We recently connected with Derrick Leatch and have shared our conversation below.

Derrick , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I looked up and we were into the middle of COVID, and the economy was rocky and I didn’t have a try way that I could consistently provide for my family in the event something happened. I had stopped eating out and wasn’t spending money on gas or clothes, so I begin learning more about investing. Once I begin investing, my mindset shifted and I begin to understand the importance of additional streams of income for my children and their futures.

I chose candles because I’ve always been known for having nice smells around me, whether it was cologne, car sprays, room sprays or candles. Once I got serious about taking control of my future it all made sense. I researched candle making and also the requirements for starting a LLC. I’ve had the business spirit and mindset for years, just never put forth the necessary effort until now.

Derrick , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The fact that I get a chance to have this platform to give people a glimpse of my journey is a blessing. My name is Derrick and I’m the owner and Motivational Melts Candle Company or MMCC. The name of the company is detailed rooted in my upbringing, I’m come from a tough part of Dallas, TX (Pleasant Grove) and coming from our neighborhood, life and experiences can sometimes have a long term toll on your mental state and how you carry yourself throughout life. I want to show people that come from similar situations, that it’s possible to use the lessons we learned to be successful and mentally healthy.

I also don’t see a lot of black men candle company owners in my area, so that is another thing that I take pride in. I am a man that really takes time to pay attention to the details of smell and aromas, but also know what men like to smell as well.

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

One of the biggest lessons I had to learn starting out, is that you don’t make mistakes, they are failed experiments. At one point in the journey I refused to change the labels and other aspects of our products, because I thought it was admitting that I failed. I reading several books, I continued to hear coaches and other business owners refer to these processes as “experiments”. When I experiment with something new, I’ve matured enough to accept if it doesn’t work out This doesn’t mean I failed, this simply means that this version of the experiment didn’t work. Also myself the room not to be perfect has allowed me to grow more than what I would have imagined.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Being able to say that we craft all of our products ourselves is something we take pride in. Being in the aroma market, there are so many scents that smell the same. I take days sometimes week developing our fragrances. We use fragrances from different vendors to intentionally limit the chance that our smells can be duplicated. This has been a skill that was natural for me since day one, but I’ve taken the time to education myself on the scent wheel and how the different scents marry with each other to create different scents. Sometimes I feel like a scientist, because 1 oz too much or too little could have a large impact on your fragrances.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mmcandles.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotivationalMeltsCandleCo
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmcandlesco/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHkuvIX_gLhOszZLn6yuyQ