Becky Hutley, Founder of Hutwoods is a self made #GIRLBOSS who started making her own luxury candles so she could sell them at the markets and from that moment on she had customers coming back for more and more.
She has now opened her very first Hutwoods store in Caringbah, along with an on-line shop www.hutwoods.com.au
Spa it Girl caught up with Becky Hutley, Founder of Hutwoods to bring you this exclusive interview and {I hope it inspires you as much as it inspired me}:
Can you tell our Spa it Girl readers a little bit about yourself?
My name is Becky Hutley and I am the founder of luxury wood wick candle and homewares brand, Hutwoods. I’ve been working on the business for 4 years now. I’m originally from the UK but emigrated to Australia 10 years ago and fell in love with the country immediately after stepping off the plane.
I live with my Husband Tom, our two cats and our golden retriever. We live in the Sutherland Shire after recently making the move down from Leichhardt in Sydney’s inner west. My husband and business partner Tom works full time in the advertising industry but supports Hutwoods on evenings and weekends. We’ve also recently opened our first shop, which is based in Caringbah, only a 5-minute drive from our home.
Having your own business is really a 7-day week job but when I do have a few spare hours, I love to take our dog on long walks, practise yoga and head down the coast for weekends away.
What inspired you to start Hutwoods?
Growing up, I always had a strong interest in arts and crafts and I’ve always had a passion for learning new skills and making things. This has been consistent throughout my life and although I always had fairly corporate jobs, my spare time has always been filled with lots of creativity.
I had always been a big consumer of candles and that initially fuelled my interest. I wasn’t ever truly satisfied with the candles available, so thought I’d experiment and try to create the perfect product, with all the elements I personally looked for when buying a candle.
I’d always had an appreciation for beautiful fragrances and loved the way that lighting a candle completely changed the atmosphere of a room. Over time the challenge to create something better than what was currently available on the market made it something I became really dedicated to!
I hadn’t initially planned for Hutwoods to become a business, but I quickly realised that my hobby had fuelled a passion, which was growing each day.
After a few months of making candles, meticulously testing different waxes, wicks and fragrances, we literally had hundreds of candles all over the house. We decided it would be a good idea to organise a market stall to get feedback and test the level of local interest. While it was initially a bit of fun, I still wanted to take it really seriously so I invested a lot of time and effort in the stall set up and signage. We came up with a brand name “Hutwoods”, a friend designed a logo and we had professional labels printed.
It was only 2 weeks later (and a lot of late nights) I did my first stall at Glebe market and sold every one of the candles by the end of the day! I went back the following week and the same happened, but even more exciting, customers were returning with amazing feedback and wanted to buy more candles! On the third week, I even had a returning customer ask me if I’d be interested in stocking our range in their homewares shop. This was a big combination of shock and excitement.
I had never considered that Hutwoods might actually be a long-term business, but this gave me all the confidence I needed. I had always dreamt of owning my own business and now it looked like it might actually happen. This enquiry was the catalyst and changed the dynamic completely. I threw myself into Hutwoods wholeheartedly and 8 months later, I was able to quit my day job to work on the business full-time.
What is Hutwoods and what does the name Hutwoods stand for?
Not many people know this but Hutwoods is actually a combination of our surnames “Hutley” & “Lockwood”.
We offer a range of luxury wood wick candles, reed diffusers and home décor items, all handmade in our workshop in the Sutherland Shire. Our candles are made from 100% pure natural soy wax, luxury fragrance oils and eco-friendly wood wicks.
What’s unique about our business is that we were one of the first brands in Australia to create candles made solely with wood wicks. These make a soft relaxing crackling sound as they burn, a bit like a log fire, as well as offering a longer and cleaner burn.
We offer a wide variety of products including:
Lifestyle Range; Consisting of 10 different fragrances available in small (30+ hour), medium (60+ hour) and large (100+ hours) candles. These come in glass jars, painted ivory on the inside, so they produce a beautiful warm glow when lit. This range is also available in travel tins (25+ hours), packs of 3 maxi tea lights (10+ hours each) and reed diffusers (6+ months).
