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

Hi Joelle, how do you think about risk?
I was a teacher for 13 years. Tenured and in a “secure” job position. When I decided that I needed change to better my life and mental health, I was beyond nervous and scared. I didn’t want to hurt my family, embarrass them with my choice, and not to mention the possibility of failure? I knew that I would not make everyone happy with my choice, but it came down to feeling confident in myself and my work and doing what was best for ME. I knew that it was not going to be easy, but it was what made me happy and brought me joy. My whole life I operated with a “risk-adverse” mentality, but now I truly feel that taking a heart-driven risk can unlock a whole new happier world.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started my small business officially during quarantine in 2020. I made these crayon sets to teach my then 3 year old daughter how to spell her name, the colors of the rainbow, and her numbers. As time rolled on, it quickly became abundantly clear that this “creative outlet” was so much more than that…..it was my passion and something I wanted to work hard towards!

Using Crayola crayons is important to me since the quality of my product needs to be safe, non-toxic, and vibrant. I realized that I didn’t want to create simple crayons or just crayon shapes , I wanted more! I wanted to infuse scents, texture, and multi sensory elements to my crayon sets. I enjoyed receiving my children’s’ honest feedback when testing new elements with my designs.

Through trade shows, social media, and the old school approach of “door-to-door” introductions, I was able to put Mama JoJo Crayons out there!

Being a small business owner is not a “piece of cake,” you wear many different hats – some that you never knew you had or were capable of wearing. For me, I had to find my balance with carving out time to create my crayons, spending time with my kids, creating a comfortable home life, and the day to day activities that sometimes seemed overwhelming. Every profession has their good and bad days, but I came to realize that even on my worse day making my crayons sets, I was still left with an immense happiness and understanding that this business was mine and what I love to do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If one of my friends was visiting me, I would immediately think to take them to the LUNAR-FAIRE. The Lunar Faire is a night market in New Jersey held every new moon and full moon. This faire of small business owners brings forth a wide range of unique artisan crafts and live shows.

The reason this faire comes to mind is because I have been vending with them for over a year. This faire has rapidly grown to 200+ vendors in a short period of time.

The Lunar Faire provides a mythical escape to the mundane routine of everyday life. I leave these faires feeling full of creativity and an invigorated spirit to collaborate with other small business owners.

Another amazing reason to attend the Lunar Faire would be their ever-changing locations. This provides a sense of exploration to new places I never thought to visit nor knew they existed.

PS – the rest of the itinerary would revolve around spicy margaritas and music .

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?
Small Business Owner Regina Pasqualone with Tiny Kitchen Candle Co. – Regina was my childhood neighbor. She decided to start her small business as a mom, wife, and teacher. She too took the risk of leaving a secure job to follow her passion with candle making. She encouraged me in times of doubt to do what makes me happy.

My grandmother “Nanny Red” constantly quoted Mark Twain and repeatedly told me, “ find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Instagram: MamaJoJo123abc

Other: Email: MamaJoJo123abc@gmail.com

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado 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.