We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Makaela Meadows a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Makaela, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Risk taking….even writing those two works is overwhelming. Taking risks involves the unknown, doing things outside your comfort zone, and not knowing what is on the other side, which can be daunting. If you ask my friends and family, they would tell you that I am typically not a risk taker, I do things by the book and follow the rules as I like the outcome. HA! I like measured results, I typically like to understand what I am getting myself into and that is the line I walk. That seemed to change when I hit my late 30s – for the better. Don’t get me wrong – I still enjoy the known and being conservative – but I have learned to embrace risk as an opportunity to grow and expand more than ever before, case in point – starting a candle business and scaling it up little by little. I knew nothing about candle making and hadn’t given it much thought before, except that I loved burning them. :) I started dabbling and learning about various creative outlets and candles became an interest after feeling like I could make them for teacher gifts and that they would turn out. :) It wasn’t an instant success for sure, but it initiated the process of educating myself about the materials, and the various pieces of the puzzle, and instantly fell in love with everything about it. As I worked through my journey, I kept this side of myself, outside of my circle of friends and family that tested for me, on the down low because it was not anything that I planned to do much with. Luckily, I was asked by a friend of a friend to make candles for her shop and until that point, I honestly hadn’t even thought about selling. I was a full-time businesswoman, mom, and wife and didn’t have much free time and I was SCARED of the risk and putting myself and my new brand out there for the public. It was a risk that I am so happy to have embraced. I haven’t looked back and this small risk has enabled me to take bigger risks and do it with ease. I have been asked why I took the risk and what it meant for me and the best answer I can give is that I took the risk to see if I could do it, how I would do it, and to show my son/family that working for things you believe in is rewarding and fulfilling and opens so many doors. I am so happy that I reached outside the calculated world that I knew as since that moment I have been taking risks and growing myself more and more each day. My advice to anyone thinking about doing “that thing” is to do it – take the risk, enjoy the learning and keep moving forward.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always been creative at heart, which led to modestly m candle co being founded in 2016. a whim is responsible for me falling in love with the art of candle-making and bringing all-natural soy candles to life at a price everyone can afford. nothing makes me happier than seeing and hearing the joy others experience from the products. 💓 I love sharing my products with current and future customers!

I am honestly most proud of how far I have come and how much growth I have embraced on the journey. If you would have asked me years ago if I would own a soy candle business, I might have laughed at you and thought it impossible. Today my answer would be so different. I would tell you that owning my business and being out in the community has been such a blessing and growth opportunity for myself and my family. I get to meet and work with fabulous folks on a daily basis – it’s so fulfilling and honestly makes me so happy.

I love doing what I do and love scaling up and seeing what’s next on the horizon.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am obsessed with learning and growing. It’s helpful in all aspects of life and especially business. I listen to podcasts a lot and a few that have really helped me scale and grow my mindset, which helps on multiple fronts are How I built this on NPR, Business Movers, Business Wars, and Craig Groeschel’s leadership podcast. All offer great perspectives and insights that have helped me in my business and at work.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I am fortunate as I was able to fund my business out of pocket initially. I started with a small amount of savings and then as I scaled up I was able to reinvest in my business. I put everything I make via modestly m candle co back into the business and it helps me to scale up and out when needed. I am very fortunate as I know that this isn’t the case for some entrepreneurs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.modestlymcandleco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modestlymcandleco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modestlymcandleco

Image Credits
https://kenziecoxphoto.com/