Fire of the Sandias

A recently retired nurse practitioner, Marsha Sours walked into her first WESST consultation in November 2023 saying, “tell me I’m crazy, but I have this idea.” Her idea was to start a candle bar in Albuquerque. She had visited one in Indianapolis and was inspired to bring something similar back home. With no prior business experience and unsure where to begin, she was referred to WESST by her CPA.

Marsha was looking for guidance and she found it. She was introduced to DreamBuilder and the Business Model Canvas and began exploring the viability of her idea with WESST. She developed a business plan and determined what she needed financially to get started. Marsha faced challenges in finding the right location and building a marketing strategy, but she remained steadfast.

She took advantage of what WESST had to offer: participating in WESST’s Studio internship program, where student interns helped produce a promotional video now featured on her website; completing WESST’s Empower By GoDaddy training to build and launch her own website. Her dedication to learning and taking advantage of available resources has been key to her progress.

Fire of Sandia successfully launched in August 2024. Her hard work continues to pay off: she was interviewed by the Albuquerque Journal (check out her interview) and her business is now featured on Visit Albuquerque, attracting more local and out-of-town visitors. With the help of WESST, Marsha gained the confidence she needed to step into entrepreneurship.