region” flock the event, the entrepreneur indicated that his participation in the exposition is a joint effort between himself and craftswoman Jenelle Pierre.

“We (Jenelle and I) are two small businesses (and) I won’t be displaying a hundred candles, so why not share a booth?” the precociously business savvy Singh said, as he explained why he proposed the collaboration to Pierre.

Quizzed by this publication as to how he would be able to cope with a possible upsurge in demand resulting from his participation in the annual exposition, Singh, who seems to have thought through every possible contingency, quickly noted that after finding someone who would stand as a guarantor, he would procure a loan from an institution which specializes in small business financing.

“As a businessperson, you always have to think expansion,” he asserted, adding that since a possible large order would require a substantial investment, he “wouldn’t wanna borrow all that money from family”, even as he stressed that he does not like “mixing business with family”.

And what of the returns he makes from the venture? According to Singh, the profit margin is very small as, after spending three days making a candle, he only earns a $500 profit on it, when all operating expenses are taken into account.

He conceded that his mother has told him that his venture does not pay him for his time, as he could be doing something else and earning more. In addition to the low profit margin on a finished candle, Singh revealed, the venture is also a risky one, as “every error I make (while sculpting a candle), every mistake is a loss.”

The craftsman mentioned, too, that he gets burnt with wax every time he makes a candle.

Asked what his advice to young entrepreneurs in the arts and crafts would be, Singh said: “The motive would be the deciding factor as to what you want to do. If you want to make a quick buck, then candle making is not the area. For me, candle making is recreational with a money-making aspect.

“I do this for the love of it,” he concluded.