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

Hi Laquita, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process, originally, was just to simply be more productive! Due to Covid, my department had been asked to work from home assisting online with another department. After about a week, there was not enough work to keep us all busy so I thought surely I can do something else in the meantime. I was thinking out loud “What can I do that could possibly also bring extra income”. That’s when my oldest daughter yells out ” Mom just make scented candles, everyone loves a good scented candle!” then she resumed her phone conversation. Every fiber in my body stood on end and I really felt a “This is it” moment. That very day, Burn My Wick Candle Co. was born!

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.
On my most recent job, I worked as a Phlebotomist/Lab Tech. I had been in this field for about 7 years before my employment with them began. However, Due to Covid-19, the clinics we were placed in to perform our phlebotomy duties, had closed and started to do virtual visits only which caused us to be displaced since we were there as a third party company. We then were asked if we were willing to travel to our Labs Austin branch to assist with the processing of samples since we had no live patients to draw. Working inside the lab only lasted for so long and then it was back to working from home. I had been a NRCMA previously so this type of work went hand in hand with what I had to do here. Late October my entire department was laid off due to the company not having any more “work from home” work to offer us. I was quite shocked because I truly felt like there was no way that anyone in the medical field could be laid off in the middle of a Global Pandemic. Although this was an unfortunate event, I’m definitely going full throttle with Burn My Wick Candle Co. and there’s just no turning back! I have always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

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.
I actually live on the outskirts of Houston so luckily for me, there’s always something to do. We could simply drive down I-45 to Galveston to look at waves crash onto shore after a nice brunch at Common Bond Bistro and Bakery in Montrose. You definitely have to try the Kouign Amann should you get lucky enough to grab one before they sell out! I would absolutely have to take them to Max’s Wine dive for their Shrimp ‘N’ Grits or their Wings and Waffles, don’t hurt yourself! Pre-Covid, it would be nice to visit Discovery Green for a fun yoga session. Maybe even grab a few bikes and cruise throughout downtown with a group of friends. Aahh, the good ol’ days!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Husband, Lorenzo Lee, is definitely deserving of being recognized for the BEST behind the scenes support system I could ever ask for. He may force his 2 cent upon me with or without me asking lol but he absolutely means well and only wants the best. My kids are my personal cheering squad, ” Mommy you’re doing so good”, “Mommy , you’ve got this” they definitely keep me wanting to be the best I can be all around. I cant leave out my Mother, siblings and in-laws for their continuous pushing me to go harder and always believing in me. I will wrap this section up with a shoutout to Felicia Ray. She is a very successful business owner herself and was pushing me harder than I was pushing myself in the beginning before anybody even knew of Burn My Wick Candle Co. A loyal friend indeed that genuinely wants to see me win!

Instagram: @burnmywickcandleco
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burn.mywick.9

Image Credits
Laquita Lee

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