As a year passes since our official rebrand, I can honestly say that while 2013 may have been one of my least favorite years of my life, 2014 has been the greatest.
With the loss of my grandmother in August 2013, I was left with terrible regrets as I looked at myself standing right there in that moment. I don’t mean in a self-serving way but more so in a completely eye-opening way— I couldn't help but think about what her last thoughts of me were. A college dropout? An opinionated, jaded, rebellious and unambitious girl with great potential gone bad?
I can't say that my deciding to leave college was one of my grandmother’s proudest moments. I can't say that quitting my well paying management job was a decision she approved of either. While I felt confident in my motivation to quit due to moral objection to their unethical ways, a part-time bartender just didn't sound as nice.
And right in that very moment, as I gave myself a mental stare down, I really got to look at how I was living my life just day to day, letting them pass by without much progression. Somewhere down the road, I must have forgotten I was once the wide-eyed, eager to learn, and stubborn-as-all-hell little girl who wanted nothing more than to be just as strong as her Honey one day.
That was it. That's really all I needed to decide that where I was at that time was not where I wanted to be. So, I promised myself to fight for my dreams and let nothing stop me from following them.
Writing this a year later, I remember being so incredibly nervous to try to market candles again. Would people give me another shot? Would I get it right this time or fall flat on my face? I didn't care. I had to try.
Thank goodness I did. I finally found one of the biggest pieces of my heart. To create something so wonderful out of nothing is a process that will never feel real to me. Most days it just feels too good to be true.
And for all of this, we owe so many thanks. Candelles would be absolutely nothing without our customers behind us. Seeing you gush over your candles when they arrive or share your love for them or recommend us to others, it just never gets old. Each and every time it completely melts our hearts and motivates us to never ever stop following this crazy wonderful dream of ours.
Don't get me wrong. Running a business isn't any walk in the park. It's hard and it’s scary and it's tiring and it's stressful. But it's also breathtaking and exhilarating and powerful and the most fun I've ever had in my life. I've never felt like I was exactly where I wanted to be so much before in my life.
Now, I feel proud. I hope I make you proud.
With the loss of my grandmother in August 2013, I was left with terrible regrets as I looked at myself standing right there in that moment. I don’t mean in a self-serving way but more so in a completely eye-opening way— I couldn't help but think about what her last thoughts of me were. A college dropout? An opinionated, jaded, rebellious and unambitious girl with great potential gone bad?
I can't say that my deciding to leave college was one of my grandmother’s proudest moments. I can't say that quitting my well paying management job was a decision she approved of either. While I felt confident in my motivation to quit due to moral objection to their unethical ways, a part-time bartender just didn't sound as nice.
And right in that very moment, as I gave myself a mental stare down, I really got to look at how I was living my life just day to day, letting them pass by without much progression. Somewhere down the road, I must have forgotten I was once the wide-eyed, eager to learn, and stubborn-as-all-hell little girl who wanted nothing more than to be just as strong as her Honey one day.
That was it. That's really all I needed to decide that where I was at that time was not where I wanted to be. So, I promised myself to fight for my dreams and let nothing stop me from following them.
Writing this a year later, I remember being so incredibly nervous to try to market candles again. Would people give me another shot? Would I get it right this time or fall flat on my face? I didn't care. I had to try.
Thank goodness I did. I finally found one of the biggest pieces of my heart. To create something so wonderful out of nothing is a process that will never feel real to me. Most days it just feels too good to be true.
And for all of this, we owe so many thanks. Candelles would be absolutely nothing without our customers behind us. Seeing you gush over your candles when they arrive or share your love for them or recommend us to others, it just never gets old. Each and every time it completely melts our hearts and motivates us to never ever stop following this crazy wonderful dream of ours.
Don't get me wrong. Running a business isn't any walk in the park. It's hard and it’s scary and it's tiring and it's stressful. But it's also breathtaking and exhilarating and powerful and the most fun I've ever had in my life. I've never felt like I was exactly where I wanted to be so much before in my life.
Now, I feel proud. I hope I make you proud.
