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00:00 listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. I'm your host, Mary Lewis. Today I'm talking with Jillian at Farm Country Candles in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, which is just up the road from me. Good afternoon, Jillian. How are you? I'm well. How are you, Mary? I'm good. And it's a beautiful day in Minnesota. It just kind of clouded in here a little bit in Lasur, but it's still beautiful. It's not hot.

00:27 and everything is so freaking green right now, it's ridiculous. Yeah, everything is blooming. It's a good time to visit Minnesota. Yeah, I always say May, first part of June, or September, first part of October, because any time in between those two times, it's just hot and sticky, and I'm like, not going to enjoy it if you come any time other than that. Yes, absolutely. But there's always something to do, so.

00:55 Whatever works with anybody's schedule still come visit Minnesota. Yeah, it's gorgeous. It's absolutely gorgeous any time of the year It's just that you have to you have to understand that Minnesota is I would use the word volatile when it comes to weather You never know what you're gonna get and you can't Plan on it being the way you want it to be so be flexible and enjoy whatever mother nature gives you

01:24 Absolutely. Couldn't have said it better. Yeah. And I mean, I grew up in New England. It's the same thing. I made a lateral move over 30 years ago and I was like, Minnesota is not that different from where I grew up. There's just no mountains to my west, you know, half an hour, 45 minutes, and there's no ocean to my east, half an hour, 45 minutes. It's more like day trips to get there now. Yes. That is a big change.

01:51 Yeah, but the weather itself is kind of the same. And honestly, my dad and my mom, give me weather updates when I talk to them. Oh, they're still in England? In New England, in Maine. New England. In Maine. Oh, sure. And my dad will say, how's the weather been? And I tell him, and he's like, okay, well, I know what we have coming in three days, because basically whatever we get three days later, they get. So he said, you're better than our local weather reporter. I'm like, yeah, weird how that works.

02:21 So that's awesome. What? That's awesome. So anyhow, I would love it if you would tell me about yourself and what you do, Jillian. Absolutely. Well, I'm Jillian and I'm the owner of Farm Country Candles. I started this business, gosh, was it a year and a half ago now? Oh, that soon. That it wasn't that long ago. It was not. It kind of happened on accident.

02:51 To be honest, ah my parents owned a candle company. ah It was on a smaller scale, but they started that around 2008. So they've had all the equipment and uh now they were like, well, Jillian, do you want to have our equipment? We're kind of downsizing. And I was like, sure. Yeah, this sounds like fun. It'd be a hobby of mine. love the candles and this way I could have it for myself and maybe gift a few.

03:21 to family and friends. But then eventually people wanted to buy some and I was like, okay, maybe I should turn this into a business. So I did, I rebranded the company and I called it Farm Country Candles, because it's the area that we live in, right? Farm Country. uh So it had just a good ring to the name. And now it's just kind of grown into what it is today, which still have the soy candles.

03:50 but we also have fire starters and small space diffusers or car diffusers. uh And those additional products always came by kind of, again, on accident and they all have funny stories behind them. So I would love to share those as we continue our conversation today. Well, go ahead. Tell me the funny story about the car diffusers first. Okay, absolutely. So the car diffusers, uh I don't know if people know what they are because I didn't.

04:19 Okay, so they're just little vessels that have the fragrance and a diffuser base and you can hang them in your car. So if you look on social media, they're known as car diffusers, but I love them for any of my small spaces like bathrooms, um offices, mud rooms. You could put them in your benches because shoes kind of get stinky after a while. I know some people

04:47 by family and friends, have them in their fish houses, their campers, their side by sides. Pretty much anywhere you can't have a burning candle, you can put this diffuser. So it's portable and you just take off the plastic stopper, put the wooden cap on it, turn it upside down, let it saturate in this wooden cap, and then it hangs wherever you like to put it. So it just, again, flameless candle, you can put it anywhere.

05:17 And so how this happened was one day one of my coworkers, she's like, well, Jillian, you make candles. Can you refill this thing I have? This is like a smelly little thing. And I was like, okay, I don't know what you're talking about, but yeah, I could probably look into that for you. So a week later, she's like, yeah, like this is it. Can you refill this? And I was like, oh, okay. Yeah, sure. I've never seen anything like that. So I was able to fill it for her.

