Working from home could be one of the greatest opportunities to get to grips with, but in the case of Kiel Locke, it became a necessity.
The 24-year-old started his candle business Waxxy one year ago, at a point when he was penniless and struggling. Starting off with just an £8 bag of wax, he opted to start making candles and melts from the kitchen of his council flat in Thornaby-on-Tees. It wasn’t long before he moved into the Castlegate Shopping Centre and began selling his candles and other items from a stall.
Yet, while things were potentially going well for him business-wise, the young entrepreneur was also battling with mental health issues. To top that off, while working within the Castlegate Shopping Centre and later at his shop on Finkle Street, he endured a flurry of homophobic taunts and verbal abuse, with guests visiting these locations directing their vitriol in his direction. It was due to the downward spiral of his own mental health that Locke chose to switch the running of his business to his home, working with his partner Stuart.
“Hopefully people will realise that you shouldn’t bully people with mental health issues,” said Kiel, who suffers from Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD), which is also known as Borderline Personality Disorder.
Things Looking Brighter for Locke and His Business
Locke stated that when he was going into work previously, he felt very uncomfortable, as people would stare at him, call him names, laugh at him and so on. This, he says, led to him putting his head down and not being himself in any sort of way. The experience went on to leave him feeling depressed, to the point where he almost ended his own life.
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“We nearly lost the business,” Kiel said about Waxxy, before proceeding on to say that it also affected his relationship with Stuart. “Over a three-month period, I just kept myself indoors.”
Yet, Locke went on to say that he is currently seeking therapy and Waxxy is “slowly but surely” managing to get back to the financial footing that the two of them enjoyed previously. Speaking of the business, Kiel says that it is his biggest achievement.
Even though once Kiel decided he was going to operate the business from home, there were points of financial difficulties, it is now managing to see the pair make ends meet. “We were making a healthy living, we were comfortable,” he says about the time prior to his mental health taking a beating. Yet, they are now looking for Waxxy to succeed in the same ways that it did beforehand, thanks to the couple utilising reps who sell the company’s products and earn commission on those sales.
“Reps can earn hundreds. It’s the future,” said Locke after mentioning that the high streets are taking a beating from online sales. The couple have also set up their own Facebook page, where orders can be placed for delivery.
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