Welcome And Why This Story Matters

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Well, hello, friends, it's Kimberly. It's episode 341, and I am so thankful that you are listening today because this is a power-packed, awesome episode with the one and only Annalisa Garcia, who is the owner of Ambitious Vibes Candle Company, which is now opening its first retail location on Main Street in Racine, Wisconsin, called Ambitious Vibes Candle Bar. Now, Annalisa started by making candles at home as a sort of mental health activity. She loved the aroma, and you'll hear all about it and how it has turned into this business that is fueling her soul, helping her make a living. And she is just amazing. She's an ultrasound technician, she homeschools her son, and she runs this business. Y'all, she's a superstar. And I think you're going to be super inspired. You get to hear the entire journey. So if you're one of those people who's thinking about starting a business or you already have one now and you want to hear how someone goes from starting it at home to turning it to online, then then being coming part of like a shared retail space to now opening her flagship store, then this episode is for you. We talk about everything, how she created everything, how she did everything on her own. And it's so insightful and inspirational for you to see what can happen when you get serious about your business and you really put your mind to it. So if you're new here, welcome. I'm so glad that you found this podcast. I know that it will help you along your business journey, even if you're not even starting one now, but you think you might want to start one at some point in your life. This is going to motivate you. All I want to help you do is go from dreaming about things to actually doing them because I know that you can live a much more fulfilling and impactful life when you do that. And if you've been listening a while, thank you so much to all my loyal listeners. Make sure you are subscribed. Hit the follow button up at the top. Like if you're an Apple Podcast, click follow. There's like a little plus button or a check mark. They change it periodically. But make sure you do that because you don't want to miss out on any future episodes. And it'll just show up as a podcast in your app that you're subscribed to. And I drop episodes on Thursday morning. So I hope you enjoy everything. All of Anna Lisa's information is down below for Ambitious Vibes Candle Company and her new candle bar. And so you can click any of the links to go to her stuff below. But her story is amazing and we we talk about it all. So you get to hear it all. So I'm so excited. Okay, enjoy the episode. Well, Anna Lisa, I am so excited to have you here on the She's Just Getting Started podcast. This has been a long time in the making, and you're a rock star. I cannot wait to share your story and welcome. I'm so happy you're here. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to catch up with you. Yes. So, y'all, Annalisa is an amazing woman. Y'all are not going to believe this whole story here. And you are so excited about that new store opening in a few weeks. And I just can't wait to hear the story of how you started and how you got to where you are today. So take us back to when you started this business, maybe like when you and I met some years ago.

SPEAKER_04 3:19

Yes, I believe we met in 2021. And I actually had just moved from my hometown in Wisconsin. I took my son to California, and that's when I was starting out brand new life. And that's the moment I met you, is because I was in a place where I was trying to figure life out. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do. And I came upon your podcast and I joined your group. And that's where I was just getting started in my business.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

I love it so much. So when you were in the beginning, for everyone listening here, when you were in the idea stage and you're like, I want to start this business, what were you doing to try to investigate starting a business?

SPEAKER_04 4:00

Yes, I was searching Google, I was searching YouTube, I was, I learned a lot on YouTube. I was just trying to figure out how to learn to do what I was trying to do. At that time, that's when the pandemic was going on and everybody was learning all different things, how to make bread, how to make candles, and my mine was candles. So at the time it was helping me with my mental health through what I was going through at the time. It was just very calming. The aromatherapy helped. And just pouring candles is very soothing. I was in my own world. I was testing out new things. And so I learned YouTube and I joined different groups and courses, how to learn how to make candles. And that's how it started in my own home.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

That's amazing. So I love what you said about it was helping you with your mental health. So you'd obviously gone through this move across the country from Wisconsin to California, I believe you told me, and you're living there with your son, and you're an ultrasound tech, right? You work in the ER as an ultrasound tech and you were doing that full time. Is that right at the time? Full time. And so you start, you're you're going through this life change and you start making candles for your own betterment. Is that fair to say? Like they were just for you when you first started doing it just for you. And so you had this house full of amazing scents, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_04 5:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:27

Yeah. So when I left Wisconsin, it was at a point in my life where I felt kind of everything was falling apart in my life. And I literally ran away. I ran away and I started a brand new life. I needed a fresh start. And I didn't know what that was going to look like. But a couple months later is when the pandemic hit and everything kind of went down to chaos.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yes. Yeah. What timing? You're over there in a new place. And then the pandemic hits. How did that work as an ultrasound tech? I know you're in the ER, so there's always people coming into the ER, but did that affect your job in any way?

SPEAKER_04 6:03

Oh, absolutely. And my son was doing virtual school. So he was home and I was mandated to go to work. So I all of my support system was in Wisconsin. So I didn't have anybody in California. So it was kind of like, what did I get myself into? Why did I do this? How am I going to do this? And that's literally what made me think, how can I stay home with my son? Like other parents were able to work from home and I wasn't able to. So that's my first thing that I was trying to figure out. And because I was already making the candles, I started thinking about selling them as a business. That's how that whole situation started.

Building A Brand With Meaning

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Okay. So you start, your brain starts working. You're like, oh my gosh, here we are in the pandemic. And yes, that's what's happened because right before the pandemic, I had started this podcast into 2019. And little did we know everyone was going to be scrounging and trying to figure out I'm at home, like you said, like baking sourdough, baking bread, making candles, doing things that really brought them joy. So I think that's what's cool is that this all started out of a passion for you that was healing in a way during this time in your life. I see it as healing, and you're playing around with the sense and you're doing all this and you're like, wait a minute, I could actually start a business and maybe I could be home with my son. So was he in school at the time? Was he he was going to public school and now he's home with you? And then, okay, so then life starts to change. You start looking, you know, how to make the candles. You're in workshops for that. You're in business workshops like with mine and groups. And so you're you're working on your business. Then kind of what happens after that?