05:46 It did it smelled amazing. So I'm like, okay now now I need these so something I never thought I needed I needed and now it's a product that I carry and it's it's a big hit so if anybody sees me at the Vendor shows are out and about and people ask I do call them the flameless candle nice and they remind me of the the little glass jars that you can get and you put the fragrance oil in the bottom and you put the

06:16 the little wooden sticks in it? Same idea? Same idea, but the wooden cap replaces the sticks to the diffuser. Yeah. And then is there a funny story with the fire starters? Yeah, the fire starters. um So the fire starters came from a little family embarrassment on my end. um I was at my parents' house and it was just the immediate family and I wanted to start a fire. So my dad handled me a

06:44 one of those wood shaving fire starters and said, here you go, use this. So I tried and I couldn't get this fire started. And I mean, it was dry wood and everything. So it was all on my end, I was never a girl scout. So let's just start with that. So I think I was already at a disadvantage here. So I asked my husband to help me. And then all of sudden my brother comes over and chimed in. You even had a fire starter?

07:11 I felt like super silly and I was like, okay, I just like walked away. And I thought, well, if I struggled this much on starting a fire, maybe somebody else does too and maybe I could make a product that can make it this easier. So today, every time I just like make a batch of fire starters, I always think of the way it started, which was my brother asking me, you couldn't even start a fire with a fire starter, but now I can.

07:41 because these fire starters are amazing. They're really, number one, I bet they work great, but number two, they're really beautiful. I feel like it would be really nice as a, like part of a centerpiece at a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. They're that pretty. They are. However, I always say, again, if you see me about at vendor shows, I'm like, this is not a candle. We should start by saying that because it's all highly flammable material, right? We got pine cones.

08:10 We got wood shavings in the wax. We got a paper cupcake liner. So all of this stuff is very flammable. So yeah, you would not want to light that at your centerpiece. Yeah, no, I'm not saying light it. I'm saying they're really pretty. They would be really pretty as a visual addition. Yes. I just had to put that in there just because I wouldn't want people to mistake that. But it is very beautiful. And they smell good because it's all natural material.

08:39 you know, outside. It's pine cones. It's, it's Frasier fir or blue spruce, um you know, branches. Yeah, they're gorgeous. And I was looking at your Facebook page today and I was looking at all the different candle scents. How in the world do you keep them all straight, Jillian? Oh my God, there's so many. Yeah, so I kind of went overboard when I'm like, oh, I should try this or I should try that.

09:07 I like, I want to try to blend this and I kind of been experimenting. So now I have some like house blends actually, which is pretty cool. ah The three house blends that I have, my first house blend was Northwoods. So it's a mixture of blue spruce and Fraser fir. It just gives you that deep woods smell like that, you know, that Christmas tree smell, but then just blend a little bit with the blue spruce. It's very, it's very pleasant. ah

09:37 The second house blend I did was the Armoretto Sunrise. So that one you get the almond top, like top note of it. And then you got a little bit of vanilla in there. And then the base is in you get like the orange zest to it. So that one is, you know, pretty strong. It's probably one of my strongest candles has a nice cold throw and as well as a warm throw. So hot throw when you light it. And then my third house blend.

10:06 which we just created, I would say maybe 10 days ago, is called Minnesota Prairie. So if you enjoy like outdoorsy, fresh, clean scents, this one is gonna be for you. So there's five different fragrances in it. It's Tienese, Lillia the Valley, Bergamot, Casimir Cedar, and then just a splash of fresh cut grass. And it is

10:36 been a big hit. Let's just say I just wanted to do uh a small batch and all of a sudden it was gone. I posted on Facebook, like you said, and then it was gone. So I had to make a second batch already. Yes, I was reading the sentence for that one. I was like, oh my God, that's got to be amazing. And anyone who's listened to the podcast knows that my favorite flower is peony.

11:01 Oh, really? I was like, and I love it when my husband, Moissa Lawn, loves the smell of cut grass and oh my goodness, that must smell so good. This one will be for you then. Uh-huh. Oh, I'm sure all of them would be for me. I used to be a candle fanatic. The minute it got cold outside in October, I was like, it's candle season. Yay. And oh I laugh because I say the same thing. And a lot of people say it's always candle season, Jillian. And I'm like,

11:31 Maybe you're right. Maybe it is always candle season because there's a scent for every season. There is, but I have so many windows in my house and I'm really grateful for that. We have lots of windows. We have so much daylight. It's amazing that it feels weird to light candles when the sun is just pouring in the windows in the summertime. So I rarely ever use candles in the spring and the summer, but in the fall and the winter I am all over it.

