We recently connected with Jennifer Micciche and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

While there are numerous qualities that contribute to one’s success, two stand out to me the most. Those qualities are patience and an unwavering resolve. Starting a business, any business, is one of the hardest things you can ever do. I learned a hard lesson here. I remember when I first started, I was under the disillusion that after I perfected my craft I would launch my website, tell a few friends and family members, make a Facebook post, and then sales would just magically start rolling in. I of course was very wrong. It takes time to build a brand and to perfect your craft. I myself have always loved candles. When I decided to start making candles professionally, I spent months researching the best products, testing my designs, fine tuning my recipes and scent profiles, surrounded myself with business professionals for guidance and read all the small business book recommendations I could get my hands one. All of the above takes an insane amount of patience. Sometimes it feels like it would have been easier to skip a step or two to save some time or money but looking back, I am so glad I did not.

I strongly believe patience goes hand in hand with resolve. While some may call it determination or confidence, I like to use the term resolve because with resolve, the determination and confidence is implied but you add the element of “problem solving” as well. Everyone who owns a business knows they are glorified problem solvers. Sales are down, how will you fix it? How will you adapt to changes in the economy? How will you cut costs to keep prices down? How will you increase productivity amongst the team? Is it time to expand or fold? The list goes on and on. When I first launched online, I had no sales. It was discouraging. I felt like I was advertising the best I could but nothing happened. I thought about qutting but decided to take a step back and try to see my business through the customer’s eyes. Our product, candles, is something that requires more of an in person experience. You need to smell them to determine the best one for you. It then hit me that maybe only starting online was not the best option upfront. As a result, I started signing up for every local event and festival I could in my town. After a few, we started to gain a decent customer following and before you knew it sales started to trickle in online. I found once a customer tried our product in person, they were then more inclined to purchase online and tell their friends. This was a major turning point for us and one that would have never have happened with out patience and resolve.

Jennifer, 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?

My husband Matt and I are the proud owners of Designs by Olivia Grey. We started our business not only out of love for all things candles but also after learning more about household consumer products and their potential dangers. We believe there was a need to produce a better and cleaner candle and sought out to do just that.

At Designs by Olivia Grey, we take great pride in offering the best all-natural soy candles, wax melts, diffusers, and accessories. In providing an all natural product, we only ever use three ingredients in every candle, all natural soy wax farmed here in The USA, phthalate-free fragrant and essential oils, and cotton wicks. We never add any dyes, chemicals or perfumes to any of our candles. As a result, customers have reported our products don’t cause headaches or respiratory issues and is safe for their pets. We are also Leaping Bunny certified. This means we are a cruelty-free recognized company.

Unlike some bigger companies, we take our time with production and are meticulous about quality. We hand pour each and every candle in small batches. It takes longer but doing it this way allows us provide the highest quality control and guarantee customer satisfaction with every purchase. We are not only the best but one of the biggest in our area too! We started in 2016 with only ten scents. Now we carry over eighty-five scents at all times! In addition, Designs by Olivia Grey loves to be a part of your celebrations. We specialize in curating all types of candle wedding and party favors completely customizable. We absolutely love creating one of a kind pieces for our customers.

We also love working with other small business owners and being a part of their story. We have expanded our operation in 2022 to include wholesale. We now ship our products to hundreds of different storefronts all across the country. We are so honored for the opportunity to connect and provide their customers with the best candles on the market. And for all the candle addicts out there, we also have candle subscription boxes!! Our boxes are shipped quarterly and include two candles and one wax melt. The scents are handcrafter to compliment the season in which they ship.

Besides making candles, we are big on giving back to the community. We are a veteran owned and operated business. As a result of my time in the service, I wanted to use my business as a platform to give back to those who give their all. Portions of our yearly sales are donated to local veteran organizations. We also collect in store donations on their behalf. We don’t stop at veterans though. We offer an amazing fundraiser program where we donate 25% of proceeds back to a registered organization. We also donate to community programs and sponsor our local little league team.

Lastly, when we are not making candles or working in the community, we are teaching others the art of candle making. We are proud to offer our “Wax & Wine Night” classes where we teach you the art behind candle making and wine and dine our guests. We really enjoy this aspect because it allows us to connect hands on with our customers and allows us to educate on candle safety and selection. Our customers are the very reason we get to wake up every day and do what we love.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

“A client will become a friend before a friend becomes a client” & “Always work in silence’

I saw these quotes a long time ago. I cannot remember or find the original creators but their message has always stuck with me. I was naive to believe in the beginning that all my friends and family members would be supportive and be some of my first customers. This was not the case however and I remember being so hurt and upset by this initially. I assumed they would want to support me and I should have never of done that. I used to tell them all my ideas and goals but I found some just tried shooting them down or gave me their own opinions on why they would never come to fruition. This was unexpected and frustrating.

It took a few months to learn but your friends and family will not always be your target audience and you know what? That’s Ok! There might be some reasoning outside of your control and that is usually on them and not you. Some may not like your product. Some may be stuck in the past or on the old you. Change then is hard for them to see because it means their stuck. Sometimes you just find out who your true friends are. In any case just strap in, keep your head down, and keep going. Seek professional guidance only when needed to ensure those closest to you do not sway your opinions or crush your dreams. Do this and I promise you, you will find your audience. You will find your voice. You will find your confidence.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I cannot say enough good things about “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Every business owner and inspiring business owner needs to read this book. Often times we set ourselves up for failure when working towards a goal. We desire perfection and since perfection is unattainable we end up disheartened. This book helps break that chain and outlines actionable steps we can all take to improve ourselves and therefore as a result improve our business, relationships, mindset etc. etc.

It all starts with habits. Instead of belittling ourselves saying things like “I am not a morning person” we need to review our daily habits and revamp as necessary. To be a successful individual you first need to envision what that individual and their habits looks like. Then self-evaluate honestly and take small actionable steps towards being that person. Each improved habit might not seem like a big deal on its own but enough compounded changes everything. I live by this book every day and it has drastically impacted the success of my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.designsbyoliviagrey.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/designsbyoliviagrey
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/designsbyoliviagrey