We were lucky to catch up with Alicia Reisinger recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alicia , thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I am incredibly passionate about igniting change in the arena of working women, specifically working mothers. Creating a movement where women feel supported to challenge the status quo of when and how to work. And I was doing this long before the pandemic challenged working norms. I want to give women and moms a way to work differently that celebrates them as unique humans…working in a way that suits us as individuals rather than robotically pumping out work within an allotted timeframe set by production-based standards in early-century America.

So, I worked to build a team in this way. A team of really special humans that I believe in and who believe in me and the beautiful things we’re creating at Wax Buffalo.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Oh sure! I’m Alicia Reisinger, the Founder and Creative Director of Wax Buffalo Pure Soy Candle Co. My oldest daughter, Navy, was born with a cleft lip and palate. When Navy was born I was traveling the world as a TV producer and on-air host for a television show called “Footnote”. Navy turned my world upside down in a really beautiful way. Her birth forced me to pause and be still with her as my husband and I worked through Navy’s treatment, surgery, and ultimately her healing. In the process, I slowly found my love of candles again. Something I had adored doing as a child with my Grandma Ferne, the art of candle making. Pouring candles again was a great way to center and re-align with my own spiritual journey and make something safe and beautiful for my family.

It was important to us that we used clean and natural products in our home, so I began researching and learning more about the candles that were mass-produced and sold mainstream at the time. And what I learned about petroleum-based candles was really unsettling and I knew I wanted to create clean and safe candles for my family and our home.

So, with a whiskey in hand, I would pour candles at night after I put my four kiddos to bed. Slowly I began to make candles for friends and a close friend encouraged me to try selling them. Finally, I agreed and put a few in a local shop. They sold out pretty much immediately. I made $100 from that very first sale and invested that right back into my business…ultimately creating what Wax Buffalo is today. I continued to make candles in my kitchen until I opened our flagship store in 2019 and now all of our candles are hand poured in small batches right here in the heart of the midwest. Wax Buffalo has since grown from what was once a side hustle to a million-dollar+ business with over 20 employees, multiple locations and sold on the shelves of wholesale partners across the world, including Whole Foods.

Wax Buffalo Pure Soy Candle Co., is a beloved woman-owned home goods brand located in the heart of the Midwest. Our mission is to create beautifully imperfect small batch, hand made products for the modern home. We strive to create safe, natural products for homes that also bring an element of style to modernly curated spaces.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I feel like I’ve learned so many lessons on this crazy journey…and continue to learn new lessons pretty much every single day. But here are a few of my favorite lessons that I’ve learned to unlearn. If that makes sense! Ha!

That you work less than working for someone. You do not.

That you have to KNOW everything. You don’t. Tuck into google and seek out smart humans.

That you won’t spend every day getting just as dirty and into it as everyone else. If you’re a good founder, there is still a lot of grunt work that lands on your shoulders.

That you have to sacrifice your time, family, friends or adventures. You don’t. You have to fight for them, but you don’t have to sacrifice them.

That nothing happens overnight. My founder friends and I even joke, that even when something takes off or an “overnight success occurs” you can bet there were still years getting them to that point. We always say, “oh yeah… it only took 23 years to be an overnight success” ha ha. Hang in there.

That it’s ok to move on. (that’s a hard one right) but it is. It’s ok. Wax Buffalo is my fourth company. All were profitable, one is still going. But it took my fourth try to love it deeply, understand what I was doing better, and work differently.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Oh gosh. Well, I decided without any market research that what we needed to get into a big box store (like West Elm) was to box our candles. We needed bougie boxes. So I worked with an EXPENSIVE designer and built out the most beautiful packaging. We spent oodles on it, and I just knew in my gut this was the ticket. The game changer. And shocker it was not. The boxes were so expensive we had to up our prices to cover costs, no one really even blinked at them, nor did it get us into a big box store. We still have some and it’s been over 4 years and they sit in this room here at the studio and every time I see them I still cringe a little. It taught me that guts can be good, but going by your gut on something so expensive, that changed the ethos of your brand… no. No don’t do that again.

Contact Info:

• Website: waxbuffalo.com
• Instagram: @waxbuffalo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/waxbuffalo
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-reisinger/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wax-buffalo-lincoln-4?osq=wax+buffalo

Image Credits
Nikki Moore Photography ANNEKIM.PHOTO La Fleur Du Jour Styling