12:00 Yeah, and that's kind of another interesting thing that people ask me. They're like, you must burn candles all the time. I make candles almost every day. Yeah. So I don't burn any because I always smelly whatever I'm creating or making. Right. So and that stays in your home for a good 36 hours, I would say, depending on the strength of the scent. So I rarely burn candles. Not only does it stay in your home, it stays in your nose.

12:30 Yes, we do go nose blind if you make multiple sends at the same time. Yeah, we did make candles a couple summers ago and we made quite a few and we sold them at the farmers market and we still have some and we sell them in our farm stand. And every time we would make them, I would go to bed and all I could smell like in my nose was whatever candle we had made that day. And when it was coffee or lavender,

12:58 or lemon or orange, was like, oh, that's so good. But we had a leather essential, not essential oil, fragrance oil. That one gave me horrible headaches and it was not a great scent out of the bottle. And, oh, rough. That one was rough. It makes a really nice scented candle. But when you're making it, it is hellacious to smell. I would 100 % agree with you because

13:27 I was making that for the first time and I could barely stomach it as well. However, now that I came back to it a year later, it's okay now. I don't know why. I must have changed a little bit through the other scents that I create. that one, um and I get all my fragrance oils from really well-known suppliers. this one, this leather actually was okay that I was like, okay, I can actually do this. And it smells just like a saddle shop.

13:57 And funny enough, it works really well when you see me at Pioneer Power. People come just for that leather candle. Of course, that makes complete sense. ah People loved the coffee and the leather not together. The coffee candles, the leather candles, they really liked them. And we're not going to be making them anymore because supplies are so expensive now that we can't, we just can't sustain it.

14:26 It's just too much money. So we are no competition for you, not that we ever were. But I welcome it. Everybody should do what they love to do. And this is just something that I love to do. So it works. I'm normally at shows with one, maybe two other candle vendors. it's you know, they have different different sense, different styles. So it's all OK.

14:55 Yeah. And I just, we have to make them in our kitchen because we don't have any place to make them anywhere else. And my husband said, are you kind of tired of having your house to be turned into a candle factory? And I said, do you want the truth? And he's like, yeah. And I said, yeah, kind of am. He said, well, I'm kind of tired of spending inordinate amounts of money for the fragrances and I don't feel right charging people what it would cost us to keep doing it.

15:25 He said, and there's lots of other candle makers in the area. I was like, okay, let's not do candles anymore. So we made the, the not unilateral. There's another word means both of us. came to the conclusion together that we are done with candles. And when they're gone, they're gone. But it was, not going to let your husband talk to my husband then. But it was fun. It was really fun. And I just talked to somebody this morning on another interview and they make soaps.

15:55 And they were talking about all different scented soaps they used to make. And it reminded me of when we bought sample packs from, think it was Bramble Berry of the fragrance oils for Christmas for candles and soaps. And I was just in heaven, brought that box in, opened it, started opening the vials to smell the little two ounce bottles. And I was right in.

16:22 Christmas mode and it was August when they came in. Well, that's what I'll start making. August, September is the time that I'll start making my Christmas candles too. yeah, yeah. I called my mom and I was like, I am so high. All I can see is your living room with the Christmas tree in it. She said, what is wrong with you? It's August. And I explained what was happening and she's like,

16:48 Oh, I love that Christmas smells remind you of the old house with the Christmas tree. was like, yeah, that's where I am. My mind is right there. She said, those are good scents. You're going to want to use those. I was like, ah, yes, I am. And there's one, I can't remember the name of it. And it smells just like when you step outside, when it first starts to snow. That real tingly little minty scent to it. Yeah, like a

17:14 Silent snowfall or something? Along those lines. So good. So good. And I am olfactorally driven. I love scents. So when we were doing the candles, it was really, really fun.

