Small businesses opened rapidly during the time of the pandemic.
Many used the down time the pandemic provided to seek out new jobs or passions.
Count Denise Tilmon among that group.
Tilmon is an Austin native who moved to Killeen years ago to start her social work career and to raise her family.
While doing social work, she decided she wanted to tap into her creative side a little more. She hopped right in and began making candles from the comfort of her home, ultimately selling them at local farmers markets and online.
Her daughter Rhayn Robinson has also become involved in the candle business, "The Wick & Burn Candle Bar."
“I’m super proud of what she’s doing," Robinson said. "I love that I’m able to see her doing it. She’s always given me the OK to do what I want to do and believe that I can achieve anything without going to college.”
Tilmon, a mother of five, has a parenting style her children appreciate. She's taught them how to be young entrepreneurs and to follow their true desires simply by being an example and following hers.
She's grown from selling out of the farmers market to now having her very own candle making bar business in downtown Temple.
According to the US Census Bureau, she falls among the 5.4 million people who opened a small business in 2021.
“I’m not a typical person who has a lot of fear on what will be or what won’t be," Tilmon said. "I just like doing what I love honestly.”
Tilmon spoke on how much her business will pour into the people who visit for the candle making experience.
“I like them coming in to try something they’ve never tried before or whether it’s me giving them more information about the back end of a candle," Tilmon said.
More information is on their website
The Wick & Burn | Facebook
