Mike Winch, founder of home fragrance and decor brand Candlelight, was named as the recipient of the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award at The Gift Awards, held on May 15 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
In his acceptance speech, Mike expressed gratitude and reflected on the significance of the recognition. He said: “Our industry is about the home, the house, the family, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Easter… and it’s not easy. It’s not been easy for me. I’ve had a rollercoaster ride of 53 years of developing our business, and my kids sat me down and said: ‘Dad, if you get our act together, you’ve got a good future with us!’
“But I’ve got to say this: it’s a real creative industry. You can make things happen. You can think out of the box. What you haven’t got to do is stand still and go backwards. And it’s a wonderful industry. I’ve had 53 fantastic years travelling the world and learnt about all the people in the world – and we’re all the same. We all want the same things: we want a good life, and we want to look after our family, whether we’re in China, India, Africa, or wherever.
“It’s a fantastic industry and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved – and you guys should be proud of what you’ve achieved, and what you’re going to achieve, because you can do anything you want”
“It’s a fantastic industry and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved – and you guys should be proud of what you’ve achieved, and what you’re going to achieve, because you can do anything you want. So be creative, think out the box, and make a good life and a good business for yourself.
“It’s a beautiful industry. I’ve enjoyed the challenge right from day one, and even after 53 years, I’m so excited about developing the business and creating the succession. I’m happy to be part of their team – and it’s very nice that I’ve got quite a good future!
“It’s an exciting industry that we’re in. We can make things happen. We can develop things, we can be as creative as we want to be, and we can work hard and take all the good things out of it. Thank you, from an ex-coal miner made good!”