Regina Pasqualone, Founder of Tiny Kitchen Candle Co.
Name: Regina Pasqualone
Founder: Tiny Kitchen Candle Co.
Who is Regina Pasqualone?
I'm a teacher turned business owner looking to live a slower, more meaningful life. Mommy to a Dinoloving boy named Domenick, wife to the MVP, Dom. Happiest at home with my boys and a mug of tea.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
Tiny Kitchen Candle Co. is a small, woman-owned home fragrance brand that came to life in a tiny kitchen in New Jersey. We create artisanal, wood wick candles that promote positive changes in mood and an overall sense of well-being.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
To me, being a foundHer means setting an example. It is stepping into the power and ability and creativity I have so that the women who come after me can do the same thing. It is also very much about creating the life I want, rather than living the life society told me I had to.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I shop women-owned businesses regularly. I belong to a network of female entrepreneurs who I encourage and support through advice and speaking opportunities. Additionally, I am a champion for these businesses via social media!
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I decided to step away from my teaching career and pursue TKCC full-time in June of 2021. There were two main factors in this decision:
1. My mental health was declining and I needed time away from teaching to heal, and
2. A few months earlier, we landed a wholesale agreement with Whole Foods. It was the sign I needed to know it was okay to make this change.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
Because we are so small, I wear many hats, and one of those hats is Social Media Manager. I recently outsourced management of our TikTok account to a family member who is more knowledgeable of that platform, and it has been a great relief!
It's really easy to get caught up in the hustle of social media and the demands of the algorithm. I think my advice for success is to be patient and be yourself. Let your following grow organically. Post when you can, not when you should. Try to stay true to yourself and your brand. I do hope to eventually hire someone to handle social media for the company, but until then, I can only do my best.
How did you land your first client?
Instagram.
I started DMing local businesses that I thought might be interested in stocking our candles. I got way more "Yes" than "No." It was exciting and affirming and confidence-boosting!
What are three strategies you use to market your business, grow brand awareness and generate bottom line growth?
1. Social Media. Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook...we try to stay as active as we can on all platforms. We do run ads as well.
2. Networking. We do pop-ups, networking events, and most recently, we started offering candle-making workshops. Anything we can do to get the product in front of new faces AND to make connections, we do!
3. Give Back. I'm not sure this is a strategy an experienced business person would recommend, but it's important to us. We have worked with non-profits on private label projects where we donate money back to the cause. We have run fundraisers for schools. While we may not make much money from these ventures, we gain lots of return customers and it gets our name out there.
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