We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alise Willis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alise thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.

Life is all about taking risks- and I am quite the risk taker. Every piece of my journey thus far has involved some form or another of risk-taking. Let’s go back to where it all started. I began modeling as a teenager. At the age of 18, I left my hometown Joliet, Illinois , and moved to New York City to further pursue my dreams. From living in a small town to relocating to a big city at such a young age was full of lessons I still carry. Leaving my family, friends, home, and everything I knew behind for a dream was one of the very first major risks I’ve had to encounter.

I lived and modeled throughout Europe shortly after; from Paris, to London, and Milan. I didn’t know anyone in either city, and I didn’t have an agency in either market before arriving. I took a big risk of going without representation and visiting top agencies face-to-face. That was something that was frowned upon at the time, and my agents in New York did everything in their power to try to convince me to wait until I got signed the traditional way. Sometimes you have to do things outside of the norm, to make things happen. If I would have waited, I’d probably still be waiting! At that time, the industry wasn’t very welcoming to black women. I had to fight at every turn in my career to get where I wanted to be. Going against my agents advice and listening to my heart, I went to Europe unsigned, and got a contract in every major market. The risk was well worth it.

When I pivoted careers and started acting, I took another risk and moved from New York City to Los Angeles, California. Not only was I jumping into a completely new industry, but also living in a new environment again. The acting industry is all about taking risks. There are no guarantees; no promises of work. As an actor you have to take a leap of faith – over and over again.

The biggest risk I have taken thus far is starting Burn Chic, my luxury candle brand. Becoming an entrepreneur is not for the weak. As a business owner you juggle wearing many hats while learning numerous skills. Every decision, choice, and obstacle I face involves risk. It’s up to me to make the right decisions to propel the business.

I must say, every single risk I’ve taken over the years has improved my life in one form or another. It may have seemed scary or too big of an obstacle to overcome at the time, but as I powered through, I realized it was attainable. In hindsight, it wasn’t nearly as scary and it elevated my life drastically in many ways. I have to point out that faith goes hand-in-hand with taking risks. You must believe; Believe that God is in control and has a plan that’s already worked out in your favor. Believe in yourself. It is essential to think, feel, and believe that what you are striving for will come to pass.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I briefly mentioned I started my journey as a model, doing commercial print work and small fashion shows around the US when I was 15 years old. When I turned 18, I moved to New York and pursued a career as a high fashion and runway model. After spending a few years in New York City, I decided to try my hand at the European market, and oh, what a beautiful experience that was! Despite the many challenges I faced, I was able to find beauty in my journey. I was busy – going from fashion shows to photo shoots – living my dreams. It was a lot for a young girl coming from Joliet, Illinois. During that time, I started to get an itch for what I always knew my true passion was – acting. When I settled back in New York, I started taking acting classes. After a few years, I moved across the country to Los Angeles and decided to pursue acting full-time. I completely immersed myself in every kind of acting class, technique, and workshop. I wanted to soak up all the knowledge I could.

After years of grinding, hitting the pavement, and putting in work it finally paid off. I play Lacey in a Tyler Perry series called Ruthless – it’s a drama about a cult. Five seasons are currently available to stream on BET+. I also guest star on a Netflix series called Echoes, along with other television and film credits. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to do what I love for a living. My dreams are unfolding before my eyes. I don’t take that for granted.

Discipline is key to success regardless of the industry you are in. Having laser focus, writing to-do lists, and staying intentional is very important. It’s easy to get distracted, sidetracked, or loose focus – especially when it’s a one person operation. Prioritizing is essential!

As of late my passion has been candles. Fragrance has always been something that I’ve enjoyed. From perfume to incense, to the sweet smell of candles- I’m just obsessed with all things that smell good. I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur and it’s been something that has been percolating on my mind for years. Many businesses are calling my name to embark upon in the future, but where I am on my journey now, candles are pulling at my heartstrings most. I burn candles constantly in my home and I also enjoy making them. I knew upon getting into the candle industry that it was an over-saturated market. I believe we should do what we love despite an industry being over populated or competitive. Every market or industry has its obstacles. You have to find your niche and make it your own. There is a lane for you.

Burn Chic is a luxury candle brand geared toward the woman who’s a boss and a leader. She understands what she wants in life and isn’t afraid to go after it. She loves the taste of luxury with a blend of flirtation and fun.

When you burn a Burn Chic candle it’s meant to transport you to that place of nostalgia. The aromatic fragrance takes you to a place of a familiar ambiance. Yes, it’s a luxury candle, but it takes you back to the time of simplicity.

Burn chic makes luxury simple. Just light it up and let the candle do the rest.

We currently offer 7 unique scents:
Burnt Brown Suga’
His Cashmere Sweater
You + Me Equals?
A Lot More Than A Little
Follow My Lead
Playing For Keeps
Main Attraction

All of our candles are plant-based, clean, and phthalate-free. Each 12-ounce Burn Chic candle is made with coconut soy wax and offers 70 hours of burn time. They each come with a wood wickthat gives 75% less soot, resulting altogether in a clean burn. Our exquisite black, frosted white, and iridescent vessels can seamlessly blend into your home decor elevating any space.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

When I first launched Burn Chic I wanted to get on all the major platforms. Without building my brand and a plethora of candles already advertised, I found myself getting lost in the sauce. I took my candles off Amazon and Esty because I was losing money. I focused on selling from my website, Instagram, and Facebook platform. I recently started using Pinterest as a platform to get brand exposure as well. These sites have been my go-to. Maybe I’ll revisit selling on Amazon or Etsy in the future, but for now they are not apart of the Burn Chic’ journey.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

One incident that comes to mind is a situation at the very start of my entrepreneurial journey. I had made a huge batch of candles for my first pop-up and was super excited about letting the world know about BurnChic. Trying to save time, I stacked two boxes of candles on top of each other to load them into my car. On the way downstairs, I tripped and dropped one box, breaking many of the candles. Overwhelmed and panicked, I just broke down.

I quickly gathered myself and cleaned up the mess, I prayed to calm down and regain my focus. I had work to do! I went back into the lab ( my kitchen) and started making more candles, even though I was now under a tight time crunch. I had to rush with the labeling and packaging, but I managed to get through it. Now, I try to keep candles extra on hand just in case there are any mishaps.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://burnchic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burnchic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553865596877
• Other: Pinterest- https://www.pinterest.com/BurnChic/

Image Credits

Photographers:

Russell Baer
Mariana Bobina

Stylist: Irena Iverson