We were lucky to catch up with Lynn Harrison recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lynn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

The most important lesson I’ve learned from every job is to respect and appreciate everyone from the entry level job to the C-suite. Everyone deserves common courtesy, respect, and a hello.

I’ve also learned that every activity I was exposed to along the way helped to develop me as an Entrepreneur. There were roles and responsibilities that I was given that never felt aligned to what I was hired to do, but as an Entrepreneur those roles and responsibilities have paid off. As a result, it wasn’t a huge learning curve for me to build my website because I had a little bit of experience with web design. I didn’t feel like a fish out of the water negotiating service because I had worked with various types of contracts. Every skill that I have learned along the way is now a part of my toolkit just waiting to be utilized.

Lynn, 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 started making candles to release stress during some unsettling times. I quickly found that focusing on candle making forced me to tune out everything around me. Your formulas must be exact, and the smallest error could make a huge difference. Errors that cause wastefulness can be costly. Focusing on candle making forced me to tune out the noise of “LIFING”. The stress releasing activity quickly and easily became a hobby. At the end of my workday, I just wanted to rush home to make a candle. The only thing that compared to the act of candle making was to smell the burning fragrance you diligently created. Mentally melting into the flicker of the flame and allowing the smell to consume your senses brought me an overwhelming feeling of joy. Within months I had more candles than I could manage, so I started giving them away to family and friends. It was a close friend that recommended that I start selling them, a thought that never entered my mind. I was giving them away with the hopes that my candles would bring others the same joy I experienced.

The more candles I gave away the more people started giving me money for them and recommending that I turn it into a legit business. Eventually the demand turned into the launch of my business, Scent the Moment. Not wanting to half do anything, I’ve poured everything into making it happen. Every scent combination created is named after an experience or memory that has brought me joy. I want each customer to experience the same peace and joy I feel from making every candle. Life can be hard; the day-to-day pressures can feel enormous. My goal is to make LIFING special with the flicker of a candle and the trigger of a scent memory that creates joy.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m currently in the midst of a pivot, or at least that’s the way I choose to view it. When life throws you lemons, I’m reminded you must turn it into lemonade. Life experiences have taught me not to be anxious for anything, which is much easier said than done. When things don’t happen as planned you could be shielded from a far worse misstep, mishap, or down fall.

I liken it to leaving late for an appointment to find yourself stuck in traffic behind a bad car accident. If I had left when I planned to leave, that same accident could have involved me. Although pivots can be frustrating, it might be the very thing that secures my triumph. I may be late or had to take a few extra turns but arrived alive and able to move forward.

Oddly enough, I now welcome pivots because I don’t want to be put in a position or situation where I’m not prepared to handle or navigate.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Prior to launching my business, I wish I had invested more time into connecting with other business owners, especially other candle makers. I was very uncomfortable with sharing my interest because of my lack of experience. I felt my skills would be laughable and as a result I observed from afar instead of reaching out. To the contrary I found people to be very supportive and eager to help and share their experiences, information, and offer their assistance.

When you find someone closed off and hesitant to connect, simply move on to the next because there are plenty of people willing and eager to provide nuggets of information and wisdom.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.scenthemoment.com
• Instagram: @scentthemoment
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wicksandwaxes

Image Credits
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