Words by Tess Becker
You can never be too young to do the right thing... right?
There are stories all over of kids dropping everything to help raise money for something that matters to them – whether that be a charity or for a loved one. With the drive that only kids have, they can take on seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Alejandro Buxton is another one of those kids, starting his business Smell of Love Candles in 6th grade, and now is the CEO of his own company at the age of 12. He started making candles himself at nine so his mother could have candles she liked.
'She gave me the inspiration'
“My asthma started acting up and my mom was really sensitive to smell and would get migraines," Alejandro tells Smiley News. “After a while, we found out the candles were causing us the issues.
"So my mom threw away all the candles and was disappointed. I didn't like that so I made her one, called Jurassic orange, which was my first candle and is also my favorite.
“In that, she gave me inspiration and start Smell of Love Candles and I really took a step from there.”
His mom, Patricia Buxton, experimented with making candles in the past and Alejandro wanted to learn from her. Candles were a kind of connective tissue for him and his mom. “We both really loved candles. It was a nighttime thing because we used to light a candle when we would read a bedtime story when I was younger,” Alejandro says.
Candles for the planet
Alejandro wanted to make sure the candles he made were all-natural, vegan, and hand-poured – that are ideally a lot better for you than standard mass-produced ones. “[They] are good for you, good for the environment and are socially responsible,” they write on their website.
The 12-year-old believes that we are "stronger when we take care of each other" so his company donates a portion of all its profits to charity every month – around 10% – with the goal of doing good with the good things that have come their way.
“I'm very proud of him," his mum, Patricia, tells Smiley News.
