For Immediate Release

Inland Emlpire/High Desert, Calif. - November 10 - Two years ago today, Jeane' Elliott Bennett was at one of those proverbial crossroads in life.  Having been the victim of downsizing after a corporate merger, she faced the decision of whether to continue working for someone else or to start her own business.

Armed with statistics on growing candle purchases, articles on the explosive growth of the internet and growing bills, Bennett started DonJea Romance and it subsidiary The Romance of Candles in the Inland Empire, Calif.

Her goal was to build a semi-virtual company.  She would handle all the marketing, accounting and ordering taking from her home-based office, while the order fulfillment and warehousing would be outsourced.  This would allowe her to maximize time with customers and minimize her up front capital risk and ongoing overhead expense.

Her internet site is fast loading with candle scents, a contest for a jar candle and over 100 different candle scents and other products.  Customers can order via a state-of-the-art secure online shopping cart system.

The internet site http://www.DonJea.Scent-Team.com opened in November 2006 to the thunderous sound of emptiness.  In the world of the internet, if you build it they will only come if you tell them you exist.  Fortunately she also uses a direct mail brochure as insurance againt her "sure bet" on the internet.  This brought her the necessary time to really promote the site.

Now, two years later, The Romance of Candles and DonJea Scent-Team internet sites http://www.TheRomanceofCandles.com and http://DonJea.Scent-Team.com brings in 50% of the company's revenues.  Bennett has added a Greeting Cake section in September 2007 to her web site http://www.GreetingCakeCo.com/littlegreetingcakes and has a growing base of customers.  Over 40% of the company's revenues come from repeat business and customer referrals.  About 50% of her vusinesses come from customers in other states.

What is her advice to anyone who is thinking of starting an online business?  Don't get carried away with the hype and forget about the basics of selling.  Study the direct marketing field in terms of catalog distribution, language of e-mails, delivery systems, guarantees and style.  Make your internet site as interactive as possible without ignoring the most important aspect of your site - it needs to be profitable in order to survive.

And DonJea Romance?  Is it surviving?  "Business is growing", says Bennett.  "If we continue at this pace, 2011 will be a very good year for candle and cakes."
 

You can check them out at http://www.DonJea.Scent-Team.com or visit http://www.TheRomanceofCandles.com for a free brochure, a free sample and more information.

Interview Contact:  Jeane' Elliott Bennett, DonJea Romance
Telephone:  951-965-9267

DonJeaRomance@gmail.com

http://www.TheRomanceofCandles.com

DonJea Romance
Inland Empire/High Desert, CA USA

951-965-9267

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