Life & Work with Kaila and Antoine Flippen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaila and Antoine Flippen.  

Kaila and Antoine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The story of The Missing Dragonfly starts in September of 2022 in Charleston, SC. My husband and I had been invited to a work retreat, a retreat aimed for married couples, which we attended regardless of the fact that we were still dating at the time. Amidst the events activities, we were able to slip away and attend a candle-making class at a local studio. During the class, we not only learned how much fun candle making was but also how methodical the process was. Different waxes have different properties affecting fragrances throw; different fragrances have different flash points, different waxes have specific pour temperatures, different fragrances and waxes have specific mix times in order to obtain a homogeneous mixture, etc. Being inquisitive and creative individuals, coupled with the fact that the candles made in the class had complications such as tunneling and soot production, my husband and I set out to solve these issues and make the best candles we could. After lots of testing and experimenting, we were able to produce a candle that we believed to be of high quality but were still not satisfied. We believed that traditional candles could be made more fun and exciting by physically resembling popular foods and drinks. With this vision, accompanied by much more experimentation and time, we were able to create the first versions of the candles we proudly sell today. In October of 2022, my husband and I got married, and we continued to grow our relationship and business attending our first in-person event in December of 2022. Today, we are constantly coming up with new ideas and modifying original candles to create the best products for our customers! 

The story behind the name, as displayed on the back of every one of our business cards goes as follows: legend has it that the sight of a dragonfly brings about good luck and fortune for the observer. However, just as quickly as dragonflies appear, they disappear. One cannot acquire the prosperous qualities of a dragonfly until another is seen again. At The Mossing Dragonfly, we hope to embody the spirit of the dragonfly and help you find what’s missing through our candles, whether that be good fortune, good luck, happiness or relaxation. 

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?
Starting and growing our business has not been a smooth road. My husband has a background in medicine and currently works as a medic for the Army. I am a UNC Chapel Hill graduate with a degree in biology currently working as a medicinal assistant. With this considered, neither of us possessed the insight into what it took to start a business when we came up with the idea behind The Missing Dragonfly. However, we were able to do lots of research and gather the necessary knowledge to start our business. In addition, the small business community has been incredibly supportive in terms of providing resources, whether that be how to market on social media, how to get accepted into events, or how to navigate the financial aspect of owning a business, such as filling taxes. Another challenge we have faced when starting our business was containing our ideas and not getting ahead of ourselves in terms of product development. As new business owners, we were full of excitement and ideas for products. With this in mind, at the onset of our business, we were not always efficient financially because we were constantly funding more and more new ideas. Additionally, while we were satisfied with our products at the time, we did not spend as much time on candle design and logistics. Since then, we have been able to fine-tune our process. We are now able to come up with new ideas but work longer on the experimentation/testing stage of candle making. This allows us to produce the best products and price them at a competitive and fair price! 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My name is Antoine, and I am a 68 Whiskey Combat medic. Medics have many responsibilities, including prehospital care of trauma patients. I’m known to be eager, and I’m most proud of earning the expert field medical badge which separates me from my peers. 

What my husband failed to mention is that he has also won Fort Bragg’s JFKs special warfare and schools best warrior competition after out competing his peers in events such as a 12-mile ruck march, combatives, water survival assessment, board questioning etc. Additionally, not only does my husband hold the army’s expert field medical badge but this achievement is only worn by 3% of the army’s medical community. These achievements go to show how hard-working my husband is and how, by possessing this trait, he is able to succeed where others have not. 

My name is Kaila, and I am a UNC Chapel Hill graduate with a degree in biology. During my time at Carolina, I successfully placed on the dean’s list all semesters, participated in research every year and held positions such as community governments social justice advocate and mental health advisor for an online club during the onset of COVID. After completion of my undergraduate degree, I aim to pursue higher education by attending PA school in the upcoming years. Currently, I work as a medical assistant and hope to continue my love for helping others through a career in the medical field. In addition to my medical career goals, I am able to foster my artistic and creative side by co-owning my business with my husband. Something I am most proud of is my ability to adapt and to succeed in adverse situations. I lost my mom and stepmom when I was 18 years old and have undergone many other challenges through the years but through it all, we have been able to accomplish many goals and hope to continue to do so. 

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
As previously touched on, I believe my husband’s and I’s drive to succeed in adverse situations, and our assiduous nature has been most important to our business success. Coming from a place of no experience in regards to running a business, be have had a navigate the unknown in order to be where we are today. This includes continuously looking for new events to attend, submitting applications to events where we have previously been denied, reaching out to store after store to see if they will carry our products, building a brand and a social media presence, and fighting for others to take our business seriously. 

Pricing:

• Ceramic bowl candles: açaí and mystic wonderland: $40 on Etsy
• Mason jar candles:$30 on Etsy
• Wax melts: $12 on Etsy

Contact Info:

• Website: https://themissingdragonfly.etsy.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/themissingdragonfly?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themissingdragonfly/