SPEAKER_04 7:41

So I knew that I wanted my candleline to be something that meant something to me. And I really enjoy having positive and inspirational quotes around me because, you know, on my hard days, it would catch my eye to see a positive quote. And that's one of the things that would help get me through the hard times in each and every day because I just surrounded myself with that. And that's where the whole empowerment candle came to mind because I love to write. I love inspirational quotes. And so I started writing about my own life, different points of my own life. And for those who don't know, I have an empowerment candle line that says she is brave, she is beautiful, she is powerful. So everything that I needed to be and needed to feel, I wrote about. I wrote a poem about it and related it to different parts of my life. And I put that on the candle label. With this empowerment line, I created it out of what I needed at the time. But when I started selling them to other women and they would read it, I could see clearly how they also related it to their own lives. And not only to their own lives, but maybe they knew someone who was in that kind of situation that this would be a motivational gift for them. This would have meaning to them. So some of the candles, like the She is Brave candle, which I actually wrote about my move from Wisconsin to California. That was the first candle that I wrote. I've had people gift that to, you know, people going through a divorce or people going through actually a cancer scare, things like that. So it's these are very meaningful candles because to me it meant something, but now I could see it also meant something to others.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

Yeah. And I think that's such a great lesson for everyone who's starting their business right now, is to really think about the meaning behind what you're doing because your product, your service is so much more than just simply that product or service. It can change people's lives. It can give a boost, it can make people happy, it can make people feel good about themselves, whatever it is. And so I love that that's what it meant for you, not only the sense and creating this space at home with the great sense, but also the reminders of the quotes and the poems that you said you wrote. I think that is so extra special. How were you actually doing this? You mentioned that you put those on the labels and I have my candle here, which I love. And it says strong and it's beautiful. And I'm sitting here looking at it, going, you designed all this and you did this because I thought for sure you hired a company to do all that. So tell us about that for those that are willing to try to do it themselves. Tell us how you did that.

SPEAKER_04 10:26

So I knew I had a vision. I knew I wanted my candleline to be different and unique. And I chose the colors and design very specifically and intentionally. I have gold vessels, so the gold jars that the candles come in, because at that time I felt like I wanted to be bold. So I wanted my candlelight to be bold. I wanted it to stick out, and I wanted it to be a statement piece because when someone has that in their home, I want them to pass it and see it and read it every day, you know? So, like when you're maybe going through a hard time, having a hard moment, it catches your eye probably at the moment that you need to see it. So that's where the black and gold comes from. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

So, how many cents did you start with?

SPEAKER_04 11:16

So I have six. I have six cents.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

And I love that. So many business owners who are making products. I'm just gonna give a side note here, is that I've seen this, they go haywire and have like a million cents or a million styles or 12 styles or 16. And I love that you just had that intuition to start with six. Genius, way to go. Did you test other ones and always just keep it at six? Or was it like, I here's the six, and these are the six that I'm doing? Like, how did you come up with those six?

SPEAKER_04 11:47

So it did start out with five, and those are the ones I wrote for myself. And the last one that I wrote, it is called She is a Warrior. And that one I actually wrote about my mom. The more I learned her story and learned about her life, and saw her as a woman and not my mom. And that's the last one that I wrote.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Oh my gosh, that makes me want to tear up. That's so sweet. It's such a great way to honor her. And then that message to others who are fighting battles of their own, whatever it is in their life. I mean, for you, you've fought your own battles, being a single mom, moving across the country, then all of a sudden having the pandemic and you know, working a full-time job, now starting this business. So you've got these candles that mean so much. You you make the labels. How did you make the labels? Did you do them yourself, like on Canva, or what did you do? We need to know. Yes.

SPEAKER_04 12:41

I had to learn how to use Canva because I'd never used Canva before. So that was another thing that I had to learn. I mean, this whole entire thing was a learning process. I had no idea what I was doing. But all I did was just take it one step at a time. And okay, I knew I had to pick a jar. I knew I had to pick a certain kind of wax because there's lots of different kinds of wax. I knew I needed scents. So now I have to not do all of them and just do a couple, you know. And then I had to pick my wick. So now I have to design my labels. I have to learn how to design my labels. So I know, like when as a new business owner, everything can seem overwhelming because there's so much, but you really just taking it a step at a time is what helps you get to the finish line.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Wow. Wow. So you're figuring out the wicks, you're figuring out the waxes, you're making the labels on Canva. So were you just ordering from websites? I mean, if this is during the pandemic, I'm thinking you had to do that, or were you going to physical stores? What exactly were you doing to obtain all these things to test?

The Science Behind Great Candles

SPEAKER_04 13:44

I actually started joining Facebook groups, like candle making Facebook groups, and I started ordering sample scents. I started ordering sample waxes just from different suppliers, candle suppliers, and just testing everything. Literally, I it took me 10 months to perfect my candle the way I wanted it, because there's so much science in it that I didn't realize, and I think a lot of people don't realize.

SPEAKER_03 14:13

No. Um we have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

We have no idea. Tell us, tell us the science. What is it that's so scientific?

SPEAKER_04 14:21

Yeah, and math, all of it. Yeah. Yeah. So because everything burns differently together. So different waxes burn different with different size wicks and different kinds of wicks. There's wooden wicks, which I chose because I love the crackling sound. So all of my wicks are crackling wooden wicks. There's hemp wicks, there's zinc wicks, there's cotton wicks, you know, and then there's soy wax and there's beeswax. So every time you change one component, you have to test it. And there's different size vessels, so the candle jars, and they're gonna need different size wicks, and they're going to need certain amount of fragrance oil. So yeah, there's a lot. There's a lot that goes into it.

Online Sales And Vendor Market Lessons

SPEAKER_01 15:06

Yeah, more than we even realize. Well, the candles are so beautiful, by the way. They're just, I don't know, they just feel so substantial and they look, they look so strong. Like to me, when I look at it, I'm like, it looks, it's just beautiful and such a great reminder to have out. And what a great gift, too. I bought mine years ago from you, and I've had it out in this podcast room ever since. So I love it so much. It's a reminder of people like you that really turn that passion into something special and that you've been on this journey. So I think that's amazing. So you start selling online. Is that the first step since it was the pandemic? Are you just selling online or do you start immediately doing something locally?

SPEAKER_04 15:43

So I started online and then I started doing vendor events, so markets that were outside. And in California, they pretty much could have them year-round. And what I started doing was actually doing markets from Thursday through Sunday. So every Thursday through Sunday, I would go do markets and I would drive up to two hours away. And these are cities I've never been to, and you know, markets I've never heard of. So this is really just trial and error trying to figure it out, trying to figure out how how many candles do I take. I didn't know. I mean, I know that that's one of the things that I everybody's first market, they're like, how much product do I take? Like, what's too much? What's too little? I don't want to, I don't want to sell out because obviously if you can sell more, you want to sell more. But I also don't want to not to like have too much and because it's an upfront investment for us. So that is all it was all trial trial and error. And then every market is going to be different. Every geographical location is going to be different. And so that's really just just trial and error figuring it out, going and seeing. And then and then actually different geographical area cut areas, they like certain scents, which I thought was so interesting. So I would sell more of a certain scent in different areas. And I just thought that was interesting.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Yeah, that is that is fascinating. Like, so you mean like even just different cities within California or different markets, maybe because it drew in different types of people and they had that's fascinating.

