The decision to relaunch Treat Yourself With Kindness happened like all our careful decisions: a slow burn.
In year one of TYWK, we turned our founder’s pandemic hobby into a movement for positive change. Homemade candles with all-natural soy wax and essential oils went from a practical money-saver to a solution for the cleanliness, safety, and health issues that come with those big box store products. And we never lost sight of our candles' role in self-care rituals—we leaned into it.
Still, we wanted to do things the right way. We announced our first-anniversary sale, offered a slightly expanded scent collection, and sold out of that inventory. Effecting positive change was more important to us than growth for growth’s sake. So instead of restocking, we went offline to plan our next moves.
Crystals entered the picture in a clandestine moment right after that anniversary sale, when a renowned crystal vendor pivoted to a new venture. We took loving custody of their stock and immediately envisioned how to incorporate crystal healing and its soothing aesthetic into TYWK’s new direction.
As excited as we were to announce our new items, there was much work ahead of us. We continued quality control tests to perfect our candle formula and prioritized researching how to add our crystals into the mix safely. Crystals must be carefully controlled when exposed to heat and chemicals to prevent hazardous reactions. Many competitors do not adequately test their products to decrease the malfunction risks or disclose the risks associated with decorative features at all (whether intentional or not). We only wanted to release our product when we could guarantee their safety and make sure that the TYWK website houses the resources you need to make informed choices about your purchases.
Since we believe that knowledge is power, and learning is a form of self-care, we’ve also compiled mental health and LGBTQ+ resources. As a queer business, we recognize that a journey toward becoming the most healed and empowered version of yourself is incomplete with just products. We use TYWK spaces to promote other tools that will empower you on your journey: education, community, and kindness.
Finally, we restructured our business model to allow for new creative partnerships, fair pricing, and production techniques, which let us focus on giving you the best experience possible.
The past three years of TYWK have each had their “stepping stone” moments made manifest in the steady improvement of our product and operations. These improvements have sparked ideas and renewed our team’s excitement for what’s yet to come. We are so grateful that you’ve decided to join us in celebrating our new era, as we are proud to celebrate yours, too.
Treat yourself with kindness always,
TYWK Team xx
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