We were lucky to catch up with Danielle Velasquez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Every step that I take in business is meticulously curated with depth and purpose. My “why” as a business owner, whether it be in a partnership, creation of a business idea, consulting, etc. is done in alignment with my core values. Deeelicious Scents (IG @deeeliciousbrands) was cultivated out of love and during one of the hardest periods of my life. My Mother lost her battle with Kidney disease right before the pandemic and I took that time to channel grief into creativity. Every candle that I create is made with her legacy in mind. She was a vibrant creative and was a candlemaker herself, among other talents. She spurred the business idea in me. It is my goal to align with the National Kidney Foundation to donate towards their mission of providing resources, support, and research to parties affected by kidney disease. Deeelicious Scents has also made in-kind donations to the Downtown Women’s Center, which focuses on serving and empowering women experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless women. In the same vein, I decided to move forward with my life insurance license because of her passing. Unfortunately, I have lived how a family is affected when a life vein resource like insurance is not in order. The impact this may have on a family is not only financial hindering, but emotional. It is my mission to educate middle class, minority families on the importance of having their financial house in order and how life insurance is a stepping stone in achieving that. Legacy is at the forefront always.

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 have had an interest in entrepreneurial and creative pursuits since childhood, which was solidified through my studies and in particular, during my time studying internal and external business communication and development at USC. During that time, I was working at a Wealth Management firm and attained firsthand experience in growing the business from the ground up. As time went on, and I moved on to other sectors in my career, the itch to start something that was 100% mine remained. My entire career has been in the business development space. I have worked in education, wealth management, and I am currently in the technology space providing Internet connectivity to multifamily Owners and developers. A passion of mine is developing a mission driven business from genesis to launch and beyond. Another layer to me is my love and appreciation for creative endeavors, which I inherited from my Mom. She was so talented- painting free hand around the house, a great chef, a dancer, an educator, etc. When she passed, I dedicated time to do things she liked to do and during the winter of 2021, I decided to perfect candles. I researched materials, tested and perfected various scent profiles and gifted them. I received awesome reviews and decided to pilot a small batch on Instagram. The rest is history and Deeelicious Brands AKA Deeelicious Scents was officially born in April 2022. Every Deeelicious Scents Candle is handmade and is one of many ways my Mother’s light and legacy continues on in this world.
Around the same time, I became interested in life insurance and decided it was time to pursue my license to have the opportunity to educate individuals on the importance of having a proper insurance plan in place. A resonating theme in my personal mission is legacy and inclusivity in minority communities. That has been an ingrained and lived mission of mine since childhood. Being a Latina woman with a voice is a position that I do not take for granted and has propelled my business alliances in order to contribute back to the community that has held me up. With that in mind, that is also why I took a leap of faith in the technology space and aligned with BAI Connect.

BAI Connect provides Internet service to over 60,000 subscribers in southern California, Denver, Las Vegas, and Portland in the multifamily, hospitality, commercial, and live event space. As the Director of MDU Sales, I focus on our growth in the multifamily space partnering with Owners, Developers, and HOAs to ensure that their communities are technologically future proofed. What attracted me to BAI Connect was their mission for inclusivity and their advocacy in providing free services to community centers in low income areas in Los Angeles to bridge the digital divide. This was extremely crucial during the pandemic and an effort that the company continues to refine and push towards.
It is beautiful to see a life’s passion for advocacy and inclusion turn into business ideas and be inculcated into all professional avenues. My advice to you, the reader, is to be relentless in your action plan. If you have an idea. Go for it. You will make mistakes, as I have along the way, but there is always a solution. The hardest step is just doing. Get your idea off the ground and everything will fall in line. I can vouch from experience. If I listened to every person who said that it sounds impossible or I have too much on my plate, I would not be speaking with you today.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Just as the saying goes, be comfortable with being uncomfortable, always be ready to pivot! A defining moment in my career is when I took the leap of faith to go into a completely uncharted territory, tech. I had a finance background starting my post-Masters career at UBS Financial Services then moving to a RIA (Retirement Investment Advisor) where I worked alongside the advisor to build his standalone business. During that time, I had also decided to go back to school and pursue one more master’s degree at USC. To say my hands were not full, would be a disservice to me. In addition to this, my Mom was diagnosed with kidney failure. She eventually succumbed to the disease in December of 2019. It was during her diagnosis that I knew I needed to move closer to family to better support them during that time. On top of this, I was in a situation where my boss at the time did not respect professional boundaries. There came a moment where I had to decide between my personal well-being and family or career. I started attending networking events in Los Angeles and ironically during my first event, I met a gentleman who was consulting with my current employer. He passed along my information to the CEO and I interviewed. I was candid and said, I have no tech experience but what I do have is native knowledge of business development, sales, and drive. I know I will apply myself and I will be successful. He agreed that either you sink or swim in the business but he saw a swimmer. We mutually took a leap of faith and I have worked at the company for more than 6 years, providing connectivity and promoting inclusivity in the multifamily sector in multiple states.
It was a very pivotal move in my career that needed to happen. It brought me closer to my family—my why—during a very crucial time. The move brought me more autonomy to have the ability to cultivate my personal brand further and create businesses outside of my primary occupation. This move has led me to where I am at now and has also brought me full circle back to the world of finance where I can make an even deeper impact then I was before. Every move in life has a purpose, even if we do not recognize it initially.

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

As controversial as this may sound, un-learning that college is the primary path to success has been one of the thickest webs to unravel and dispel. While, I am very proud and grateful for my education, I know that it is not the only ingredient in a healthy success recipe. I feel that when I was younger, I had a bias because I was predominantly in the corporate world where doors would only slightly crack open when you attained a certain professional degree or designation. My eyes opened when I began immersing myself in the development/entrepreneurial space and saw another side of success. Where there is grit and determination, a willingness to learn and put in the hours, there is success. It is simple physics. You reap the output of what you put in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://deeeliciousscents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeeliciousbrands or https://www.instagram.com/itsdani_marie
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellemvelasquez

Image Credits
Photo in Green Dress: @thejaygooby