SPEAKER_04 17:20

Yeah, like earthy. So like some people like the earthy, some people like the more masculine, or some people like the more like the rose and and floral sense. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Yeah, that's so much fun. So, what is your son doing all of this time that you are going on the weekends?

SPEAKER_04 17:36

He's coming with me and he's learning how business. Oh my gosh, this is wonderful. He's gonna know so much about entrepreneurship. Thursday through Sunday, he would come with me to the markets. He was still little, so he did what he could, you know. He definitely loved hanging around the market and buying the food and drinks and things like that. But he literally grew up going to the markets with me. I was doing that for almost five years there. Um so then now, you know, I homeschool my son. I've been homeschooling him for a couple of years, and he loves business. He started his own business. He started his t-shirt designing business. Oh my goodness. Yeah, he was learning how to use Canva the way that I had to learn how to use Canva. He learned that. He learned how to design and then put them on his shirts and then be able to sell them online. And, you know, one day he wants to open his own restaurant. And we really just just like just play around with different business ideas and what he likes. And as he gets older, you know, it does change, and that's fine. He can try a bunch of different businesses if he likes. You know, one of the things I had to learn was pivoting. So he's going, that's a lesson he's learning too. Like, you know, if this is not working out anymore, it's okay to pivot and do something else.

SPEAKER_03 18:56

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

So, I mean, to me, that is an amazing education. So you're not only homeschooling and learning, you know, he's learning the curriculum that that they should learn in school. What grade is he in now, by the way?

SPEAKER_04 19:11

He's in fifth.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

He's in fifth grade. Okay, so you've been doing this for a few years. You've been still managing your job as an ultrasound tech, which you love, right? And you're doing that. And how how do you fit this in your daily schedule? What does that look like? I'm trying to imagine this.

SPEAKER_04 19:26

I know. So over the years, what I did is I was doing ultrasound full time 40 hours a week. Then I started trying to figure out how I can get into business more, but I know I'm not going to be making money out with the business. That's going to take a while. So I do still need my job. So over the years, I've started working less and less in my job. So I went from 40 hours to 32 hours. And then I was able to go start doing these travel jobs. And basically, with travel jobs, you take 13-week assignments at a time. So I could make more money doing 13-week assignments. And then I was able to take a couple months off in between assignments. And in those couple months off is where I really went hardcore with my business. So that's the first strategy that I used. Now and then I would now I'm actually working part-time two nights a week. So it's basically just little by little kind of cutting out the job portion and doing more business to now where I'm able to schedule my entire life around my business, including my job. So the job that I have now, I work Wednesday and Thursday nights, and I have the whole weekend to be my store now. And I have, you know, other days during the week where I can just do admin things and calls and meetings and schedule things like that. So right now, my life is mostly business and a little bit of job still, you know, until I can work my way to quitting it 100%. So even with that, it's just like one step at a time, one step at a time.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

Yes, that's a lot. So when you say you work nights, what does that mean?

SPEAKER_04 21:18

Yeah. So I work third shifts, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Yeah. 12 12 hour shifts overnight. It's not easy, but it's my sacrifice for right now. And it's better than 40 hours a week.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

It's way better. It's way better. Wait, so where is your son when you're gone at work from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.?

SPEAKER_04 21:40

So the reason I chose to do third shift, which is overnight, is because childcare is so much easier at bedtime, right? So now that I'm back in Wisconsin, I have my support system here. So he goes to grandma's to sleep, and then I pick him up in the morning, and that's made it so much easier. So, you know, every time. Time I find myself in a hard situation, I think that instead of just throwing in the towel and giving up and saying everything's so hard, you just it's just figuring out how to make it work for you and how to honestly strategize your life in the way you need it to work for you.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

Because not everybody's the same. It's so true. Well, it sounds like you've done that. Like you've been able to go to two nights a week working, but they're 12-hour shifts, but it's wonderful. You have grandmother's house for him to sleep at, which is such a blessing. Oh my goodness. And that then you can pick him up. So when you pick him up at 7 a.m., do you go to bed or like what happens? I just I'm dying to know. We do homeschool. So you're still up and you're doing homeschool. How are you doing this? I don't get it.

SPEAKER_04 22:48

A lot of determination, a lot of coffee.

SPEAKER_01 22:51

I was gonna say there's gotta be some coffee or something in Black. Whatever it is, I needed to know what the secret, what it is. So you'll do homeschool for however many hours, and then do you go to bed? Or when you go to bed? Okay, then you go to bed.

SPEAKER_04 23:03

I do, I do answer a couple emails and then go to bed and then I go to bed. But but yeah, I I I have a vision. I know what my goals are, and I just see that. And I I do what I have to do to get there. And I know right now it's all temporary. So the hard is just temporary because over the years it's gotten a little bit easier. Different parts have gotten easier, and I'm okay with that, and I'm comfortable with that. So I'm not afraid of the difficult anymore. I'm not afraid of hard, the hard things anymore because I know it's for a reason, and eventually it all ends up working out for me. Because if I look back where I started to where I am now, it all happened the way it was supposed to.

SPEAKER_03 23:47

Yeah.

Finding The Midwest Market Booth

SPEAKER_01 23:48

I mean, you are definitely driven and you are scheduling your life in a way that works for you and to be able to accomplish the goals that you have. I hope everyone hears that and understands that because I think a lot of times we fall into the trap of like doing what either the world expects or what we think we should be doing versus how do we structure our life intentionally to be able to do these things. So I love that you've done that. So I know you had your, you were doing the markets, you have your online store, and then I'd love for you to share what happens next because this is so exciting.

SPEAKER_04 24:23

So I came home to Wisconsin to visit family, and my aunt says to me, There's this cute place here. It's like a market where there's all these businesses, they have their own little storefronts. You should check it out. And I was like, Well, you know, I'm still living in California, so I'm just like, Well, why would I do that? And I said, Okay, well, let me just go look. That sounds cute. Let me just go see it. And I go into this place, it's called the Midwest Market. So it's actually an old pick and save. And for us here, the pick and save is a grocery store. Okay. So it was a huge grocery store, and they transformed it into like over 50 small storefronts. And so every person can design it the way that they want, like their own little shop. It's super cool. Oh my goodness. But then it's like still in the open where people can walk around. There's food, there's drinks, there's a coffee shop, there's boba shop, there's a full bar, there's like so many things to do. So you eat, drink, walk around, shop with friends. You literally can spend hours there. You spend the day there. And I thought it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. And I fell in love. And I was like, okay, well, let me just talk to the manager. Let me just ask, you know, let me just ask about this. And it was literally a dollar per square foot. And when she said that, I was like, okay, I'm living this California life where I know what it costs to open a store in California. And I was like, and I know how long that would take me if I wanted to do that in California. So I said, you know, that's like really doable for me right now. So then I was like, I actually I signed a lease that day. I just signed the lease. That day.

