In 2006 Nicole Eckels couldn’t quite find the right candle at David Jones, fast forward 12 years and the entrepreneur is now raking in $50 million a year, from candles.
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With no knowledge of the industry, and only armed with burning desire to succeed Ms Eckels founded Glasshouse Candles, and is coming to Tamworth to share her story at the inaugural Tamworth Regional Business Summit on February 20-21.
“I have had an incredible 12 year journey of ups and downs, and blood sweat and tears,” she said.
“There are a lot of different aspects to what I have achieved, and I hope by coming to Tamworth and telling my story I can inspire and motivate others to keep forging ahead.”
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While Ms Eckels admits that hard work, long hours and persistence are key ingredients to the success of any business, having a plan, understanding the market and targeting customers are equally as important.
“You have to have the right strategy to begin with, otherwise you are going to waste a lot of time and money,” she said.
That is why the candle mogul can see so much value in the Tamworth summit, not just this year but into the future.
“I am not a fan of hiring consulting firms – if they are so good at it then why aren’t they successfully running their own business,” she said.
“It is important that people focus on the specific things that they know how to do, and ask the right people the right questions.
“In a place like Tamworth having the right network is critical, you might not listen to everything everyone says, but you can always pick up great pieces of information and advice – the summit will be a great place to meet other people in business and start piecing your own plan together.”
The two day summit is an initiative of the Tamworth Business Chamber and Joblink Plus and aims “to be so much more than a traditional business forum” with big name speakers like CEO of Jobs for NSW Nicole Cook and plenty of others joining Ms Eckels as guest speakers.
Workshops will include social media and marketing, employment law, workplace inclusion and diversity, health and safety, mental health and cyber fraud.
Tickets to the summit to be held at Wests Diggers are available from the Tamworth Business Chamber starting from $175 for a day pass, through to the $250 two day Gold Pass