Meet Julia “Jewelz” Amponsah-Gilder
Julia “Jewelz” Amponsah-Gilder is the Founder and President of the Black Candle Makers Club (BCMC) and BCMC University, a growing business education and entrepreneurial community serving more than 45,000 product-based and self-care entrepreneurs.
What began in August 2020 as a much-needed safe space for Black candle makers has evolved into something far greater.
Jewelz did not start BCMC with a detailed business plan or a vision of building a large organization. She saw a need. Entrepreneurs needed a place to ask questions, learn without judgment, build meaningful relationships, and access opportunities that were often difficult to find on their own.
She created that space.
Today, BCMC reaches entrepreneurs across candle making, fragrance, beauty, skincare, bath and body, wellness, self-care, home products, and other product-based industries. Its mission has expanded beyond teaching people how to make products. BCMC helps entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses, strengthen their brands, increase profitability, create systems, make meaningful connections, and gain access to rooms and opportunities that can change their businesses' trajectory.
That same commitment to education led Jewelz to create BCMC University, an HBCU-inspired entrepreneurial learning experience designed to help founders move from simply having a business to understanding how to build one.
Through live instruction, practical business curriculum, challenges, workshops, mentorship, industry experts, and real-world application, BCMC University gives entrepreneurs the education and accountability needed to execute what they learn. Jewelz believes entrepreneurs do not need another notebook full of information. They need the knowledge, tools, access, and support to put that information to work.
Education has always been the center of who she is.
Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur in April 2026, Jewelz spent 27 years in public education, ultimately serving as a Director of Assessment for the Houston Independent School District. She holds a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction and has spent decades developing curriculum, evaluating learning, leading teams, analyzing performance, and creating educational experiences that produce measurable results.
She now brings that same expertise to entrepreneurship.
Her entrepreneurial journey began long before BCMC. Jewelz began making candles with her husband in 2006 and later founded Couture Candlez by Jewelz. In 2020, she completed an extensive candle curriculum and safety training under Kathy LaVanier, former President of the National Candle Association. Her experience as a maker, business owner, educator, and community builder gives her a perspective that spans the product table, the classroom, and now the boardroom.
Under Jewelz's leadership, BCMC has become increasingly focused on creating opportunities through education, strategic partnerships, brand relationships, media exposure, mentorship, and proximity to successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.
In 2025, that impact was formally recognized when the City of Houston proclaimed September 27 as Black Candle Makers Club Day.
Her vision for BCMC is also becoming increasingly global. Through the development of the BCMC International Business Exchange (IBX), Jewelz is working to connect product-based and self-care entrepreneurs with international relationships, markets, resources, manufacturers, retailers, and business opportunities.
For Jewelz, this work has never been about building the largest community just to say it is large.
It is about what happens because the community exists.
- Businesses grow.
- Relationships are formed.
- Entrepreneurs gain confidence.
- Founders enter rooms they did not previously have access to.
- Brands discover new markets.
- Information becomes execution.
- And people who once felt like they were building alone realize they have a community behind them.
That is the work Jewelz believes she was called to do.
Today, she continues to lead BCMC and BCMC University with her amazing sister team (Shontelle Flowers – VP | Nikkie Davis – Creative Strategist + PR Director | Shon Collier – Events Director), guided by a simple belief: entrepreneurs need more than information. They need education, community, access, accountability, and opportunity.
And through BCMC's guiding commitment to Honoring Business Creatives Universally, Jewelz is building an ecosystem designed to provide exactly that.
