Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Olivia Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Olivia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Many Mumbling Mice started as just a cheap gift idea for my family. I wanted to be the “cool Aunt” and buy candles as gifts…until I realized I had to dish out a lot of money and the candles I wanted always gave me headaches when I burned them. I had loved candles so much, but my wallet and head were screaming “do it yourself!”. After being able to formulate a recipe that was safer for the environment and allowed for headache-free good times (which was very easy for me as I was a forensic science major and loved science), I was able to gift them to my friends and family.

I wanted a fun candle that reflected me (especially if I was going to be the one curating the designs and the candle scents). I wanted scents no one else could find and I wanted the designs to be unique and intriguing when burned- that’s where my crystals, dried botanicals, and recycled biodegradable paper glitter come from.

It wasn’t long after (roughly 2-3 months) after the season passed that many friends and family members enjoyed the candles as much as I did for the same reason. So much that they wanted to buy them! I didn’t know how pricing worked or anything at the time, so I did it for cheap fun until someone invited me to a market. I never thought I’d be where I am today, but I’m glad I decided to choose this path for myself. Candles were something I thought I wanted, and now as my business and I age, I realize more each day I needed this business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Many Mumbling Mice is a one-woman black owned small business that sells 100% soy wax artsy candles. Many Mumbling Mice keeps the future “lit” by considering Mother Nature with my products and giving back to the community where I can. Outside of candles, I sell groovy reusable car fresheners, room sprays, wax melts, art, and more depending on the season. I also host candle making workshops and candle making parties for fun or for special events that are always a blast!

I think what really sets my business apart are the candles themselves! I love seeing people walk by and being able to smell them before stopping into the tent, or when people take a double-take because the candle looks like a treat or a work of art. I love being able to give my “spiel” about how the candles are made and why I make them. I’d also have to say I’m proud to have found my community of candle and art lovers who are just as weird and different as I am.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being myself during my business journey has helped the most with my reputation within my industry. There’s tons of candle makers out in the world, but if I tried to be someone I wasn’t, I’d be putting much more effort into my business and would probably have closed shop by now. Being someone you’re not is exhausting, and I personally feel that includes your business, too! Plus, if someone doesn’t like who I am, they may just not be the customer for me, and I’ve had to learn that’s okay, too.

Another thing that helped a lot is networking. As someone who’s always nervous of what others think, I learned that getting to know people is the best way to make community and find people that you want to be around. This includes other business owners and customers (and those who just want to look at your products and ask questions).

Being truly authentic and doing what you love is easy, and it only gets easier when you show people who you really are. Instead of pushing sales, I ask people how they are, and start a conversation with everyone before even going into what I do as a business owner and candle maker.

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

The biggest lesson I had to learn while growing my business was “college is the only way to be successful”. As someone who was made to feel college was the only way, I eventually became burned out of school. I loved school, but I ended up dropping out a while back after many attempts to get back into the dream of graduating with a degree. I learned it’s not made for everyone depending on the path you’re trying to chose. Thankfully, while Lil’ Liv may have never expected to be a candle maker, it’s a career I love and didn’t need extensive degrees or education on, just experience. I still take classes occasionally just for fun and I still do love learning everyday, I just don’t force myself to run to the finish line to get it done since I’m pretty content with life.

I want to make it clear that college is great, but it’s not for everyone. I’m not trying to tell everyone to “drop out” and do whatever they want, but for those who feel like college isn’t for them, don’t feel like it’s the only choice. Nowadays, networking and experience is what people look for, and you can always be your own boss- of life and a business if you want!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.manymumblingmice.com
• Instagram: @manymumblingmice
• Facebook: Many Mumbling Mice
• Twitter: @manymumblingmic