17:30 But it's always fun to experiment and get that delivery because you never know what the scent is going to smell like. It changes per, you know, vendor too. So you just never know. Yeah. It's always a surprise and it's a really nice surprise except for the 1 % chance that it's not. There have been a couple we've gotten here like, no, that is not what we want to be doing for candles. I don't remember. And then I have to be a chemist and mix it with some other stuff to create it something that is actually going to be

18:00 worthwhile to make. So that's kind of another challenge. Yeah, I don't know. But it's kind of fun. Yeah, I don't remember what ones we got. There were a couple and we opened them up and they were just little sample bottles. So it wasn't a big deal if we didn't like them. And I was just like, I don't think I like that one. Do you like it? And he took a sniff and he was like, no, you and you is not a word you expect to hear out of a dude. Right.

18:28 And it was very much the girl, eww, and I was like, oh, that's not good. If you're saying, ew, we're not using that one. And it's always fun to watch other people's reactions to this stuff. When he's at the farmer's market, he has a sign that says free sniffs for the soaps and the candles. And people see the sign and they laugh. And he's like, no, really. If you want to smell the candles, feel free. And people are funny about it. They kind of...

18:55 It's almost like they're tiptoeing to the edge of the table. And then they very gently pick up a candle and they sniff it. And the one they always go for is the coffee one. And he's like, honey, he said, it's almost like they can't believe that a candle could smell like a cup of coffee. He said, they look skeptical and they smell it. they're like, Oh my God, this smells just like my kitchen. My coffee's brewing. And he's like, yes, that's what we want.

19:25 And then it's a whole conversation. So it's just fun. um So go ahead. I do have a funny story about Vending. And this one gentleman came over and he was kind of puzzled by what was all in my mason jar containers. And because it's white, I don't add any dye color to any of the candles. They just are the sarwhack. oh

19:50 then the fragrance. So sometimes they get a little bit darker depending on the fragrance. But again, it's just white otherwise. And he comes up and he's like, there's so many different flavors of chicken Alfredo, Alfredo sauce. And I was like, no, no, no, sir. These are candles, soy candles. He's like, oh my gosh, I thought these were Alfredo sauce. I was like, no, not today. So you just never know who's going to come up and

20:19 That is what it looks like though with the soy wax. That's funny. It does. Yeah. was great. But I also do make all these candles in my kitchen. So I understand your feeling of like, yeah, kind of taking over. um This is kind of taking over, you know, I guess, extra room that we have. um We have like a formal dining room that we don't use as a formal dining room. So that's not my candle room where I put.

20:48 majority of my supplies. But yeah, it kind of sneaks into the kitchen a lot and it kind of sneaks in other places depending on if I'm getting ready for anything. And we recently um just got a fundraiser in Birchwood. um Birchwood, Wisconsin would like to bring back free movies to the park. So I partnered with a resident there that she's a Birchwood native. um And she was like, I have this really cool idea.

21:18 Do you think we could use the candles as a fundraiser opportunity to, you know, they need equipment, they need to do some licensing. And I was like, absolutely, let's, let's make this work. And we created six different labels that are like birchwood, like branded. And then we create, you know, we agreed on six different cents for these labels. So then I went to town and started making candles, you know, every single night I would just.

21:48 candles, candles, But yeah, 360 candles went out two weekends ago to Birchwood. So they are actively in their fundraiser right now efforts of trying to get free movies to the park. So kind of a cool kind of a cool thing that we've started doing and just kind of, again, saying yes to my friend with the car diffusers, you know, my coworker and friend slash friend. But then also, like when an opportunity like fundraising comes up and like, absolutely, we can do that.

22:17 Why not? It just, feels good to give back. yeah, absolutely. I, that's great. ah Did you say that you have your candles in some local stores? Oh yeah. So that's been also kind of fun. ah You know, as I started this like 18 months ago, ah I never knew that this would like grow into what it was. ah And my first actually store that I was in,

22:46 ah I'm not in currently, but the first place I was in was actually in Belle Plaine here at Riverview Coffee. And it was just kind of like something that was so cool. Like people can come in, get their coffee and, you know, maybe smell some candles as they wait or whatnot. And they've, they switched ownership. So we are not in there anymore. But then it was like, Oh, maybe I should go and start talking to people and see if we can get these products elsewhere. So um to date,

23:15 We are in Rust in Luster in Chaska, Minnesota. ah Cattle Fish Brewing in St. Peter, Minnesota. Mankato Vintage Market is carrying the car diffusers. Signature 3D Ink is also carrying the uh car diffusers. But we also, since they're a 3D Ink company, they are creating, I call them

23:43 accessory tops for these card diffusers. So they have um 3D prints made of cowboy hats like dog paws, hearts where they have a butt frog. So it's a little green frog with a little butt on the back. um They made crosses, dragonflies, and they can custom make pretty much anything. um So if there's something that somebody wants, you can just reach out to ask. But they have a variety of the diffusers there.

