Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
I was born in Chatham, NJ and then my family (mom, dad and twin sister, Nicole) moved to Connecticut until I was 9 and then we came back to NJ and I grew up in Florham Park. In 2014, my husband and I moved to Mendham and in April, during a Covid spike, we moved to Chester.
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
Marley 5 yrs old and River 7 months
Favorite things to do with your kids?
Marley is my rambunctious and creative 5yr old. We love to paint on large canvases and color together. Her favorite place to visit is Alstede Farm and pet the animals or pick fruit. River is so little our favorite thing to do with her is while we are all having a lazy weekend morning, we watch tv together in the bed and sheβs cozy and babbles between us and laughs at her silly sister.
Are you involved in a business venture or corporate world? Please Share!
Currently, I am a Sr. Graphic Designer for a tech company working remotely from home and started a boozy candle line in 2016 called, Wax Cabin Candle Co. I was terribly bored at a previous cubicle job and wanted to develop a product. I love product design and development and thought about the 2 things I loveβ¦ Cocktails and candles and BOOM. I did a deep research dive and became obsessed with candles. I was probably boring my husband and friends to death, but I couldnβt get enough information about building the product, labels and marketing. 10 weeks after making candles, I found myself on the radio talking about what I was doing and fortunately for me a buyer for Anthropologie was listening. The next day I got an email from Anthropologie headquarters and they purchased 6,500 units. Having 2 jobs would normally be draining, but I love it. It keeps me very wired and connected. Today I employ 4 production contractors, a remote marketing team and plenty of friends that are candle testers π I am always looking for production people if thereβs someone looking for part time work! [email protected]
If you could give one tip to fellow Mom Entrepreneurs what would it be?
I remember hearing an interview by actress Lea Thompson that resonated with meβ¦ She saidβ¦ Remember to say, βI am going to work bc I want to and enjoy itβ and not to say that, βI HAVE to go to workβ. I want the kids to know that I choose work and enjoy it and working hard is okβ¦ more than ok, itβs great. Another tip is to be honestβ¦ I truthfully acknowledge that my life is not balanced. I hate that women have to pretend that having a work/life balance is possible. I am a working woman and also a momβ¦ my husband is a chiropractor at Madison Medical and very busyβ¦ so weΒ split the house, kids, laundry, doctors, registrations, school emails, screaming of I WANT A SNACK, cooking dinner, ordering out dinner the best we canβ¦ and in the endβ¦ the children are fine and the beds are made (most of the time). Iβve find that if you can afford itβ¦ hiring services for the lawn, cleaning, babysitting is always a good way for a working mom to find a little more balanceβ¦ but stop trying to stand spot in the middle of work and familyβ¦ itβs ok to not find it!
One thing people would be surprised to know about youβ¦
On top of Wax Cabin, I am also a full time Sr. Graphic Designer for an amazing technology company. I work my job from home in my studio while my staff of 4 and 2 remote staffers work from home. Everyone asks when Iβll leave my sr. design job, but I truthfully love it and donβt plan on leaving.
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
I have been in large retailers like Christmas Tree Shop and Anthropologie, but I have the best relationships with local shops that wholesale from us, Just Jersey, Bling and Harmony Brookside. Itβs fun to visit them and chat when I drop off. When I needed a larger home with a big studio space, Liza Saunders from Turpin Realtors (Mendham) was hugely helpful. We looked for A LONG TIME for the perfect space and she knew it was important that I worked from home and did production here as well.
Shop Wax Cabin Candles on their website and use code MENDHAMMOMS for a special discount! Be sure to also follow them on social media:Β
