We recently connected with Ashley Nicole Marshall and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley Nicole , appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
A year ago, May 2021, I left the school system. I am a certified teacher for Texas in grades Prek through 6th. I taught for 5 years certified. When Covid hit, I felt a shift coming, just like so many others, to make a career change. I had already established my Candle Company, BellaPearl-A Candles, while working. On the weekends, I was participating in every vendor event I could find. Once I reached the money to pay my expenses every month, I said, okay, I’m walking away from my salaried position. That step is the biggest step, because you are stepping out of a box, stability and comfort. However, That was the best decision I have ever made.
Ashley Nicole , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
BellaPearl-A Candle Company (Get ready to Clutch Your Pearls) was established officially in 2020. I was attending an expo with vendors and bought a candle. I personally wasn’t pleased with my purchase. I then said, “I’m going to make my own to my liking”. BellaPearl-A Candles can fill a 2 story home with just one candle. You can take the lid off and set it in your bathroom unlit and the fragrance will fill up that space. My favorite about the Candles are you can light them for 20 minutes and the fragrance will linger for days. Candles are one of the many ways I try to make someone’s day better. You can find BellaPearl-A Candles @ BellaPearl-A Candles on Facebook and Instagram. The website is Bellapearla.bigcartel.com. Email us @ bellapearla@yahoo.com.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn time. When owning a business, set times don’t exist. You don’t go at 8am and get off at 4pm. Sometimes, I’ll be up working for 18-19 hours. It depends on what needs to be done. Somedays, there is no work.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
This is an ongoing thing with my business choice. When I first started BellaPearl-A, I mentioned vending every weekend. Well, vending slows down depending on the time of the year. With just starting, I had no idea this could happen. Quickly, I had to think about what to do, to continue those type of sales. Eventually, I started expanding my thinking and scaling up with my business and creating new ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: Bellapearla.bigcartel.com
- Instagram: Bellapearlacandles
- Facebook: Bellapearlacandles