SPEAKER_03 26:10

But wait, you were living in California.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Yeah, you're living in California. You come to visit, your aunt says there's this store that you needed to check out, this place, and the Midwest Market, and you look and your eyes just must have lit up in a dollar a square foot. So I'm doing the math. My husband and I, our first apartment in New York City after we got married was 440 square feet. So I want to know, I think you had mentioned prior when we had talked that it was like 400 square feet was the area. Is that right? 400 square feet. So that's a good size. So what all did you have in there to fill the space? Like what was your vision for that?

SPEAKER_04 26:49

So it started as just a candle shop with my empowerment line, my candles. I had, you know, uh car diffusers, read diffusers, and I actually had it was all it was an a woman empowerment store. Like it, I my signs said empower women. I had like inspirational wallpaper that said like really inspirational quotes. So it was super like womanly. Like it was so it was so cute. It was all black and gold. And so people came in there and they would be like, wow, this is really cute. Like I had a vision, I made it happen, and I know how I wanted people to feel when they came in there. And so that's what I created. I had my inspirational quotes everywhere on t-shirts, on mugs, on tote bags, on sweaters, so things like that. So that's that's what it was. That's how it started.

SPEAKER_01 27:44

Oh my goodness. So you have this booth, and then, but you're living in California. So how are you managing that business from afar and what happens next?

SPEAKER_04 27:53

So then I said, okay, this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna hire employees, I'm gonna teach them how to run it so that I can go back to California. And that's just what I'm gonna do. And what ends up happening is I fell in love with the store. I ended up well, because I I ended up getting a travel job. So I did a 13-week assignment. I was like, okay, well, let me just stay here for like 13 weeks while I get this together, you know. And then I just fell in love with what the store brought to people. People came in and it just felt like a healing place. It felt like a happy place. And I fought I've met so many new people and made so many connections, and I I just fell in love with that feeling. And I and I I ended up staying basically. I didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

You were like, I'm ready to come back to Wisconsin.

Pivoting Into Workshops And The Candle Bar

SPEAKER_04 28:46

I was like, well, this is my life now. I I love it. So so yeah, and then what happened after that is I had that store for about a year, and then I started noticing that a lot of the businesses that I came up with through the pandemic, I felt like we like grew up together and are, you know, starting our businesses. Yeah. Everybody was trying to start a business during the pandemic. Yeah. I started that watching them like closing their businesses and just like seeing the announcements on Instagram and Facebook and just saying, you know, like, you know, I'm closing my business. And like every time I saw that, it just broke my heart. I I know what it takes to build a business, and like that's our baby. Like when you build a business that like you put so much of yourself into that, and it means so much to you. So for someone to make the decision to say it's it's over, basically, like this is the end of the road, like I know what it takes to make that decision, and I know how hard that is. So I I hated seeing that and it it just made me really sad. So then I started, just because like some of these businesses I've felt like I grew up with along the way because we were in a lot of the same groups, you know. Right. Um, I I was I had a little bit of fear. It gave me a little bit of fear, like I'm next because I just started seeing it happen to other people, and I I said, I'm I'm not gonna be next. I it's not gonna be me. So I that's where I started the idea to pivot. And I said, I need to do more. Like I need to expand somehow. So I started thinking about teaching other women how to make their own empowerment candles. And basically I held candle making workshops. So I taught them my process of how I came up with my ideas and I created my empowerment candles for me. And then I literally would have them like do a little bit of journaling about themselves. How do they want to feel when they burn their candle, when they look at their candle, when they smell their candle? Wow. You got kind of deep here with the thoughts when they created their candles. Yeah. And so they would put their own inspirational quotes on them. They would, you know, use like motivational stickers or just writing their own words on there. And that's how, that's how the candle workshops started.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

Okay. So you start these candle workshops and you start or do you start like marketing to groups or you spread the word? How do you get it so that you get a chunk of people in? Because obviously, from a business standpoint, this is genius, right? To be able to have groups come in. How did that shift in the way you talked about your business or how you marketed it? What did you start doing?

SPEAKER_04 31:30

So I actually tested this out on family and friends first. And from there is how it grew because I was able to use that group to promote it. And then they would tell their friends, they would tell their family, and it literally spread by word of mouth. Like for me, everything has been so organic, and it's just kind of always aligned the way that it was supposed to. And you know, Racine is not the biggest city, you know, it's a smaller city. So everything kind of does flow through word of mouth here.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

Right. So it just started catching on. So you did it with friends and family. And what'd you do? Like host a little workshop. And I don't even want to say a little workshop because it wasn't little, it was amazing that you started this. So you host the event where they can come and make their own candles and you're kind of testing out like the process of how you handle a group of people and the process that you're taking them through. Was that like a learning thing of like, okay, how do I actually teach this versus doing it myself?

SPEAKER_04 32:32

Yes. Because now I'm not just behind the scenes selling a product. Now, now I'm a teacher and I'm I'm becoming a leader because I'm leading this group. And so that that was another learning curve, you know, for me. Being able to talk in front of people and speak in front of people. Because with the candle line, I was kind of able to be a little bit behind the scenes online with my online story. So yeah, and then just trying to get people to open up to be able to pour into this candle what I want them to pour into the candle because it's how I I made mine. So yeah, from that, from there, the workshop started taking off, and people started asking about like other kinds of candles to make. And so that's where I started looking for other different kinds of vessels, other different kinds of themes. So I would start doing like Christmas candle workshops and like different summer themes, things like that. Then people would start booking their own parties. So now we're doing candle making parties. So it just really grew from there. And then there was this idea of having a candle bar. And so now I'm my business is actually called Ambitious Vibes Candle Bar because we actually built a bar where you can come sit down and we're pouring your shots, which are fragrance oil shots. So whatever scents that you pick, we're mixing it for you. We're pouring your shot, and you you're mixing and pouring your candle at the bar. So it's, you know, just a different plan. Yeah. Candle bar thing.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

Yeah, you're kind of bellying up to the bar and ready to make some candles and pick your own little concoction, right? Yeah. And figure it out. I can just, I can just see it. I don't know. I love the thought of that of creating the candle bar. And so did you start feeling like, wow, I like this direction of having the candles that I've made with all the meaning, right? Your sixth cents, your sixth core, like these are your signature scents, but then the ability for them to customize. What are you feeling at this time? Like, whoa.

