When Olive La Estrella isn’t busy with a We Are Rosie project, or their digital marketing business, you’ll find them in the kitchen, cooking up yet another venture: candle making.
Picture classical (or Stevie Nicks) music playing in the background, two cats lounging nearby, wax melting in the pot and the scent of crisp citrus and herbs mixing in the air.
“I really enjoy it,” says Olive, who uses the pronouns they/them. “It’s an activity that I get to do by myself. And in this last year, I’ve really had to cherish being by myself and find things that will lift me up.”
Olive explains that they went through a divorce in 2022. “I hadn’t been alone for a long time, so doing this candle business was really liberating in the way that it’s a hobby I can do for myself that also makes other people happy. It was a win-win.”
When career and passions combine
It’s hard to believe it’s only been a year since Olive took time off to recover and regroup, and then start a marketing company. Olive is now a multi-hyphenate creative professional with two different careers, and is a Rosie Awards winner to boot.
“I could have just been sad and done nothing,” Olive explains. “And I was like, ‘No, I’m going to start my own business.’ I made the website for my marketing business and since then, it’s just been go, go, go…. A lot of great things are happening. It’s awesome.”
Olive’s Candles and Gifts and All Love Creative Marketing produce a synergy that supports success for both.
“I was making candles just as a hobby,” Olive says, adding that friends quickly became interested in buying candles. “I thought about how I have my creative marketing business and all these skills, and why don’t I use them to build a website and do a social media marketing plan? So that business really helped position me to bring my candle business to life, and since then, they just kind of work together. My marketing business works in collaboration with my candle business, and then anything I do for marketing my candle business is basically just a case study for any of my other clients.”
The road to becoming a solo-entrepreneur
Olive’s candle quest began when they suffered headaches and other adverse effects after lighting purchased candles. They soon figured out that an allergy from vanillin, a component in many scented candles, was to blame. Without a lot of options to choose from, Olive decided to make their own.
“I’m completely self taught,” explains Olive. “I learned from YouTube videos. Some Tik Tok videos. And then I joined a bunch of candle-making forums. I had no idea what I was doing… I had to really get in the mindset of being a candle maker.”
So far, Olive runs the candle business solo, ordering supplies, mixing and experimenting with waxes and scents, and then pouring the candles. Of course, Olive manages the website, social media and sales, too.
“It’s really exciting, but it’s also so much work,” Olive says. “I have the marketing side, the candles, and then because those two businesses are in their first year, I needed something more like full-time to supplement my income. And then I came across We Are Rosie.”
From TikTok to a third career opportunity
Olive had completed some career coaching and vision mapping when they spotted an ad on TikTok showcasing the ability for flex work through We Are Rosie.
“It was the perfect message at the perfect time,” Olive says. “I liked everything they said about inclusivity and changing the way that we work, so I signed up for the Garden [We Are Rosie’s community].”
Olive credits the Rosie way of working for helping them succeed in all three jobs. Getting set up with a top-notch client, receiving support via the Garden community, and not having to worry about billing and paperwork decreases stress and anxiety so Olive can follow big dreams.
“I’m so grateful that my We Are Rosie client knows about my candle business and they’re happy that I have something on the side, because they do cherish the work-life balance,” Olive says. “So everything I do is all working together to keep building me up to be the best independent marketer that I can be.”
If you’re a marketing professional like Olive, you can join We Are Rosie’s community for free and get access to opportunities with big brands and agencies, as well as networking, upskilling and more.
