Not Just Candle Talk: Burn the Rules. Build Your Legacy
This isn’t your average business podcast.
Not Just Candle Talk is the unapologetic, unfiltered audio home for ambitious entrepreneurs, creatives, and side-hustlers ready to do business on their own terms — no fluff, no fake motivation.
Founded on real experience and raw truth, this podcast dives into the real-life challenges behind the candle business and beyond. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling your empire, every episode is packed with lessons, strategies, and mindset shifts to help you build a business and a life you don’t need to escape from.
Hey, I’m Toni, and I know what it’s like to start from scratch.
When I launched my candle business, I had big dreams but limited resources — no investors, no fancy marketing team, just grit, Google, and a lot of trial and error. I built my brand from the ground up, burned out more times than I can count, and learned to pivot, scale, and get smart about what really makes money in this game.
Not Just Candle Talk was born out of my journey — the highs, the hustle, the hard lessons — and the deep desire to have conversations no one else is having in entrepreneurship. The stuff beyond the surface. The why behind the work.
This Podcast Is For You If…
- You’re tired of overnight success stories with no receipts.
- You want to make real money while staying true to yourself.
- You believe business can be both profitable and purposeful.
- You’re building your brand while managing your real life.
Not Just Candle Talk: Burn the Rules. Build Your Legacy
The Town That Hustled in the Dark
What happens when the lights go out but the entrepreneurial fire keeps burning? This captivating episode takes you on a journey to fictional Ebon Hollow, where three unlikely entrepreneurs—Rena, Jax, and Nova—transform darkness into opportunity when their town loses power permanently.
Their story unfolds as a powerful metaphor for building something meaningful from nothing. Without funding or fancy websites, these characters create businesses that resonate deeply with customers: a café-turned-candle bar, custom metal candle holders inscribed with messages of resilience, and handcrafted candles with names like "CEO in the Shadows." Their success reveals a fundamental truth about entrepreneurship: your brand isn't defined by what you sell but by what people feel when they experience it.
The tale takes a compelling turn when a developer offers a life-changing sum to buy their block. This pivotal moment forces a profound question many entrepreneurs face: what's the price of your dream? Through community action—organizing a Night Market festival that showcases their collective power—they demonstrate that sometimes the strongest business strategy isn't a marketing plan but a community that believes in your vision. Their journey reminds us that true success isn't measured by traditional wealth but by creating something that pays in peace, purpose, and connection. When facing your own entrepreneurial darkness, remember this episode's core message: legacy isn't about scale—it's about what continues to burn bright long after you're gone. What will you build when your lights go out?
Collect all free downloadable checklist and access to other items including the featured Stanley on the go tumblers. https://linktr.ee/notjustcandletalk
Hello world, welcome back to Not Just Candle Talk, the podcast where we don't just light candles, we light fires under entrepreneurs. I'm your host, and today we're not just talking business. We're taking a journey somewhere between fact and fiction, between fantasy and financial strategy, to a small, nearby, forgotten town where the power went out but the hustle stayed lit. This is the town that hustled in the dark, a fictional tale woven with the real truth of building something from nothing. So sit back. This one's different, but it's definitely for you, dear entrepreneur.
Speaker 1:Once upon a hustle, there was a small town called Ebon Hollow, a quiet place tucked away between broken highways and busted dreams. The town used to be known for its candle factory. The town used to be known for its candle factory Glow Works. It lit homes across the country until one day the factory closed. Jobs left and so did the light, but a few stayed A barista named Rena, a mechanic named Jax and a high school dropout with a sketchbook full of candle labels.
Speaker 1:Her name was Nova. They were tired and broke and then one night, the power went out for good. Literally, ebon Hollow went dark. But instead of panicking, they got to work. Nova said why wait for power when we've got fire. She wasn't just talking about wax and wicks. She was talking about something deeper. And here's the entrepreneur truth. Sometimes rock bottom is a runway. When everything goes dark, you finally see who still got a spark. So they started.
Speaker 1:Small Rina turned her cafe into a candle bar by day and poetry lounge by night. Jax he took scrap metal and built custom candle holders from old engines. Nova she started selling handmade candles out of a shed she lit with lanterns. They didn't have funding or a Shopify site, but they had word of mouth and, most importantly, they had stories. Rena's candles smelled like fresh start and burnt bridges. Jack's holders were engraved with broke, not broken. Nova's bestseller CEO in the Shadows. People from nearby towns started driving in, not just for the candles but, of course, for the vibe. They created more than a product. They created a movement. Here's another entrepreneur truth your brand isn't what you sell. It's what people feel when they hold it.
Speaker 1:Ebon Hollow became a beacon, not because the lights came back on, but because people realize glow is eternal. Of course, storms came, as they always do. Like I always say, it's peaks and valleys. A developer tried to buy their block, told them a gas station would bring more business than candles ever would. They offered Nova a check with more zeros than she'd ever seen and she almost said yes. But Jack said something that stuck with her Muddy is loud, but peace is silent. Can you sleep at night? With the price of your dream? And of course they fought back and forth, but not with lawyers, but with love.
Speaker 1:The whole town held a festival called the Night Market, an all-night glow in the dark candle event. Night glow in the dark candle event. Poets performed, kids sold glow jars, people cried, danced and brought out every candle. Eventually, after seeing all of this, how the community came together. The developer he left.
Speaker 1:And here's another entrepreneur truth. Sometimes the best strategy is community. No one can steal a dream when it's shared by many. Drive far enough and the sky's just right, you might see a glow. Nova now mentors, teen entrepreneurs. Jack's candle holders are featured in design magazines. Rena's cafe is part of a documentary called Small Town, big like.
Speaker 1:But you know, as I say, with peaks and valleys, they never got rich, not in the way that the world measured it, but they built something that paid in peace, purpose and power. They stuck together. Right through thick and thin they stuck together. So here's here's an entrepreneur, another entrepreneur, truth.
Speaker 1:Legacy isn't about scale, it's about what steel burns after you stop selling, right? I've talked about this many times before Legacy is forever. Purpose alignment, um, legacy is forever purpose alignment. Those are things that will never fade. So my question is what do you do when the lights go out? You remember the glow comes from within.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm going to end it right here. Uh, so this has been, um, a fictional story, but the struggle, the hustle, the heart is very real and if this episode sparks something in you, share it. Share it with your broke but dreaming friend, send it to that cousin who's too scared to quit that nine to five, because around here we don't just talk candles, we talk legacy, and we're going to keep talking legacy and we're going to keep talking purpose. You've been listening to, not Just Candle Talk. I'm your host and I believe in your glow, even when the world goes dark. Until next time, stay lit, my friend.
Speaker 1:I like this story Because it has so many Different elements to it and you can see, even though people had Different roles to play, they definitely came together when, when it was most needed. And that's what community is all about and that's how you build, build your legacy again. I just want to touch on this short story real quick and I might do more of these. I might elaborate more on purpose and alignment and the side hustles and the business side of that. Until next time, thank you for listening. Bye.