Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bethanie Raphael. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Bethanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.
Being a small business owner, the support of our community is an integral part of our success. Whether it is our online community or our local community, the sense of purpose we gain by serving those around us broadens our perceptions of the world. We believe in building our local community and that is why we pledge 10% of our monthly proceeds to go to a different organization working to meet the needs of women and children in our local community. In addition to those with the support of our Belle Family, we have been able to sponsor thanksgiving meals for families as well as sponsor classrooms for back to school.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am the founder of Home with Belle, a home fragrance company. My journey through entrepreneurship started as I searched for an outlet to express my creativity. Aside from Home with Belle, I also own and operate an event planning company, Belle Treasure Events. My love for fragrances and perfume started at an early age. Growing up in Haiti, scents played a big role in my upbringing. This was my motivation to create special aromas/fragrances that are based on emotions, memories, and imaginations that create a sense of comfort and help our Belle Family escape the busyness of the world. My goal is to bring a sense of luxury and comfort with every candle and Reed diffuser we craft. I love being able to create something beautiful for someone’s personal space.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Showing up for yourself publicly when you are fighting private battles is extremely difficult. It is true that they say when it rains it pours. But we have to persevere and don’t throw in the towel. There was a point where I wanted to just walk away from entrepreneurship because of life. I was trying to run two businesses while working a full-time corporate job and that was already difficult, then life added health issues to the mix.
Navigating through everything was extremely overwhelming and now the physical aspect started to take a tool on me mentally. All I wanted was to walk away from everything. But thank God, I have an amazing support system and they wouldn’t allow me to just give up. I had to make the conscious decision to show up for myself every day, no matter how. Was it easy? No, but was it worth it? Hell Yes! I had to remind myself daily of the goals and passion that I wasn’t willing to give up.
It gave me the strength I needed and did not know I had. My resilience has inspired me in ways I didn’t think were possible. So I took that entire journey and made my latest collection, which is called I AM! A love letter to myself to remind me every day I am Resilient, Delicate, Allure, Serene and Radiant.
Being resilient doesn’t mean you have to play the role of superwoman, you just have to push through the adversity life hands you and show up for yourself.
Now I live life by this quote by J.K. Rowling on “Rock bottom became the solid foundation in which I rebuilt my life.”
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Failure is a shame I had to unlearn failure is a negative. Entrepreneurship, business and life have taught me that failures are experiments. Each failure teaches us a lesson and failure is only a shame when we are not learning from them and keep making the same mistake. Failures are sometimes the best teachers. Failure is a part of the learning process and to reach a certain level of success we will experience failure.
At Home with Belle is not my first attempt at entrepreneurship. There have been many endeavors that did not make it out of my living room. There’s been an instance when I had to walk away from partnership. But I did not let those “failures” discourage me from continuing on that journey. I took those lessons and keep pushing forward.
We do not know everything, so we will fall short. Accept the process, gather the lessons, and get back into the game, even if it means starting over. Failure is a part of life. Fear of failure doesn’t have to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: HomewithBelle.com
- Instagram: Homewithbelle_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/athomewithbelle/
- Twitter: Homewithbelle
Image Credits
Photographer: Flashionable.inc