Shelights is an Oslo-based candle business, that donates 5% of profits to the poorest people on earth*. 

The words "business" and "empathy" do not exactly go hand in hand. At Shelights, I want to change that by encouraging costumers to make thoughtful purchases, while helping others with their money.

Candles are used by almost everyone I happen to know - but there is not that many healthy, and quality products out there, that focuses on both helping others, and the environment. 

Supporting local.

I buy my ingredients as locally as possible. I take great joy in supporting local businesses, and I strongly obstain from using plastic in my packaging. Any kind of plastic that is used by me to pack my products, is recycled. 

"Healthy candles".

Personally, I would never put products on the market, that harms people's health. For this reason, I have done an extensive research into what kind of ingredients are the best to use in candles, and chose the ones that omit the least amount of harmful substances. 

Initial capital.

My business already has around 166.000 NOK invested in it, and I have worked 1000+ unpaid hours. 

It has been a huge learning curve that has shaped me into a more considerate and responsible human being. I have been to countless markets where I have done market research about the popularity of certain scents, and products. At this stage, after 2 years of hard work, Im asking for your help, because I want to avoid feeling burned out, and maintain the same passion that I have had throughout these past 2 years.

Where will the money go? 

The money will go into developing a new branch of wellness products (wider selection of beeswax candles, skincare products, soaps), next to improving the old ones, while giving new life to the motto: She Lights - She Cares. 

She Lights, She Cares.

She Cares has double meaning, as it refers to the self care aspect of the products, but also the compassion that we feel towards helping those in need. With each sold product, someone gets a helping hand. This attracts a section of the population that feel enhanced compassion, and wants to take care of others, while using self care products and taking care of themselves. This creates a beautiful balance of give and take. 

Equipment.

The money will also go into buying new equipment (industrial wax melter, pouring jugs, thermometers, desks, storage), that will allow me to produce in a more efficient way, that requires less waste as well. With a small scale production, lots of cleaning material goes to waste, since one has to use many time slots to produce all the products needed, and clean up after each session. 

Workshops.

I also plan to teach people in form of workshops, about candle making, and producing DIY skincare products, to take a small step towards a more self sufficient society. This creates a healthy balance in a capitalist world, where vendors tend to impose a sense of complete dependency on us. 

Expanding geographically.

Last but not least, the money will also go to expand into more locations in Norway (initially, Oslo). As a small production company, it is very challanging to find stores that are able to buy my products upfront. Also, giving a 50% discount to vendors, hurt much more when you take a lot of time with perfecting each product. I am hoping to speed up production times with your help, but also, I plan to find a place in Oslo, where I can rent a corner/shelf, to display my products. Hopefully, with your help, this will also be soon possible.

Check me out.

I really appreciate if you support my business and my dream. Click on "Støtt" if you want to support.

Check out my website and my social media:

www.shelights.no

instagram: @shelights.no

*A little bit more about what I do:

I am a huge advocate for effective altruism. Effective altruism is the idea that individuals should use reason and evidence to determine the most effective ways to improve the world and then take action based on that information. 

Following this principle, I have pledged to donate 5% of my profits from retail orders to effective charities, that have been evaluated and shown to produce significant positive outcomes. 

One such charity that I support is GiveDirectly. GiveDirectly is a non-profit organization that provides direct cash transfers to people living in extreme poverty in developing countries. GiveDirectly is one of the most rigorously evaluated charities in the world, with multiple independent studies demonstrating the effectiveness of their programs.