SPEAKER_04 34:41

Yeah. So I knew that I wanted to do like a whole women empowerment candleline when I started my candleline. Now all of a sudden it felt like I was doing the empowerment in a different kind of way because now it started becoming community. So now women would come into my space, hang out together, laugh, have fun. They're so joyful. And like they leave with this candle that represents like a memory of the good time they just had right there in my shop. And I fell in love with that. So now I'm like, this giving this experience to other people is so amazing. It felt so good because you don't know what these women coming in are feeling before they come in. You don't know what they have to go to when they're leaving, but at least you know, like for that hour or two in that shop, like you gave them so much joy and they leave with a memory of the experience that they had there.

SPEAKER_01 35:37

Wow. Yeah, that vision of these women coming in. I love that you shared that. That's what's just so cool about you and your business is that you really see the deeper meaning behind everything and make it that. And you're unapologetically, you know, promoting that empowerment and you know that everyone's going through things and that this can be an outlet. This can be this escape from everything that's going on in our lives. And who knew that a candle making process could do that for people, but it can. So for everyone listening, whatever you're offering, realize this from what Anna Lisa is sharing is that everything has this deeper meaning and that you should really, what is that? Just treasure the moment someone is coming to you and what a gift that is that you get to help shape their lives in some way. And it can be through a product. It can be through a product such as a candle, it can be through coaching, something like I've done life coaching, career coaching, relationship coaching. We're changing lives in all sorts of ways, maybe in small ways where it's an escape for a little while where they make a candle, or it can be like helping them obviously start a business or do something else like that. So I just hope that everyone really sits and almost meditates on that to realize the impact that you can have on lives. So I'm envisioning these women coming in, they're making the candles, they're having these fun events, these this escape, they walk home now empowered, you know, with this candle that they've made and had this great time, this community feel that. And by the way, as another side note, having a business that builds community in a way, I think is so key right now. Everyone feels so disconnected. Do you get a lot of good feedback on that?

SPEAKER_04 37:22

That's absolutely there is women that have become friends just from coming to the candle shops together that they didn't know each other before. And it's literally creating community in our city.

SPEAKER_01 37:35

That's so special. And you're a part of that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:39

You're a part of that. And they just have so much fun with other other people there.

SPEAKER_01 37:47

Oh, that is so touching. That is really touching. That's awesome. So you so you have this candle bar now. You've you've your your 400 square foot booth. It's now a candle bar and it's an ambitious vibes candle company and or candle bar. Candle bar. Is that right? Okay, candle bar. And now, so what is happening next? So you have that in Racine and that's going on. Then what's next?

Outgrowing The Space And Choosing Downtown

SPEAKER_04 38:12

So now I was at the point where the candle business was growing so fast and so much, my events would like overflow because remember, I had a 400 square foot space. I would throw these big events and specials, and people would have to wait outside because I only had so many, so much space inside, and they would have to wait. And it it became like, okay, I'm outgrowing this place. Like this is it's exciting, you know, but it's kind of like something has to change because I don't like having to make people wait or, you know. Um so that's where I'm like, I need my own storefront. I want my own storefront. And that's just like when something is in my brain, I'm I become like obsessed with it. Like, okay, this is my next venture. So now this is where we're going now. I'm gonna have a storefront. I don't know how. I've never like I'm this is gonna be a new learning process again. So, like if you notice the trend here, there's always a new learning process, especially in entrepreneurship business. You're never gonna know everything because there's always new twists and turns to take and new things to learn. So now I'm just like, well, I don't know how to get a storefront, but I'm gonna get one.

SPEAKER_01 39:26

Yeah. You're like, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna get, I don't know how this is gonna happen. And so you you have this moment where you're like, I gotta get it, I gotta get a storefront. Like, I want my own actual location.

SPEAKER_04 39:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:37

So then what?

SPEAKER_04 39:38

So then I actually joined a business group that the city was hosting. So the city was hosting a small business like mentorship group for the small businesses in Racine. Okay. So I joined that because again, I'm like, this is a perfect opportunity to learn and to, you know, become a part of a group that can help me figure it out. Be there's a lot of mentors in this group, and that's that's how I learned that's how I learned this part. So I joined this group, and the first day they say, they ask you, what do you hope to get out of this? And I said, I want my own storefront.

SPEAKER_01 40:23

So you just put it out there. You're like, I want my own storefront, and everyone's just looking, okay, awesome. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:29

So and well, and then we're all like small business. It's so funny. Yeah. I'm just like, that's what I want.

SPEAKER_01 40:34

That's why that's I'm gonna just say it and be honest, and we're I'm gonna put it out there.

SPEAKER_04 40:39

Yeah. And then actually there was another person in the group, and he said, I have a storefront for you. And I I looked at him and like, are you serious? Like, are you say just saying, like, are you is this a joke? Like, right, right, right, right. Like, don't joke with me. Yes, yes. And so no, he's like, really? He's like, my tenants just moved out. I have a place for you. And I was like, wow, okay. So we talked about it later. And I went to go see the space, and I was so excited. And then he's like, It's yours, you can have it. He was giving me like an amazing price for it, amazing deal, because you know, when I was in the 400 square foot space, I'm paying 400 square foot money, you know. And now me trying to get a bigger storefront, that's gonna cost a lot more money in my own, you know, location. So I didn't really know how I was gonna pay for that either. And he's like, I'll give it to you for half the price of rent. And I was like, wow, like this is really, you know, working out the way I wanted it to. So I was really excited, and then that process actually ended up happening over a couple months, and I I was at the point where like I need a lease, and I'm like, okay, I have to like I want to get in here and start getting started.

SPEAKER_01 41:58

Yeah, we got to get this train moving.

