Meet Hattie Kingsley | Owner Hearth and Craft Candle Co.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hattie Kingsley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hattie, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work life balance has changed in a tremendous way since starting my in-home candle making business. Going from an 8-5 m-f job, with a daily 45min commute and an hour lunch break (living too far away from home I usually stayed close to the office) I felt stuck, and so unhappy. I’m a homebody, I have pets and I felt like I was neglecting them being away the whole day. It bothered me how far away I felt each day. I remember having an anxiety filled pit in my stomach most days! I knew I really wanted to work out of my home.
It took a couple of years into my business to really lean into the freedom of my workday and to actually start enjoying it. There was a lot of shame built up around productivity in the beginning. To me – if I wasn’t up by 7 and working at least 8 hours a day, then I was being lazy. I can tell my mindset has changed because my day to days look and feel a lot different now! I replaced the stressful anxious mornings with a slower start to the day. Not checking social media or email for at least the first hour in the day. Eating something nourishing for breakfast and stretching my body and sitting in my backyard admiring the wildlife and nature sounds has been the peace my soul craved for so long. Being present, finally became possible for me. I think very early on, starting my business to obtain a better work life balance was a main drive for me! I would say, I am more productive than ever, after allowing myself to build a ‘productive’ workday around my life that actually felt good for me and my nervous system, instead of constant fight or flight mode.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m deeply inspired by, “Hygge” a word in Danish and Norwegian that describes a cozy, contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality (Wikipedia definition) — enjoying the simple pleasures in life. In a world where hustle culture is gratified, I knew deep down that kind of life wasn’t for me, and I was determined to find a way to live my life with “hygge” in mind.

Looking back at my work history, every job that I had really put in place the skills I use in my business still today. I started working in food service at the age of 15. It was a fast casual cafe and I started as a cashier and ended working my way up to 2nd assistant manager by the time I was around 19. I loved that job. I went on to other various ‘customer service’ positions throughout my college career, with the last 2 bigger roles working front desk at an eye doctor office and to my last job working customer service for a nonprofit organization. This job is where I learned more about navigating online orders and customer communication and ordering processes and the power of email marketing! In this role, I also learned a lot about shipping which really was crucial for my candle business.

The biggest challenges I have faced in this journey to becoming an entrepreneur was the “risk taking” aspect of it. In the eyes of a number of people close to me – branching off and starting my own business, especially during a world pandemic, didn’t seem like the smartest thing to do. Looking back, I know some of the words said to me were strictly out of love or out of worry of the business failing or let alone taking off at all…. I felt the hesitation and skepticism, I knew failure was a risk that I had to take. I remember the phrase “taking the leap” used to ring through my ears all the time. ‘When’ would I take the leap, when was the perfect moment? When in fact, there was no perfect moment, but only a gut intuition that it was time to take a chance on myself and go after my dreams. H&C is still here 4 years later, each year growing organically just like hoped it would.

Just like my small business and growing brand, I’ve had to take care of the business while simultaneously growing and learning to care for myself as well. To live out the “slow living” and cozy life that I care so much about. I want other’s to know their lives don’t have to be fraught with hustle and burn out.

Hearth and Craft Co. started to take shape in 2017, first with it’s name. “Hearth” the cozy space in front of a roaring fireplace and “Craft” the appreciation for hand-made sustainable products for the home. I had journaled about creating an online store filled with all things cozy and decided to bring back my candle making hobby in 2019.

I am a self-taught candle chandler and run this co. out of my home in Lincoln, NE. I quit my full-time job in Spring of 2020 feeling burnt out and ready to give this candle business a try. I was craving a slower way of living that didn’t revolve around the 8-5 grind. Inspired by, “hygge,” pronounced (hue-gah) the Danish concept of creating coziness and enjoying life’s simple pleasures – family, friends, good vibes & a warm glow, Hearth and Craft Co. was born.

My favorite part of the day, is after enjoying my slow morning and my coffee. I love getting down to my candle studio, turning on the lights, opening the window shades, getting the wax heating up, printing off new orders, lighting a candle for the workday, and getting lost in the flow. It’s my happy place. I feel like I’ve cultivated all the parts of past jobs into my own dream job. I still subconsciously fear it could all be stripped away at any second, but the gratitude I feel each day, that I get to do this for a living, fills me with so much peace and joy and it’s so worth it to me.

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 a friend was visiting me in Lincoln, NE – I would take them to the downtown Haymarket! First, we’d stroll the brick streets and window shop the historic buildings and eclectic stores. For dinner we’d go to one of the numerous and amazing restaurants around, depending on the mood. -A few of my personal favorites – Vincenzo’s for delicious Italian food, Leadbelly’s for a hot sandwich and the most delicious mac n cheese, or Blue Sushi for the delicious rolls and ambiance. After dinner, we’d stroll over to the coolest little speakeasy tucked away in the Tavern Square called “The Other Room” for a classy cocktail or walk down to Ivanna Cone for some premium handmade ice cream!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The book, Big Magic Creative Living Beyond Fear by: Elizabeth Gilbert was like the paradigm shift for me! “Be the weirdo who dares to enjoy.” “Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.” Reading that book was the green light I needed to create a more meaningful life for myself.

I have so much gratitude for the loving encouragement of my parents, as they themselves are creatives! My mom is an artist and my dad, a musician and small business owner. In a lot of ways, I feel that I’m honoring the creative life they instilled into me.

I also have to thank the amazing connections I made along this journey! My lovely brand photographer Kim Bear from Kansas – we found each other through Instagram and we were immediately drawn to each other like kindred spirits! Kim is a badass and although we are in different fields and have not met in person, yet! – I look up to her as a mentor. Her creative vision and storytelling have been so inspiring to me, and I sometimes have to pinch myself knowing I get to work with her, and that she takes photos of my candles and brings the whole vision to life!

I can’t stress enough the importance of having a supportive partner/family/friend. I wouldn’t be where I am now without the constant love and support of my husband, Trent. Since day 1 he’s been my biggest cheerleader. Always on board with my ideas and comes up with really cool ideas himself. He’s the heavy lifter and fixer upper. He helps set up at market events, and works the booth with me and occasionally will work a show by himself. He’s the food runner, the jokester and uplifter. I can always count on him to help out which has been a huge blessing to me.

And last, a huge hug of thanks to my small business friends who keep me showing up. A friend of mine opened up a messaging space to a group of us small business owners and it’s been a crucial part of the success of H&C as well. Their endless love support & encouragement makes me feel less alone in the struggles that do come with owning a small business! Knowing we all have each other to lean on.

Website: https://www.hearthandcraftcandleco.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearthandcraftcandleco/

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/hearthandcraftcandleco_/

Image Credits
Victoria Petersen
Kim Bear