We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Denisela Thicklin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Denisela below.

Denisela , appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Always keeping it real and transparent is one of my core values, so I will do so now. I started this company originally as a way to make money. I thought I had job security working in the education industry, but I quickly learned differently after being called into an early morning meeting just to be locked out of my work laptop.

Feeling slighted and experiencing crippling anxiety about what the future had in store for me, I turned to candle-making to regain control of my life. I always gravitated towards candles as a sense of comfort. Being able to formulate candles that helped me to deal with the negative emotions I was experiencing was a pivotal moment for me. I started to regain power over my life, I began to smile and laugh again, and started to not feel as stressed as I was before. With this feeling, I began to do extensive research and testing to bring this company to life.

Ode to Onyx is not just another home and body brand. We produce luxury sensory experiences that pay homage to the power, the joy, and the calm that is within. We pride ourselves in only using the best (non-toxic and natural) ingredients in products. Each item is hand-made with love in micro-batches.

Denisela , 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?

I initially began my business as a hobby but decided to take it seriously upon being laid off from my dream investment (9 to 5). My goal is to provide home and body products that enable everyone to elevate their ordinary and make life romantic.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

So far setting up as a vendor at local events and neighborhood markets has been the most effective strategy for growing my clientele.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Being laid off from my job last year is a time when I had to pivot in my business (and in life as well you could say). I experienced a great deal of uncertainty following being laid off and decided that I didn’t want to feel the way that I felt ever again in life. Since then, I have been working diligently to get Ode to Onyx to generate enough revenue for myself that will allow me to not have to rely on a 9 to 5 role.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.odetoonyx.com
• Instagram: @odetoonyx
• Facebook: @odetoonyx
• Linkedin: Ode to Onyx
• Twitter: @odetoonyx