SPEAKER_04 42:00

Yeah. So what ended up happening is the deal fell through and the place fell through. Okay. And now this was months in the in the making. Like I I was ready. Like, I'm like, okay, I need I'm doing this, I'm gonna do this. I, you know, I was planning for this move and I was so excited. And I was telling everybody because I was like, I it's happening, it's happening. And then it it felt like the rug kind of got pulled from underneath me because now this deal fell through and I was like, well, well, now what? Because to me, it was I would I would stay at the market and I felt like that was playing it small for me. I felt like I was staying small and I I was just so past that. I was ready to like grow and expand. And I felt like if I stayed there another year, because now at this moment, the the market is saying, hey, your lease is up, like we need to know if you're going to extend it or not. And I was like, if I extend this, I just felt like I wouldn't be doing myself a service. I would do be doing myself a disservice by staying there because I was ready. I was ready to grow and I was ready to keep going, you know. Right. So I ended up just kind of like searching and looking for other story fronts. Everything was so expensive and I knew I wanted to be downtown. Like, I don't know, in my heart and soul, I and everybody's like, well, it's so expensive downtown. Why don't you just look in this area or that area? And I'm like, because when I see my vision, I'm not there, I'm in downtown.

SPEAKER_01 43:30

Like I just love that. I love that. It really, and not doubting your vision, right? And being like, no, I am picturing my store on Main Street there in downtown, and that's where it belongs. And I think everyone listening, if you have a vision, like stick with that and see what you can do to make that happen and don't settle. So I love that. So now, okay, the deal falls through, and you're like, okay, how how am I gonna get downtown? How am I gonna do that?

SPEAKER_04 43:56

So I I just started reaching out to like vacant. Owners of the business storefronts. And I reached out to this one and he said that he looked up my business and he's like, I love this concept. It's so cool. This would be so cool to have in downtown Racine. And I said, basically told him I couldn't actually afford what he was charging.

SPEAKER_01 44:20

Oh, okay. So this was someone who owned, he was like the owner of the spot that was gonna be renting it. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 44:27

And I said, look, I'm coming from this 400 square foot space that was inside of a market where basically I just paid them rent every month, and that's that's it. You know, it was it was easy. And now here I'm gonna be doing everything on my own. He was talking to me about triple net leases, and I'm just like, what is that? Like I have now I'm dealing with new lingo.

unknown 44:49

Yeah.

Negotiating A Main Street Lease

SPEAKER_04 44:49

I'm like Googling all this stuff. And now at this point, ChatGBT, like, what is this? What does this mean? Like so now I'm learning about new things again and building permits and occupancy and like all these licenses. And I'm like, okay, this is it, it's it is overwhelming because everything's always overwhelming when it's new. But again, I've been through this how many times before? You know what I mean? Like, this is just part of the journey. Now it's just a a new set of things to learn. So I actually I negotiated with him because that's something that I learned throughout having like these years of business. I learned how to negotiate and not just take it for what it is. And he's saying, okay, it's cost this much. Well, that place was vacant for over a year. So he also needs someone to be in there just as much as I need a space.

SPEAKER_01 45:42

Yes, yes, yes, yes. You both have a leverage. He he has a sense of urgency and you've got a little leverage here.

SPEAKER_04 45:48

Right. So I said, okay, I actually the things that I asked for, I never thought he would say yes to. I was just trying to say, okay, if I ask for lower or I ask for this, maybe then he'll come back with this, you know. Right. Right. So I what I offered, he ended up saying yes to everything. He said yes to everything and more. And I was like, really?

SPEAKER_03 46:15

Really?

SPEAKER_01 46:15

Like excuse me. Really? I just I know my husband always said if says if you don't A S K, you don't G E T. So you have to. So you have to. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 46:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 46:28

So you're willing and willing.

SPEAKER_04 46:30

And it happened so fast. And this space, now that's a whole part of like learning like something doesn't work out because there's something better for you. Now this space is like directly on Main Street. This is an amazing location. There's like brick walls in there. It's so gorgeous. And it's huge, it's bigger. Like it was even better than what I've envisioned for the, you know, the like the first location that I I thought I was getting was amazing. But this one, I was like, this is me. Like, this is ambitious vibes, like this is what it was meant to be. And so that's part of like the learning, also, is that you don't know what's not working out because something else is working out better for you. Something else coming. So other things have to fall apart for something else to come together. And sometimes you don't know what that is. So all you're kind of thinking is like, oh, this it's not working out the way I want it to. But like as I look at my journey, this whole entrepreneurial process, like I started where I started is not where I ended. And that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 47:39

Yeah, that's so true. Yeah. And sometimes you need that start. That's what's gonna actually get you to where you want to go. And sometimes we feel weird about it. It's difficult, it's scary. What are people gonna think? Am I gonna fail? Am I gonna lose money? Speaking of money, how much did you invest? I know this is like off the subject all of a sudden, but I'm like, when you started, just for people listening that are thinking, like, how that would take me so much money to get started. And to I know you had to test all the wicks and the wax and all the vessels and and all that stuff, but how much did you spend back in 2020, 21, 2021, if I can say it, when you were starting then? How much money do you think? I don't know if you mind sharing, but this is just good information for others who are starting. How much did you did you have to invest thousands and thousands, like$10,000? Like what'd you have to do?

SPEAKER_04 48:27

My budget was$500. That's what I started with.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

Five hundred dollars. Is everyone hearing this right now? Okay, so where did this$500 go, which is now turning into your own store on Main Street? But what was this$500 spent on in the very beginning?

SPEAKER_04 48:45

Ordering different waxes, different scents, different vessels. And this was all just for testing. And once I got it down perfectly and I got the perfect candle, then I could start selling and start making that money back.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Okay. So you start, you start with what you can, you design it on Canva. How did you get your labels printed? Like how where how where'd you print those?

SPEAKER_04 49:09

Oh, I just Googled like print label printers, and I just took the first one that I saw. And I well, I wanted gold. So I had to find people who could print gold. And that was like another thing because not everybody was printing like metallic gold. So literally, I mean, Google was my Google YouTube, that was my CFF back then.

unknown 49:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 49:30

I mean, now we have chat GBT, but like back then you just yeah, and it was funny.

SPEAKER_01 49:36

Yeah, we're saying back then it was just a very all that's what's crazy, is that I have seen this evolution and I know you have too. And the way that we're running our businesses has changed so much in the last five years. It's absolutely insane. What we're doing then with Google it is now Chat GBT and you know, all the AI. So anyway, so you start with$500, which I think is amazing and smart, and you start with that, and then are you just able to parlay that money? You keep taking the revenue from what you're selling and putting it back into the business. Exactly. That's what you're doing. You're just going, now are you taking in the beginning, were you taking profit? I know you were still working full time. So was all the like 100% of the money going back into the business? Did you have a certain percentage that you kept, or how did you manage that?

