My Candle Business Made Over $1 Million—And I Was Miserable: 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Blk Sunflower

By Jazmin Elon

Hey love,

If you somehow landed here after Googling “how to start a business from scratch” or “what to do before launching a business,” I already know you’re thinking about something bigger.
Maybe it’s a business.
Maybe it’s freedom.
Maybe it’s just wanting more for yourself, even if you don’t know what that looks like yet.

Whatever brought you here, I’m glad it did.

Because I created the Blk Sunflower Collective for people like us.
The creative entrepreneurs. The overwhelmed new business owners. The ones with too many ideas and not enough strategy.
The ones who want to build something real, but are tired of guessing how to do it.

I get it.
I didn’t start Blk Sunflower with a master plan or fancy tools. I started out of survival.
I was burnt out, overwhelmed, and honestly, just trying to figure out how to start a business with no plan.
And … it grew.
Not because of luck or going viral, but because I leaned on my expertise in business strategy, branding, and marketing.

But here’s the part I don’t always talk about:
Even as the orders came in, even as people started watching,
I was still waking up some days thinking, “WTH am I doing and where am I going, and why do I HATE it here?”

That’s why I created the Collective.
Not as a course. Not as a brand.
But as a space.

A space for reflection.
A space for clarity.
A space to stop pretending you know everything and start asking better questions.

After years of late nights, breakdowns, and business wins that didn’t feel like wins, I sat down and made a list.
A list of the things I wish I had Googled before launching a business.
Because if you’re in that messy beginning stage, I want to help you skip some of the chaos.

10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Blk Sunflower

1. You’re not supposed to know everything at the start.
No one has it all figured out. If you’ve searched “business tips for first-time entrepreneurs”—welcome.
Clarity comes after action, not before it.

2. "Sold out" doesn’t mean successful if you’re drained.
You need business systems that support you, not trap you. Otherwise, you’re just building a job you hate.

3. You don’t have to do it all alone.
If you’re feeling like the CEO, assistant, and packer all at once—you are.
Hire help. Ask for support. Even outsourcing to a virtual assistant counts.

4. Saying yes to everything waters down your power.
Every yes is a withdrawal from your energy account. Be intentional with your time, especially when building a lifestyle-based business.

5. Community is not optional.
Trying to build a business in isolation? That’s one of the hardest mistakes new entrepreneurs make.
You need a space where you’re understood.

6. Not everything needs to be monetized.
You don’t have to turn every hobby into a hustle. (Yes, even if Instagram told you to.)
Joy is a strategy, too.

7. Start with your lifestyle, not your product.
Think about the business you want and the life you want.
This is how you build a business that fits your life, not takes over it.

8. Done is better than perfect.
Still waiting to perfect your logo, website, or Instagram feed before launching?
Stop. Launch ugly. Learn fast. Adjust later.

9. Your business will evolve.
You’re allowed to change your mind. Pivoting isn’t failure—it’s how you build a business that actually makes sense.

10. You’re not behind.
No matter how late you feel, you’re not too old, too broke, or too lost to build something that’s yours.

If you're still figuring things out, I hope this gave you a breath of relief.
You don’t need to have all the answers today.
You just need to start asking better questions, like:

• What kind of business fits my lifestyle?

• What systems do I actually need to grow?

• How do I build a brand I won’t burn out from?

When you're ready to go deeper, into real support, real strategy, and a real community for creative entrepreneurs, we’ll be right here waiting.

Take what you need. Come back when you’re ready.
This space was built with you in mind.

With love,
Jazmin Elon
Founder, Blk Sunflower Business Collective
Helping creative minds build businesses that make sense, and actually feel good to run.