Community Highlights: Meet Toni Porter of Toni’s Collection

Today we’d like to introduce you to Toni Porter.

Hi Toni, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, thank you for having me! My name is Toni Porter, I’m a mom, serial entrepreneur & DJ. I became an official business owner after being laid off from my job. I was also in college at the same time, in need of extra money. The economy wasn’t the greatest and lots of layoffs were occurring across MI. I’ve always burned candles to relax but was having difficulty finding a good brand that actually smelled good. My god mom started making them as a hobby and I loved them. So, I started selling them at the local hospital that I worked for. When I was laid off, I asked my godmother if she wanted to go into business together. I was pursuing a business management degree from Wayne State University, at that time. However, she was also already an entrepreneur and wasn’t ready to start another business on a full-time basis. So I asked her if she would teach me, and the rest has been history ever since. Toni’s Collection started in 2012, but I officially had to take the leap of faith on my own in 2013 after being laid off.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish there was a such thing as an easy path or smooth road on this entrepreneurship journey, but it’s not. One of the biggest challenges I faced, has just been having working capital or finding lenders. As an entrepreneur, funding is limited to small business. You have to seek nontraditional options or exhaust investing your own funds. As a smaller business, the price breaks aren’t available unless you are buying in larger quantities wholesale, which is intimidating when you are first starting out if funding is limited. A huge challenge has also been marketing/advertising. You either need to have a nice budget, or learn how to do it on your own. I always say that you can have a great product, but if no one knows about it, it won’t sell.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Toni’s Collection specializes in luxurious home fragrance products! Handcrafted, eco-friendly, and triple scented! Over 30 exclusive fragrance options to choose from at Toni’s Collection! Our candles are made with our proprietary blend of soy wax. We carry 4oz fragrance mists that are perfect for use as a travel-size air freshener or fabric/linen mist! Our wax tarts are perfect if you prefer flameless products. Just break off a couple of cubes and put them in your warmer. And our oil extracts are perfect for diffusers & humidifiers.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
For Toni’s Collection, the most important characteristic is always providing a great product & superior customer service. I want my customers to feel the love that is put in each product. I spend a lot of time researching my industry to ensure I am providing a great product as well, as maintaining the industry standards.

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