SPEAKER_04 50:24

No, so I wasn't paying myself for a long time. A lot of the money was going back into the business. Okay. It wasn't until I started basically making a name for myself. So when I'm going back to these, these vendor shows, people start recognizing you. And I feel like you start gaining their trust and they start uh, you know, recognizing you. So they come back. And that's what kind of created my my custom my customer base. Like that's how I got my customer base is just coming back, talking to the same people, and then going back to the same shows. And so then my money was now going into obviously gas and then just the payments. So the vendor booth fees. Yes. So it was just kind of like a cycle for a while. Right. Right. All the money that I made from there, I would pay for another booth fee until I could start paying myself a little bit at a time.

SPEAKER_01 51:23

That's great. And you've been able to go part-time with your work. Is that right? That is an amazing. So we need to give a round of applause for that. That you were able to go part-time with that. So the money's going back into the business, but now, okay, so now you're you've you've secured a lease for this store on Main Street. It has not opened yet. It's opening in May of 2026. Is that right? Do you have a first date? May 1st. May 1st. Oh my gosh. Grand opening. What are you doing? Are you having like a grand opening or what are you planning?

SPEAKER_04 51:53

I'm having a grand opening, ribbon cutting, all the good things.

SPEAKER_01 51:57

Oh my. So you're having to manage all of this as well? All this marketing of the opening?

SPEAKER_04 52:02

I I am in the thick of it right now. Like there's like weeks to go.

SPEAKER_01 52:07

I know. It's like planning for a wedding or something. You're like, oh my gosh, we got to get all the miss all the pieces working and making sure everything's aligned. So you get a lease. Now, are you having to take out a loan? Not to be like totally nosy, but like for people that are listening, are you having to take out a loan now to be able to take this next step? Or are you taking the profits and just like here we go?

New Revenue Streams Through Collaborations

SPEAKER_04 52:30

So actually, this is what I did. All of the money I had was going into like first month's rent and down payment and you know, all of the things that I needed ahead of time to get the space. Okay. So by then, okay, so I signed the lease and I think it I just thought it was like a funniest thing. I signed it and then I'm kind of looking like, okay, now what? Like I have this space now what? Because I I all I knew was that I needed a storefront because I wanted a storefront. I got my storefront, and then it's like, okay, now what? You know what I mean? Like right, right. What's the next step? Now I have to figure out the next step. And and that's what I I mean by telling, like when I tell people, like, you don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to know exactly where you're going. You just have to take a step, just take any step. And then a lot of times you don't even know what what you don't know until you're there. You know what I mean? So then I have this storefront and I'm I'm I'm standing there in this storefront looking around, like, wow, like this is mine. Okay, what do we do next? So I was also like, how am I gonna afford this? Because realistically, it was like, it's like triple at least triple what I was paying. So it's like, how am I gonna sustain this? And me, I start going into like like problem solving mode. And so I'm trying to come up with all these different strategies, like, okay, I can do this, I can do this, like how am I gonna make money to cover rent? So actually I came up with this plan. So when I was in the market, we could only be open certain hours and certain days. We could only be open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and like a couple hours a day. So now I'm at my own space where I have all week that I can be open 24 hours. Like it's I can be open whenever I want, right? So realistically, I wasn't going to be open every single day. So now what I'm doing is Wednesdays and Thursdays, which I assume will be slower because the weekends are going to be busier with the candle making with customers and parties and things like that. What during the week will probably be a little bit slower. So what I'm doing with that is I have met so many other business owners in this process that don't have their own storefront. They don't have their own space. So I'm pretty much like, okay, you can host your event in my space. And now I'm offering my customers another thing to do besides candle making. Now my gosh, I love this. I'm partnering with cookie decorating, cake decorating, like floral arranging, charcuterie board making, I mean, painting, paint and sips. So now my customers have this space where you can go and just you can do anything. I mean, you can come throughout the week and do all different kinds of things, all different kinds of workshops, all different kinds of classes. It's not just a candle anymore.

SPEAKER_01 55:30

My goodness. And it becomes almost this community hub of like fun stuff to do. This is absolutely brilliant. It's another revenue stream. It's like you keep inventing these new revenue streams, and it's totally genius. So, what made you think to do that? Did you start thinking, oh, I should collaborate? And then all of a sudden, like, was there an aha moment on this, or it just kind of evolved already into this?

SPEAKER_04 55:53

Well, it evolved because when I was in the Midwest market, I was already collaborating with other business owners because I thought, okay, to me, I felt like I think doing the same thing over and over, like repetitive, gets a little tedious to me. And so I'm always trying to come up with more fun ways for my customers to experience my business. So I would do patent sips with candle making because when you do candle making, it takes about at least an hour for the candle to cool. So I'm like, in that time that the candle is cooling, what else could they do? And that's where they would do their painting. Or, you know, I've I brought like so many other like businesses to do floral arrangements or for Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, they do like a couple of different projects. So it's I was already collaborating with those people in the market. And so now I have this space where you can host your own workshops and like we're gonna partner in this now because I can help you, you can help my customers, and we're all helping each other. And this is now we have a huge community here of business owners, of customers, of you know, just people in the community coming together, having fun, having a place to hang out. Because actually in Racine where we live, usually to do something fun, a lot of people will end up going to the bigger cities, which is like Milwaukee or Chicago or Lake Geneva, to do fun stuff. And so I'm just so excited to be able to bring this to downtown Racine, where we can have that in our own city and they don't have to travel anywhere. And now we're creating this community right there in my hometown.

SPEAKER_01 57:34

I love this so much. I didn't, when we had talked before this episode, I didn't realize that you were doing that piece. And I think it's genius, and I think it's beautiful because I think it's bringing people together in the way that we all are desiring right now and trying to find like something fun to do in the community, besides sitting at home and watching Netflix or whatever. And like I told you too, like my husband and I started playing pickleball, and like that's a way we've found community too. And I think people are yearning for this. And would you believe, like when we go play pickleball, we see the same people all the time. It's almost like I would joke, it's like the show friends. Like you show up, it's the same characters, it's the usual suspects every time. Everyone is there on the evenings. You can show up and do it. And it's like, for you, it's gonna be like, what's next? What are, you know, what is she holding at the candle bar this week? Like, I need a calendar. I mean, you could have a Facebook group of the calendar of events coming and start booking. I mean, people could have showers there. They could have, I was thinking my daughter's in NCL, which is a mother-daughter volunteer organization, and we're always looking for cool things to do for the girls to do, or us to do. Like, I'm thinking for for young girls, for for anyone, anyone, men too, who love to make candles. There are men who love candles.

SPEAKER_04 58:47

So we have a lot of men actually come.

