We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim & Tony Morrow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim & Tony, what is the most important factor behind your success?
We attribute the success of our brand to a few things. First off, our pure high quality ingredients that contain zero toxins; our sustainability program, offering our customers the option of refilling their vessels over and over again, in the scent of their choice, regardless of where they live; and our honesty and integrity as people. We do a great deal of educating our potential customers on the toxic ingredients found in store bought/conventional candles.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We come from a healthcare and sales backgrounds. We both lost our jobs when the pandemic hit, March 15, 2020. We sat around for a few months wondering what our future was going to look like. I suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2011 that left me with chronic migraines. I was no longer able to have chemicals in my home, which did away with candles, which I love. We decided one day to take hold of our own destiny by starting our own business making non-toxic candles. The process then began, to create a “non-toxic”, sustainable candle brand. After many trials and errors with wicks and oil ratios, we felt confident in our brand. We then invested everything we had into equipment and supplies. We made hundreds of candles with the intention of selling them in the local Farmers Markets. I applied to several Markets and within days received an email stating the Markets were shutdown indefinitely. We quickly learned what the true meaning of “pivot” is! We then focused on our website and online sales.

Once the Markets re-opened, we were invited to several and began selling our products! We also believed that our product line belonged in high end Resorts/Spas, so the next pivot was to cold call on local resorts and to do a mass email campaign to resorts/spas across the U.S. as well as internationally. We are truly blessed to have our products in several resorts, spas and specialty boutiques across the U.S. and are continuing to expand!

The most important thing that we’ve learned from having this business is that you have to put yourself out there, although sometimes it’s not comfortable; i.e. cold calling. People and places don’t know you exist unless you introduce yourself and your product. We are a couple with high integrity and believe that meeting people in person is incredibly impactful. When this isn’t possible, we speak to potential clients over the phone.

Being small business owners isn’t easy. We have had many ups and downs over the past 4 years, however we believe in our brand and so do our customers! You have to believe in yourself and the brand that you’ve created, it’s that simple! That alone will get you through all the obstacles.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were visiting San Diego, I would take her downtown, to Little Italy! The walkability is amazing! Great Italian food, live music and the feel of Italy! I would also take her to Torrey Pines for the most beautiful hike….all along the ocean, surrounded by Torrey Pines trees! After that, we would visit one of many local beaches!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dear friend, Isis! She has watched our company grow, from the first “thought”! She has also been instrumental in helping us to fund our company from its inception. We absolutely would not be where we are today without her financial support and daily encouragement to keep going!

Photos…..thank you very much to Savanah for the beautiful photos taken for our website! You are the best!!

Last but not least by any means……HUGE heartfelt gratitude to our friends, family and all of our customers, both near and far, for your continued support of our business!

Website: https:/www.greenlivingcandles.com

Instagram: greenlivingcandlessd

Image Credits
Savanah Remington

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.