Kerrin Piche Serna on Motivation, Perfecting Her Process and Saying "Yes" to Customer Feedback

The quirky prayer candles created by California's Kerrin Piche Serna are, in her Etsy tagline's words, "False Idols for Real Worship." Tapping into a pop-culture market, they give fans a chance to create light-hearted shrines to their favorite celebrities, from Prince to the Golden Girls.

We caught up with Kerrin to chat about why she *loves* getting feedback from her customers and how important it is for her to build a coherent brand.

Take it away, Kerrin!

Name: Kerrin Piche Serna

Business: The Eternal Flame

Started: January 2016

What inspired you to create your Etsy business?

I was exploring Etsy and found a set of prayer candles depicting characters from the TV series Golden Girls that I absolutely fell in love with. However, they were kind of expensive and, as a videographer, I was already pretty savvy with Photoshop so I thought I could probably make my own.

I went ahead and created my own versions, and they turned out pretty well! Then, of course, I had to give some to friends and coworkers. Not long after, other people started asking to purchase them.

I made about 20 more designs of different celebrities and characters and set up a table at my workplace holiday bazaar. In January of 2016 I opened my Etsy shop. In the beginning, I assumed that I would maybe make two or three sales a month and it would be a fun hobby.

But it started taking off and has steadily increased over the past year!

When did you know your business was going to work?

I’m still not sure it’s going to work! But the first moment I thought it might was when I sold way more than I predicted I would at my office’s holiday craft fair. I made a $500 profit in just that one night!

I think the feedback I get from friends, family and coworkers is really important. Everyone smiled when they saw my candles, and people kept asking for other celebrities. I had so many requests that I couldn't keep up with them all.

What is your most effective means of getting new customers?

I’ve only started trying to actively market my store in the last two months or so, but Instagram has been very helpful.

Before, I was just getting customers through Etsy from the search tags I used on my listings. I have a Facebook page too, but so far it seems like Instagram is a bigger driver of new customers to my store.

What has been the biggest surprise so far after starting your own business?

I'm still surprised by many orders I've had and how many customers want original, quirky items. I had no idea I would be selling this many candles every month.

Another big surprise is how much work it is! My husband and I still have full-time jobs and spend every night and weekend in front of the TV making candles. But I've definitely perfected my process over the last year.

How do you price your products?

I started kind of low, at just $10 per candle. I was put off by the higher prices I saw others using on Etsy for the same types of products.

I've since gone up to $12 each, because of the sheer time and energy that goes into manufacturing. If I were just selling a few candles each month it wouldn't be that taxing, but it really is a lot of work with the volume of orders I get. Also, my designs and production process have gotten better with time, so I think that's worth something.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I get up early because my husband and I have a long commute to our day jobs. I usually try to do some Instagramming and answer customer questions in the car.

I check orders and respond to queries throughout the day when I have breaks. In the evening we drive home, have a quick dinner and start pulling blank candles from our stock based on the orders from the day. I print out the designs for each request and we stick them on the candles, add my logo and print shipping labels. My husband usually does the packaging for deliveries because he likes that part and he's super fast at it.

The next morning we put the previous day's orders in the car and drop them off at the post office on the way to work. And it starts all over again!

How do you juggle other responsibilities and interests outside your business?

Having a supportive spouse who's willing to pitch in really helps. I've had friends gather around for candle-making parties when I needed it.

It comes down to motivation. If I'm doing well and still enjoying it, I can push myself to work hard. If I didn't enjoy doing this, I would be miserable. But, fortunately, it's pretty fun and the success keeps me going!

If you could go back in time, is there anything you would do differently when you were starting your business?

I would have started working on my social media presence much sooner and put more stock into that. I didn't really realize how important it was going to be. Plus, my branding evolved and I think it would have been a good idea to solidify that early on. It's not great to change a brand in the middle of starting a business, but I did it because my first logo design wasn't very well thought out.

Now I have a logo, business cards, social media profiles and an Etsy shop that are all cohesive and look professional. That's something that takes some planning and careful thought. Colors, fonts — all that stuff is important. It's easy to throw something together and not really think about what kind of first impression it might make.

What would you like to learn today from a community of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?

I think marketing is a tough skill that can always be improved upon. The internet is such a saturated marketplace, so it's hard to decide what’s going to help me stand out from everyone else. Social media is so crucial and I think lots of small brands — myself included — don't use it to its full potential.

I'd love to know more about how I can step up my game on social media and get my brand in front of more people!

Now, share *your* tips and ideas with Kerrin below!

Do you have tips to share about how Kerrin can improve her game on social media and take her marketing to the next level?

Share your ideas and stories with all of us in the comment below. :-)