In 2020, Halifax-based Becca Williams texted her childhood best friend, Jesse Douglas, and facetiously floated the idea of starting a candle company together. “Honestly, it started as a joke and just kind of snowballed,” said Williams.
The pair had always loved browsing stores for scented candles. Plus, they were burnt out by their 9-to-5 jobs in marketing and renewable energy. Douglas had even been quietly considering starting her own business. Needless to say, she didn’t need much convincing.
“I just sometimes need someone else to give me the push,” Douglas said. “I think that’s one of the reasons we’re the perfect team.”
Once Douglas gave Williams the green light, Williams shared some early ideas for the brand’s visual identity, including a mock logo, colours, and fonts. But first, they needed a name: Alben Lane Candle Co., inspired by their fond memories of their East Coast summers spent at the cottage.
Like many businesses born during the pandemic, Alben Lane began in a basement, with Williams and Douglas hand-pouring candles and packing orders themselves. In just over five years, the brand has expanded beyond candles to perfumes, diffusers, and accessories.
Last year, while looking for a new commercial space, they stumbled upon a hidden gem: a tiny storefront with a big production space, in North End, one of their favourite Halifax neighbourhoods littered with hip bars, restaurants, and boutiques. In June of 2025, Alben Lane opened its first retail location.
Starting a small business
As first-time entrepreneurs, Douglas and Williams didn’t have a playbook for running a small business. But what they lacked in experience they made up for in vision, drive, and complementary strengths—namely, their friendship.
Williams and Douglas grew up together and share a sisterly bond. And while some founders caution against working with family or friends, they consider it their competitive advantage.
“Because we’ve grown up together, we’re not worried about upsetting each other,” Douglas said. “If we have disagreements, we’ll just bring it up with each other right away, and you just know you’re still going to be there at the end of the day.”
But with growth came the less glamorous realities of running a small business, especially challenges around money management. They’ve had to learn the hard way the consequences of taking bad financial advice, and how important it is to trust their gut.
“We spoke to professionals that told us we shouldn't incorporate at our stage,” Williams said. “Fast forward a year later, we ended up personally owing a ton of money in taxes because we didn't incorporate at the right time, because we were told not to.”
It didn’t help that most banks would only grant the founders credit cards with low limits, or a corporate account with a debit card that they couldn’t use online. “What is the point of a business account where you can’t purchase anything?” Williams said.
But when the founders met with TD, they felt as though they were finally being heard, and taken seriously as business owners. In their first meeting with TD's Darren Harvieux, Account Manager, Small Business, Douglas and Williams laid out the issues they’d been struggling with, and instead of being met with more barriers, they got solutions.
Not only did they pre-qualify for a higher credit limit, but Douglas said Harvieux was “actually here for us when we need help…and believed in us.”
Harvieux said he still remembers the first meeting he had with the founders.
“After we discussed and decided on the best way to move forward, I also had to tap into their expertise,” Harvieux said.
"My son was attempting to make some homemade hockey stick wax and wanted it to smell like cotton candy. Jesse and Rebecca were quick to help me and suggest how I could incorporate their candle making skills into my son’s hockey wax making. A couple days later Jesse and Rebecca had their TD account open and were off to the races, and my son had his cotton-candy-smelling hockey stick wax.”
Harvieux’s support has shown up in unexpected ways, too. Williams remembers being flown to Toronto for a partnership opportunity after their business manager put their names forward. Willams said the genuine and hands-on support from Harvieux was incredibly important to the pair. “It's something that we value a lot.”
The importance of supporting local and small businesses
Williams and Douglas say the small business community in Halifax is passionate about supporting each other. Alben Lane credits their early growth to other local retailers who carried the candles for years.
That community connection became especially clear when they opened their Halifax storefront. On opening day, it wasn’t just customers that stopped by. It was other local businesses.
“We didn't think that anyone would even show up,” Williams said. “But people were lined up before we even opened. I've never seen anything like it.”
Supporting the local economy is also financially savvy. The Alben Lane founders source all their materials — labels, jars, fragrance oils — from Canadian suppliers. This keeps costs down and the business resilient in the face of economic instability, especially tariffs.
Lessons for future business owners
For Williams, the best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is also the simplest: don’t overthink it. “The world’s not going to blow up. Just give it a try,” she said.
The biggest lesson the founders have learned is to trust themselves, because they know their business best. “Your gut and your insight are going to be what makes you different,” Williams added.
Not all small business owners have a firm grasp of finance or accounting. For practical advice on managing your money, Williams and Douglas recommend meeting with a business advisor early on.
“We did not want to manage the money,” Williams said. “That was such a stress for us all the time. But working with TD feels like having a team that’s working with us.”
Harvieux is happy to be part of the Alben Lane Candle Co. journey.
“I'm looking forward to continuing to work with them as they grow as business owners,” he said. “I’m excited for what lies ahead.”