Luxury Range; Consisting of 4 different fragrances available in either a copper or stainless steel vessels, which burn for 80+ hours. What’s completely unique about this range is each of our luxury candles come with a layer of seeded herb paper (the seeds are embedded into the paper that is provided on top of the candle). The seeded paper comes in 4 different herbs; Basil, Oregano, Parsley and Thyme. Once you have finished burning your candle, you simply place the seeded paper in potting soil in the vessel so you can re-use your jar to create your very own herb garden.
Home Décor Range; Our handmade wooden holders come in 5 unique shapes of a round bowl, geometric and three different sized hexagons. They are handcrafted from solid wood & come in a choice of 4 pastel colours of; Grey, Ivory, Mint and Pink. Each holder has been hand painted on the top half with the bottom half left natural to highlight the grain of the wood. Purposely designed to fit our larger maxi tea lights, which burn for 10+ hours, or alternatively they can also be used for standard sized tea light candles.
Why do you love candles so much?
For us, candles contribute towards a calming environment and enable you to truly relax. This is something really important to us and we think is best described by our mission:
“We strive to have a positive impact on wellbeing, encouraging everyone to enjoy a daily dose of calmness and relaxation”.
What are the benefits of candles and scents?
Smell is the most sensitive of the five senses and a fragrance can lift a mood and enhance your surroundings. It’s this reason why scent often evokes memories and can have a positive effect on energy and wellbeing.
We’re proud that our candles evoke the senses of sight, smell and sound. It’s the combination of these three elements that we believe makes Hutwoods unique, and is very important to our philosophy.
Can you share some of the fragrances from your collection that would be suitable for:
Stress:
COCONUT & LIME CANDLE
DAILY ESCAPE
This tantalising fragrance combines tropical coconut with fresh, zesty lime. Imagine the soft sand between your toes and water against your sun-warmed skin. It will take you to a place you’d rather be, just let your imagination take you there.
Fatigue:
FRESH COFFEE CANDLE
AWAKEN THE SENSES
This distinctive fragrance combines the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans complemented with rich cocoa and hazelnuts. Just like that first sip of your morning coffee, your mind will become alert and prepared for everything that lies ahead.
Relaxation:
TIGERLILY BLOSSOM CANDLE
SLOWER PACE
This calming and subtle fragrance of freshly cut tiger lilies and patchouli is perfectly complemented with the softer undertones of juicy casaba melon. Immerse yourself in the tranquility, now it’s time to sit back, relax and take it all in.
Energy:
LIME, BASIL & MANDARIN CANDLE
FRESH START
This invigorating fragrance offers citrus notes of lime and sun-ripened mandarin balanced with the herbal aroma of fresh basil. Inspiring you with a dose of energy, your mind will be open to the endless possibilities yet to be discovered.
Uplifting your Mood:
CHAMPAGNE & STRAWBERRIES CANDLE
LOOKING AHEAD
This delicious fragrance combines ripe strawberries and raspberries with the euphoric notes of a freshly poured glass of champagne. There’s nothing quite like the exciting feeling of anticipation, take it all in and toast to great times ahead.
Anixety:
WILD JASMINE & SANDALWOOD CANDLE
NEW BEGINNINGS
This curious and suitably heady fragrance balances fresh wild jasmine with the earthy notes of sandalwood, cedar wood and patchouli. When one door closes, another opens. Change is ahead so embrace the opportunities that come your way.
Calm:
SWEET PEA & VANILLA CANDLE
SENSE OF CALM
This soothing fragrance combines delicate sweet pea flowers balanced with the light and creamy scent of classic vanilla. An antidote to stress and instant mood lifter, it will help clear your mind so you can re-set and start afresh.
What is one of your favourite go-to candle when you want to feel a place of calm in the comfort of your own home or office?