24:12 at their store and the Mankato mall, as well as their 3D prints. So they just put a little hole on top that can sit right on top. it makes it kind of makes it a little bit more fun and you can switch out the tops too. So that's That's and then I know right. um Then we're also in at Drummers Garden Center and that's also Mankato for the car diffusers. We are at Schills Lake Cheesecake.

24:40 in Lonsdale, Minnesota. They're a new storefront. They make the most amazing cheesecake. So, shout out. you're the third person that's mentioned them to me. Oh, really? On a podcast? Yeah, they're really great. So, definitely try them. um And they have a little merchandise, a little section that carries all of our products. So, that's pretty cool that they're allowing us to do that.

25:08 And then we just got into Mabel Mercantile in Newall, Minnesota. And they have our fire starters right now. And then we are going to go into a new storefront in Birchwood, Wisconsin when they open that. So we're just in talks about that right now. So it's kind of fun. Super cool. You are moving up, lady. Yeah, it's.

25:37 something that I never expected, but here we are, I guess. It's so fun and it's so cool that you're doing something you really enjoy and you're having success at it. Is it your only job or do you have like a jobby job? A jobby job. That's cute. ah I do have a jobby job. I work in healthcare. My husband and I call it the jobby job because it's the job that you work to support the

26:06 hobby that you have? Yes. Yeah, that is definitely, yeah, this is definitely a hobby, ah but is growing, you know, obviously, hopefully into something bigger than I expected. But yeah, my jobby job, I've never heard that. I just love that. Yeah, I work in healthcare. I work in St. Peter at Rivers Edge Hospital. Okay. So shout out to Live Well Fitness Center. I always

26:36 I always say like, anytime I'm about like, come check out the gym down at the hospital. You'll see me. Do you love that too? Do you love that job as well? Oh gosh, yeah. Everybody's, I mean, it's a community gym and then we also have a cardiac rehab program. So we can help people after a heart event, which is probably one of the scariest times of their lives, right?

27:04 And to see them build back their confidence is amazing. And then they just continue with us. So it's just awesome to be able to hear their stories and then see them progress and get back to their lives and enjoy their hobbies, you kind of like this. Like that's their goal, to try get back into doing what they want to be doing. You are blessing the world on two counts. And as a mom, you're blessing the world on three counts. So you're doing a great job of everything.

27:32 Well, thank you. Sometimes it's hard to tell when you're doing all the things, but it's just the candles came at a time in my life where I needed something when we, we just, mean, it's a, there's a big story to this, I guess. But I, when I said yes to the equipment, my parents gave us, you know, we were, we're new to Belle Plaine. we just moved here three years ago and maybe three and a half now, but

28:01 I didn't know anybody and as a small town, like it's, you know, everybody's pretty darn close. You walk in places, people kind of look at you like, oh, that, person's new. And that's how I kind of felt. But the candles actually made, you know, me get out of my shell, get out of the house, right? My kids are so tiny and I felt like I was just, you know, going to work and then coming home and parenting and then going back to work. But the candles made me.

28:27 um gave me an opportunity to do some shows and get to know people. And I feel like finally I'm starting to grow roots. Like, okay, like I know people. I asked somebody for something and oh, yep, it's so and so and yeah, here's their number. And it's just, it feels like now I'm in the community, not just living here. So that's really cool. And yeah, it kind of seems like, that, wow, Jillian, how do you do it? You know, you're working, your job, and then the candles.

28:57 But really, it's a full circle thing where now I can use the candles as an avenue to give back, right? Like the fundraising opportunities we can do. I have some more ideas up my sleeve that I'm not quite ready to disclose yet, but it's just more opportunities to get more into the community. And that's what's nice about having businesses in towns. You need to support. You live there, support the rule.

29:26 the rural businesses support each other. It's pretty cool. Yes. And I, this is going to sound really Pollyanna, but I do not care. When people make things themselves, there is magic in that. And I don't mean Harry Potter magic. I mean just specialness. And if you're going to give someone a gift, don't you want to give somebody a gift that is special?

