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

Larry, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Trying to be low waste and environmentally sustainable in the bath // body and candle space, one large topic of conversation is demystifying the term fragrance — and the education and better understanding of aromachemicals in general. Our brand has a dedicated mission that focuses on sustainable practices and clean ingredients. One area that is often misinterpreted // assumed is that we are using 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils in our products. As a brand focused on sustainability, this is simply not the case — since harvesting certain essential oils, absolutes and resins have dramatic and negative effects on our planet. The harvesting of myrhh, frankincense, sandalwood, palo santo, and rosewood are just some prime examples. In these cases, we choose to consciously use fragrance oil blends infused with various essential oils that follow the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) standards. This allow us to create robust scents, without supporting the harvesting of plants and trees in areas devasted by climate change and cultural exploitation. Essential oils, harvested effectively, can be a great addition to fragrance. However, in many instances, there are simply not sustainable practices in place to support the destruction and ultimate breakdown of biodiversity in certain areas.

I will say, speaking this truth is not always an accepted topic of conversation — since the larger marketing focus for many — is focused on speaking to the “therapeutic benefits of essential oils” vs the unsustainable practices of how we acquire and use them.

Larry, 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?

I truly love what I do + I have a range of work experience — from barista, bartender, shoe salesperson, career counselor, and even hospice // end-of-life care. Like many entrepreneurs, I wear many. different. hats. While working as an academic advisor + career counselor, I converted one of our spare closets at home into a maker’s space.

I was gifted a candlemaking kit and had an interest in learning how to make bath salts and bath bombs (insert me being a bath lover). My past work experiences have all collectively given me tools to thrive — while growing this business out of a spare closet that I converted into a maker-space. Starting out, I had no idea how rewarding it would be to make for other people — and this is truly the best part + the best feeling!

Almost four years later, the hobby that started in a small bedroom closet, is now a 1200 sq foot production studio with three employees. I am so humbled by our journey — everything is still made by real hands and packed + shipped to over 150 indie gift shops all over the United States.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

When I decided that I wanted to make bath + body and candle products as more than gifts, I knew it was time to do two things: form an LLC and purchase insurance. I knew nothing of these two things but between my social media network of makers + google — I found my way. I cleared out my basement and for the next year and a half worked to grow our wholesale base, learning how to talk about our brand + what we make + why we make it to retailers both in person and via social media. During this time, I was also still working full time to invest in a long term strategy to grow this business sustainably without using a large amount of financial capital.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Early on (+ even still today) I had to learn about to overcome and reflect on my feelings of imposter syndrome. It is really easy when starting a small business to have extreme self doubt, a lack of confidence and feeling like you are not good enough. I remember assuming these feelings where just me and not knowing how to break past them, until the maker-community began reaffirming these are just feelings of imposter syndrome. Once I had these feelings defined, I began learning ways to cope, process and attempt to overcome them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://modernmakershomeandbath.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmakershomeandbath/
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