From the Dining Room Table to a Formal Workshop: A Passion That Turned a Candle Into Jobs and Growth

Determination, passion, and a deep desire to grow are what allow an emprendimiento (entrepreneurial venture) to make the leap that turns dreams into progress and real opportunities.

Jackeline Correa Ramírez is a Colombian woman who, when she lit a handmade candle for the first time, didn't imagine that light would turn into a venture with identity, purpose, and a future. Her brand was born in the intimacy of her home, using her dining table as a canvas. Today, it grows step by step, with solid foundations and an increasingly clear path toward sustained growth. Her story demonstrates that trusting in formalidad (formalization) can be the path to transforming an individual passion into opportunities for the community, the city, and the country.

The story of Zhu Studio begins with a girl who always preferred paint-stained hands over numbers. Although Jackeline studied public accounting—following her older sisters’ path and choosing what felt like the safer option—her true passion lived in everything she could imagine and bring to life with her own hands.

That instinct led her to study interior design at the Academia Superior de Artes, where she found the language through which she could transform spaces and emotions. For years, she worked independently, remodeling homes and shaping environments, but her goal was always to build something of her own.

It wasn't until 2021, in a market not yet saturated, that she took a candle-making course. That simple workshop became her revelation. Candles allowed her to unite design, art, scent, shape, and space: everything she loved in a single object.

With the support of her mother, sisters, partner, and friends—who contributed supplies, tools, and encouragement—she began making candles from home. There, her dining room became the workshop. During her first Mother's Day season: “There was nowhere to sit, everything was production, packaging, scents… and it was beautiful,” she recalls.

Eventually, she decided to take the leap: formalize her brand, register her logo, and protect her design. She remembers it as a meticulous process that lasted more than a year. This decision allowed her to consolidate her identity and protect her vision. “I wanted to do things very well from the beginning,” stated Jackeline, highlighting the importance of every detail, from the label to the packaging.

The path of entrepreneurship has not been free of stumbling blocks, especially economic ones, but Jackeline has never walked alone. With courage, she sought support from entities that believed in her talent. Her approach to her city's mayor's office and the Cámara de Comercio Aburrá Sur gave her the tools to keep growing in a solid and sustained manner.

Zhu Studio's vision goes beyond selling candles. Jackeline conceives her products as design elements that not only scent but also transform spaces, creating unique concepts through exclusive collections. Her goal is to grow, expand, have employees, and reach more people to offer a complete world of lighting and aromas.

Why is Formalization the Key to Growth for Startups?

When an emprendimiento operates informally, many doors remain closed, as it cannot easily access credit, support programs, or opportunities that would allow it to grow. That is why formalizing shouldn't be seen as a complicated procedure, but as a step that opens the way, because it allows entry into a system that accompanies and offers tools so that ventures are stronger and more sustainable over time.

With that in mind, in Colombia, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism has spent more than ten years supporting entrepreneurs from all regions. Since 2012, it has guided more than 180,000 business owners in the country's 32 departments, teaching them accounting, production process optimization, cost reduction, improving productivity, and in many cases helping them connect to production chains. More than just explaining regulations, these programs focus on the business strengthening needed to remain sustainable over time.

These forms of support allow small ventures to access more flexible credit, financial aid that doesn’t need to be repaid, significant discounts, and opportunities to participate in public procurement and business-growth projects.

Jackeline’s story reflects a broader pattern across Latin America: entrepreneurs who, like her, find a path toward formalizing their projects. In Panama, for example, different models exist but share the same goal: making entrepreneurship simple, fast, and trustworthy.

Panamá Emprende is a digital system created so that anyone—Panamanian or foreign—can open a business in a matter of minutes. No lines, no extensive paperwork, and no additional costs. The platform simplifies the start of an economic activity as much as possible, relying on technology and civic trust.

This model has positioned Panama among the fastest and easiest countries in which to create a business. The logic is simple: as long as an activity isn’t prohibited, anyone can start a business—they just need to notify the state that operations are beginning.

Meanwhile, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), based in Washington, D.C., offers the Emerging Microfinance Institutions Financing Project, which seeks to help more low-income microentrepreneurs—especially those in rural areas—access financial services they currently lack. To achieve this, the IDB grants a loan to Vision Fund International, which then channels the funds to small microfinance institutions that work directly with entrepreneurs who live day to day and need support to stabilize and grow their businesses.