SPEAKER_01 58:49

Yeah, yeah. And so there's just so much, there's so much opportunity. Do you feel like are you feeling this like momentum that I'm seeing here for you?

SPEAKER_04 59:00

Like I I literally, I like when I talk about how my journey started, I thought my goal was to do what everybody else was doing. Like, okay, the goal is to get my candles in these big box stores. Everybody wanted to be in Target. And, you know, like that's the goal because that's what we're all trying to do. And then I realized I wanted something more than that. I wanted something deeper than that. This this candle line is not just a product to me, like it means something. And that's where, like, I mean, it evolved into what it was supposed to be. This is not supposed to be just something that sits on the shelf. This is supposed to be community. This is supposed to be purpose, you know, bringing something to life here. And that's what it turned out to be. And that's why I say, like, you don't have to know the end because you don't know where it's gonna go. You don't know where this process is gonna lead you. This whole journey, it's gonna take you on twists and turns, and you're gonna figure it out as you go.

SPEAKER_01 59:57

I love that. It it is. You have to figure it out as you go. I think a lot of us, especially women, like we want everything mapped out and we want this clear path and we want the whole thing. And when you realize too, I love what you said, like that, you know, you don't know exactly where this is gonna lead you. It's gonna take twists and turns, but not being just like everyone else, like you you felt that, like you started seeing them go out of business because they're all doing the same thing in the same lane. And it's like, how can I be in my own lane? And like, how can I do what's really uh speaking to my soul? What is speaking to my soul to take that move? Like what was speaking to you was your own location and then the candle bar, and now the having the your own shop. And it's just, I think it's so awesome. I can't wait to hear about your launch. Now I'm I need to follow this. Is this gonna be on social media? Are you gonna have this somewhere where I can see this and see pictures? What is it? It's gonna be on Instagram or what do what do you share on?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:56

I'm on Facebook, Instagram, Ambitious Vibes Candle Bar, TikTok. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:02

Okay, awesome. What's your handle like on Instagram? I'm gonna have it all b below, but I just would love to share it too. Yes, Ambitious Vibes Candle Bar. Okay, easy enough. Ambitious Vibes Candle Bar. By the way, what are your six signature scents that mean so much to you?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:18

Okay, so I have she is brave, she is beautiful, she is powerful, she is strong, she is a warrior. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:29

I'm missing one. You are? Okay, I have strong. Your mom is a warrior. Brave, strong.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:35

She is ambitious. That was starting my business.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:38

How could we forget that one? Yeah, that one gets lost over when you've got all these other important ones. This is, I mean, this candle is beautiful. This one smells amazing. And you have the poems. Is there one poem that you would like to read? I'd love for you to read one of your poems if something that means something to you. I think that would be really special for everyone to hear because we know that it's from your heart and you wrote it.

Signature Scents Poem And Final Advice

SPEAKER_04 1:02:01

I would love to read She is Brave just because that was the very first one.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:08

And it started my entire journey. I think this is actually perfect for first-time business owners, people just getting started in their jer new journey here. So this is called She Is Brave. With or without fear, she holds her head high as she walks into the light of the fire, unsure of the outcome, but confident in herself. She will face the darkness that comes with the world, knowing that she will shine brighter than ever from the experience.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:37

I love that. That is so pretty. And that's on the candle. So you can see on mine that where it says she is strong. And then it's the poem is here on the back. Were you a writer? Were you a poet before you did this? Or these thoughts just came to your head?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:54

I always loved to write, and I loved poetry when I was younger. And it was something that kind of just came back. It was something I lost over the years as an adult and came back when I was doing this creative process.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:07

I mean, it's so neat. I love too just the imagery of thinking of you, like you said in the beginning in your single mom and your moving states from Wisconsin to California, how you were running away. Like you were literally running away. And when I hear you talk, and when I just see you here on the video, and I'm like, you are running towards the stream now. And you've come full circle. You were running away. Now you're running towards, and you're saying, that's my goal. Like I want to be on Main Street. How can we make that happen? You're negotiating the price. You're trying to figure out other revenue streams. And I just see you running toward it. And I feel like you truly embody all of these awesome candle names that you have. You really are embodying this. And you are a shining example to everyone listening and watching of what's possible, even when life is knocking you down and you're doing it. And I just I commend you for it. And it makes me tear up because I'm just so proud of you.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:06

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:07

I think it's so awesome. So, is there anything else before we go that you would like to share with anyone? Any other lessons, any other piece of advice for people listening who may be thinking about starting a business, maybe they've had a tug at their soul, or maybe they're starting one now and it's challenging, it's hard, and and they're doing it anyways. Is there any piece of advice that you would like to share with the listeners?

SPEAKER_04 1:04:29

Yeah, I think sometimes maybe it feels like I don't know the right time to start, where to start. I started this in the worst place in my life. Like I was in such a dark place. I was struggling. And I started my business in that. And now I cannot believe how far I've come. And it all came from pain. And now it's joy and community and happiness and love. And it's transformed into that over the years. And you do not have to be in the perfect spot to start your business. You don't have to know everything. It's yes, it's hard. It has been hard, but don't be afraid of hard. It's part of the process. And hard is going to pivot you, and hard is going to lead you down the correct paths. So just be open to learning, be open to having fun on the journey and knowing that anything is possible. You just have to start.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:34

I love that. That's amazing. I couldn't have said it better. This has just been so much fun. You're such a joy. And I cannot wait to see the photos and everything and videos that you post of the grand opening. I'm just, I'm so giddy for you, and I'm just so happy for you. I think it's amazing. And if I'm ever in Racine, I'm gonna have to come by. I'm gonna have to swing by and get a camera out and take some photos of this and videos and get to see you in person.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:03

Well, and thank you for being a part. You're literally a part of my journey. You're part of my story. Like you were in that beginning, part of my journey.

Where To Follow And Get Help

SPEAKER_01 1:06:14

That's so sweet. Thank you so much. I know. I think this world is a better place when we all follow that tug at our soul and we do what we feel called to do, right? Because I'm up here because I felt called. And then, you know, maybe my little my my speaking to you and speaking in your ear helped you. And then you go along and you're affecting all these other people and being such a difference. So it's just passing on. And I think that is what's so beautiful and poignant about it. And I'm just so honored to be a part of your journey. And I'm so thankful that you came today. I think you're gonna inspire so many by being here. So thank you so much, Anna Lisa. It's been a joy.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:52

Thank you. Now, this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here. Head on over to Kimberlybrock.com, and yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey. And you know what? You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help you. Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye.