An alumna with a glowing candle business

Headshot of Joanna Atkinson. Photo courtesy Joanna Atkinson

Joanna Atkinson, founder and CEO of Honey Home Essentials, is a FAMU grad who spreads light not only through her candles and business, but also from within.

Honey Home Essentials sells candles, melts and sprays. Burning candles can be beneficial to your health. It’s great for self-care and taking care of your mind. Experiencing anxiety, grief, sadness or stress is common right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buying candles at a time like this can go a long way toward defining spaces and saving sanity.

There is a wide range of candles to choose from on the Honey Home Essentials website. There’s Sweet Dream, Cuddle Buddy, Pocket Full of Sunshine, Envy Me and Sweater Weather. Don’t let the names throw you off, because each candle has its own description located on the site, so you have a better idea of its scent.

The candles are hand-crafted, organic and infused with essential oils.  Each candle costs $10 for a 6-once classic-size.

 From uplifting candles and uplifting social media posts, Atkinson cares about her customers at a time like this.

“I want to show people that I am a human too, posting on social media allows me to keep people motivated, uplifted and connected,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson does “Hump Day Check-Ins” on her business’ Instagram page. Customers and followers can voice how they’re feeling and connect with others. Motivational posts and advice on how to clean candles also can be found on the page.

Honey Home Essentials sprays and candles. Photo courtesy Joanna Atkinson

This shows it’s more than just selling candles to Atkinson. It’s beautiful. There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others. Atkinson does just that.

Being a FAMU grad and a young black female entrepreneur, Atkinson knows at a time like this doubt and depression are common. Atkinson encourages everyone to stay positive, strong and take advantage of moments like this.

“Even if it’s a slow time for your particular market, don’t let this time be idle. Take time to create and perfect what you do,” she said.

“For people who are beginning entrepreneurs or thinking about starting a business, take a leap of faith. Just try because there is no harm in trying and failing. The harm comes when you never try at all,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson released Honey Home Essentials first E-book this week. It consists of tips when it comes to virtual success during COVID-19, tips on surviving any virtual business endeavor and Atkinson’s experience.

Atkinson wants you to “boss up” just like how she did. “I had two choices, let my business crumble or boss up and adapt to the circumstances. I decided to boss up,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson is doing what she loves while creating products that enhance the lives of other people. For a student entrepreneur or business owner, what gets better than that?

Follow Honey Home Essentials on Instagram @HhEssentials_ .  Candles and products of Honey Home Essentials can be purchased here.  https://hhessentialsco.com/shop