I personally love burning our Sweet Pea & Vanilla fragrance. It’s a beautiful creamy vanilla scent with a soft floral undertone. It changes the whole feel of the house when it’s lit.
Are there any other Hutwoods products you think we should consider trying to help with creating a beautiful spa like environment at home?
Our reed diffusers are the perfect way to add continuous fragrance to any room and last for 6 months. In particular, our Lime Basil and Mandarin fragrance is often referred to as smelling similar to a spa.
How do you like to keep Healthy and Active?
I love to go on long walks and also practise yoga regularly.
What are some of your own go-to daily rituals?
I meditate daily and always try to find a state of calm, which is sometimes hard in our busy business! I feel it’s important to focus on keeping calm during stressful and busy times.
Do you have any tips for maintaining a healthy working relationship when you working with your partner?
I’m lucky in that my husband and I have complimentary skill sets and we always achieve more together. We work incredibly well as a team and I feel blessed to be able to seek his input on what is often really big business decisions.
As a #GIRLBOSS do you ever get days off?
For the first few years after launching Hutwoods, I rarely took days off. I worked around the clock to keep up with the orders and ever growing demands of the business. We used to attend local markets on both Saturdays and Sundays every weekend which zapped all of our time and energy.
Although it was hard, we knew it was really important in the early stages to grow local awareness and gain valuable insights. This hard work enabled us to make informed decisions on how we would grow the business, based on the customer feedback we received.
Nowadays, I normally work 5-6 days a week but in all honesty, I never really switch off! I’m lucky in that we now have a team of dedicated staff who hand-make all of our products. This then enables me to work on the bigger projects including product development and growing our list of stockists.
What inspires you?
I’m constantly inspired by successful women in business. I follow many of the women I admire on their social channels and I love to watch their entrepreneurial journeys.
It’s so empowering to see women living life to the absolute full, disrupting old age industries and achieving their goals. This is always so varied, which makes it even more interesting. I love seeing success and happiness in all its forms and this is what truly inspires me.
What does Self Love & Self Care look like to you?
Making sure that no matter how busy things get, that I always make time for myself. Incorporating yoga and meditation into my life has made a huge difference. It’s often in those quieter moments that I come up with my most creative ideas.
What does a typical day on the plate or schedule look like for you?
Our shop in Caringbah opens at 10am weekdays so I’m generally up early and at the shop by around 9am to organise all the orders and staff. I’m then home by 6.30pm but continue to work on the business with my husband most evenings. Weekends usually involve long walks and relaxing if we aren’t at an event or Trade Show.
With Social Media being such a big part of business now, do you have any tips on how to switch off at night from it all?
This is a hard one as I must say, I absolutely love Instagram and Pinterest! Not just for the business but for inspiration and ideas. I’m a huge lover of all things interiors and homewares so get lots of enjoyment from the accounts I follow. We generally have a rule that phones and social media go away after about 8pm and we’re pretty good at sticking to this.
What is one thing you want to do more of?
I’d like to do more yoga. I find this really has really affected my life in such a positive way. I’m keen to grow this skill and spend more quality time perfecting the practice.
What’s on the cards for the rest of 2017?
Hutwoods has so much more growth planned and that will be our focus over the next year. We want to continue to increase our stockists and build brand awareness both locally and internationally. We’re initially focusing on the U.S. and U.K, where we currently have a small presence but hope to see this become much bigger.
It’s also our intention to broaden our range outside of the candle and homewares category. This is something we’re spending a lot of time researching and analysing as we want to be confident any new product launch is in line with our core values and mission for the business. It could be easy to expand our range into the many product trends that come and go, but it’s important that we grow our business with longer term and sustainable objectives.
How can we stay in Contact with you?
Website: www.hutwoods.com.au
Instagram: www.instagram.com/hutwoods
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hutwoods
Email: info@hutwoods.com.au
SPA IT GIRL readers/followers special offer – Thanks to Becky Hutley, Founder of Hutwoods
Receive 15% off Hutwoods entire range using the code HUTWOODSOFFER15 valid until 31st August 2017.