
An Unplanned Pregnancy Inspired This SHEeo To Birth A Poppin' Candle Company

With the rise of more and more black women breaking away from traditional 9-5s to become their own bosses, the CEO is getting a revamp as the SHEeo. CEOs are forging their own paths, blazing their own trails, and turning their passion into a profit. Curious to know how she does it? In the Meet The SHEeo series, we talk to melanated mavens leveling up and glowing up, all while redefining what it means to be a boss.
Since childhood, Tay Watts had a love for candles and even took up candle making as a hobby in later years. So when a trip to Target failed to result in finding inspiring candles to purchase, Watts decided to start a candle brand of her own— except this one would cater to women who were the boss of their lives. Her motivational Boss Lady candles were the first to hit the market and the scented soy candles were a hit, thanks in part to the featured messages inspiring women to be their authentic selves through catchy phrases and statements that encourage a positive mindset and promote self-love.
With notable features in BuzzFeed, Revolt, Voyage LA, and xoNecole, and brand collaborations with Facebook, Shopify, and the American Cancer Society, Posh Candle Co. is fulfilling its mission of helping women to stay lit.
In this week's feature, meet Tay Watts of Posh Candle Co.
Courtesy of Tay Watts/Posh Candle Co.
The Stats
Title: Founder & CEO of Posh Candle Co.
Location: Los Angeles
Year Founded: 2016
# of Employee(s): 1
30-Second Pitch: Posh Candle Co. is a one-woman-owned small business built from the ground up on my passion for craft, design, entrepreneurship, and desire to create a life I love. My mission is to inspire women to be their authentic selves by using catchy phrases and statements that encourage a positive mindset, promote self-love, spark laughter, and offer an on-trend approach to the relaxing flicker of a candle flame. The result is a collection, handcrafted with 100% soy wax, hand-poured in small batches using the best fragrance and popping colors, that is carefree, fun, and edgy.
The Details
What inspired you to start your brand?
Since childhood, I've loved candles and took up candle making as a hobby in later years. With a little pressure from an unplanned pregnancy and inspiration from not finding candles I liked while shopping, I decided I would start a candle brand that was unlike anything you would find in retail stores.
What was your a-ha moment that brought your idea into reality?
The a-ha moment was standing in the middle of the candle aisle in Target for the second day in a row and failing to find a candle I felt compelled to purchase. I began thinking about the moments that I decide to light up a candle and how much I love having words of encouragement around me. That day I went home and drew up plans for my first four scents which included our Boss Lady candle; a fragrant tribute to women being the boss of their lives.
Who is your ideal customer?
My ideal customer is a woman who loves candles but can rarely find candles that are exciting. She's looking for candles that are not only treats for herself but candles that people would love to receive as thoughtful gifts.
What makes your business different?
We're not just a candle company but we sell other items like incense, smudges and palo santo. Our branding and marketing is also unlike what you typically see with candle companies. I'm not scared to play around with ideas and I infuse a lot of my own personality into the process.
What obstacles did you have to overcome while launching and growing your brand? How were you able to overcome them?
As a solopreneur, there's challenges when you're navigating new experiences or even handling large orders so I'm diligent about planning and time management to make sure I can complete whatever comes my way. This year, my biggest obstacle has been scaling and bringing people onboard. xoNecole ElevateHer Crawl has provided the perfect opportunity for me to step outside of my fear of hiring by bringing on event assistants.
"As a solopreneur, there's challenges when you're navigating new experiences or even handling large orders so I'm diligent about planning and time management to make sure I can complete whatever comes my way."
What was the defining moment in your entrepreneurial journey?
The defining moment in my entrepreneurial journey was feedback I received from a customer. She said, "If you ever feel like quitting, I want you to remember how your candles taught me how to love myself again and I want you to think about me gifting your candles to my friend who was just diagnosed with cancer. They give her hope." That moment not only helped me realize the potential of Posh Candle Co., but it is something I continue to keep in mind when it gets tough to help keep me going.
Where do you see your company in 5-10 years?
I see Posh Candle Co. with a headquarters, several employees and shipping all over the world. I want Posh Candle Co. fully systematized so it runs without me and I see us competing with larger brands in the industry.
