We had the good fortune of connecting with Christina Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Hi, my name is Christina Johnson and I am the owner and founder of Tranquility + Peace Candle Co. I started my business due to my love for candles. At the time we were all stuck in the house due to COVID. At first it started as a hobby that I wanted to do just to past time; until I spoke to my husband and told him about my idea about starting a candle business. He told me go for it, and that’s exactly what I did. I launched my candle business December 14, 2020. I love filling my home with different candles. Whenever I come home in the evening, I light a candle and unwind with a glass of wine to relax from my day. I wanted to allow other individuals to feel the same way that I felt when I came home in the evenings. I came up with the name Tranquility + Peace because I wanted my candles to help relax and rejuvenate anyone that may have had a stressful day. I wanted to make sure that the names that I chose for the different scents of my candles would stand out. I also wanted to chose scents that are different from what you would smell from your big name Candle Companies. I have eight different original scents. I have one scent named Passion Island which is one of my top sellers. It will make you feel like you are on the beaches of Jamaica sipping a nice cocktail. I have another scent named Peace of Mind which is another top seller. It has peppermint and eucalyptus ingredients that gives you a nice soothing feel. I will say that I was quite frightened at starting my own business because I didn’t know if it would be successful or if people would support me. I must say on my first day of launching my candles, I sold out in the first hour. I received so much support from family, friends, and also individuals that I didn’t know. I have learned not to underestimate myself and to know that if God placed this on my heart, that he had his hands over my entire business. So if you have an idea and you aren’t sure how it’s going to work out, just step out on faith and watch God work. I am a living witness.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
By day I am a Human Resources Professional for a top chemical company. I have been working in HR for over 10 years. I enjoy my profession because it allows me to help others and to provide compassion to employees no matter what their situation is. Working in this field, you will never know what your day will consist of. I always try to come to work in the right frame of mind and always with a smile on my face because I never know who may need it. In this field there are many challenges, but I learned having a good mentor in your field is essential. My mentor is one person who has helped me to get where I am today. He has prayed for/with me and continues to push me all the time. I learned throughout this journey in my HR Profession the key to success is your support system. Having the right people around you pushing and encouraging you will help you thrive. Having this same support system has allowed my candle business, Tranquility + Peace Candle Co to thrive like it has. I try to have the same mind frame that I have at work for when I make my candles. I make sure to make all my candles with a smile on my face and thinking about the difference my candle will make in someone’s home/life. Like I stated before I want my candles to allow people to feel at peace and relaxed when they light them. My main goal in life is to help others and to be a blessing to them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Houston and I feel that we have some of the best food places! We would start out Friday evening at State Fare for Happy Hour. They have amazing margaritas and chicken nachos. We would later travel to Midtown and hang out at Cafe Layal to drink a little wine and catch up. Saturday morning I would take her to the famous Breakfast Klub for chicken and waffles. We would later head to Herman Park and ride bikes to work off all the food we ate for breakfast. Since we both love oysters, we would go to Acme to eat their chargrilled oysters and gumbo. I would later take her to Third Ward, where we would hang out at 5015 and eat some of their amazing wings and listen to some good music. Sunday we would go to Brunch at either Glorias, A’bouzy, or Cleo Lounge and talk about life, career, and our amazing weekend.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would first like to thank God for placing the idea of starting a candle business on my heart. I would also like to thank my husband, Mike for his encouragement through this entire process. He is my rock! He not only pushes me and believes in my business but he was the one who created my logo and continues to promote my business at his job. (He’s one of my top marketers) I just want to say thank you Mike for supporting and believing in me through this entire process of starting my business. I would also like to thank my mom, my best friends Tamina, Tiffany, and Jennifer, my family ( Phillips, Pitre, & Johnson), and all my friends for promoting my business on social media, for telling your friends or clients about my candles! Last but not least I want to thank my cousin David for this opportunity of referring me for this interview. Thank you cousin for believing in my business and continuing promoting and encouraging me.

Website: Tranquilityandpeacecandleco.com

Instagram: Tranquilityandpeacecandleco

Facebook: Tranquility+Peace Candle Co

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