Where have you seen the biggest return on investment? (i.e. marketing, ads, vending, social media)
Vending has helped tremendously when it comes to building relationships with customers, develop sales skills and network. I've also learned that face-to-face communication builds the most memorable brand awareness and community.
"Vending has helped tremendously when it comes to building relationships with customers, develop sales skills and network."
Do you have a mentor? If so, who?
I don't have a designated mentor, but I do have a community of badass boss women at various stages of business who have my back and whose support and motivation are overflowing. It doesn't matter if I'm celebrating a win or discussing a difficult time, I'm supported by so many women.
Biggest lesson you’ve learned in business?
All money is not good money. Take time away from your excitement about working with people to make sure your business is protected. There are times where I've pulled back from working with people who could have brought my business growth but because they didn't want to sign a contract for the arrangement, that was a huge red flag for me. I'm okay with passing up opportunities just for peace of mind and I always operate in faith that something bigger and better is coming my way.
"I'm okay with passing up opportunities just for peace of mind and I always operate in faith that something bigger and better is coming my way."
Anything else you would like for people to know, or take away from your entrepreneurial story?
If there's anything I would like for you to take away from my story is that you're capable of so much more than you think. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and apply every lesson you've learned from your perceived failures. How we start is not how we end.
For more of Tay and her candles, follow her on Instagram. And shop her candles on her website: Posh Candle Co.
- 5 Candles To Light Up When You Just Need A Minute - xoNecole ›
- Boss Up: Tay Watts Posh Candle Co. - xoNecole ›
- Posh Candle Co. - Posts | Facebook ›
- Run The World: 10 Women-owned businesses to support, shop and ... ›
- Posh Candle Co. - About | Facebook ›
- From the Ground Up: Tay Watts Sparks Life Through Posh Candle Co. ›
- TWMBABW: Tay Watts of Posh Candle Co. - The Reclaimed ›
- The Black Owned Business Highlight: Posh Candle Co. - YouTube ›
- ABOUT US – Posh Candle Co. ›
- Meet Tay Watts of Posh Candle Co. - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City ... ›
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Tracee Ellis Ross Is Still Living A 'Robust' Life Despite Sometimes Grieving Not Being Partnered
Tracee Ellis Ross sat down with former first lady Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson for their IMO podcast to have a candid discussion about dating, marriage, and family. At 52, the beloved actress is single, but is still open to finding her person. However, she realizes that she has to navigate dating differently, describing herself as a "unicorn."
“I’m a very unique sort of unicorn of a woman, so it's gonna take a unique person,” she explained. "And in the meantime, I've really learned how to live my life and enjoy it and not sit around waiting."
Calling herself a "choiceful woman," she has had to push against culture norms and found that many of her experiences with men around her age were challenging due to the toxic masculinity they had been raised in. Many of their views about relationships conflicts with how she lives her life, so she tends to date younger.
“It's not just that I'm older. I’m also very embodied. I am a full, very whole person who knows myself, who is in charge of my life and who lives a very full, just robust life," she said.
Regardless if they're younger or older, Tracee has made it clear that she isn't settling and won't be in a relationship for the sake of having a partner. Even when loneliness creeps.
“As much as grief does surface for me around not having children and not having a partner, I still wouldn’t want the wrong partner. At all, I’m not interested in that. You have to make my life better, it can’t just be ‘I’m in a relationship just to be in a relationship,” she said.
Fans have watched pieces of Tracee's life played out on social media and TV. Just one look at her Instagram, you see that the black-ish star lives her life to fullest and it's filled with fashion, family, and all-round fabulousness.
"Even though the grief does emerge, and that comes, and I hold that, I think of what I’ve done. I think I woke up every morning trying to do my best. I didn’t wake up one morning and be like I’m gonna mess this day up. So I must be where I’m supposed to be.”
She added, “And sometimes I think of all of the things I’ve done—the courage that I’ve had to have, what I had to learn to how to navigate as a single person with no one to hide behind. It's built a really beautiful experience around me and I have incredible friends."
The Black Mirror actress has spoken about dating before and has always stated that she doesn't allow singleness stop her from living her best life.
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