29:56 that isn't just something you picked up at Kohl's. Absolutely. And that was, it's funny you say that, I actually, this last Christmas, I was telling, you in the gym where I, my jobby job, I was like, I'm going to make homemade gifts for everybody that I give presents to this year. And it was so cool to just try to like find things. And, and I'm like, wow, now, now it's like something I just do in my, you know, everyday life. Like,

30:25 I was making my own spices and gifting them and it's it's those types of things. It's like, well, I don't have to buy that. It's way better when you just make it on your own. is. And that, that passion and that love that you put into the thing that you make, you can't, you can't make that out of factory. It comes from you.

30:51 And I have a story about the whole making things and giving them as well. think I've told it once in two and a half years on this podcast. Back when we lived in Jordan, oh my God, 15 years ago, 20 years ago now, we had learned how to make cold press lye soap, cold process lye soap. And our families found out about it and we let them try it and they liked it.

31:19 to the point that they would call or text and be like, we really like this. I'm like, okay, great. So we literally made a whole bunch of different scents and we went to Christmas that year and we had a box of all the different kinds of soaps in Ziploc bags, which is really terrible plastic, blah, blah, blah, not good for the environment, but that's how we did it. m

31:43 We basically, when it was our turn to give presents, we were like, do you see this box? And they were like, yes, in the middle of the room. And I said, when you have a minute, pick out whatever soap you would like to take home with you. Merry Christmas. And the smiles on their faces were priceless because we didn't pick out the soaps for them. We were just like, take what you would like, whatever sense you like, take them. They were thrilled and they wanted more.

32:12 And more and more after, you know, my father-in-law still gets soaps from us. it's really neat when you find something that people love and you can just share it with them. And it's really neat when you turn into a business, but that first blush of uh recognition that you've made something that people really enjoy or they benefit from is very special.

32:40 Yeah, I mean, and people see that they are like, well, you can go buy something, but you made this and it probably took you hours upon hours potentially, you know, so it does it does mean a little bit more. And it's fun. Let's let's not lie here. It is so fun to make stuff. And I really wish that everybody could have at least a moment of creating something from scratch where they get that bubble in their chest of

33:10 Oh my God, I made this and it turned out right and it's good. Whatever it is, whether it's food or soap or candles, I don't care. It's just, there's so, it's like being a little kid again when you're in art class and the art teacher is like, okay, today we're gonna learn how to paint a leaf. And it's really simple. But I remember being a little kid in art class and learning how to paint something. You know, with paint, a brush and a piece of paper, that leaf was not there.

33:39 when I started and it looked like a birch leaf when I was done. I thought I was the bee's knees. I thought I was great.

33:50 That's awesome. Yeah, it's, it's the little things, isn't it? It always is. It always is. And it's so frustrating to me that the world has become click and you get the thing that you want or need. And there's no effort. And yes, I understand to make money, you have a job and you're putting an effort, but there's no creativity of your own to get the thing that you need. And

34:20 Also, when you make your candles, Jillian, you get to start and end and have a finished product. And it's one of the things that I hated about my jobs when I had a job. I was only one little piece of the product, the finished product. I never got to see the beginning and I never got to see the end.

34:45 Right. Yeah, that's, that's, it is really cool. Like you have, you know, all these supplies and like I said, it's all over my house, but wouldn't I? Yeah. You have all the supplies and then you have your final product and it's all together. It is pretty cool because it is, it's something that you're, yeah, you're proud of. Um, and it takes time. And I mean, that first batch, you know, I didn't have it all together, but it didn't turn out the greatest, but because I kept,

35:15 saying, I got this, I can do this. You know, I was able to figure it out. ah And I just said yes to the next opportunity, even though I didn't have it all figured out, I would say. ah It just it's the same. It's the same. Yes. I think it's really the the go getting attitude and to keep going and keep striving. And you got something that you love and people can sense that and

35:44 And people, you know, love to hear the stories. And that's what I love what you're doing is just like letting everybody have an avenue to do that is pretty amazing. So thank you for having me on. oh absolutely. And Jillian, I cannot lie to you. I enjoy these conversations so much. They are the highlights of my week because you guys love what you're doing or what you're learning or what you're providing. And

36:11 Things are so crazy in the world right now that any positivity or love or kindness just makes me feel like there's hope.

36:21 So thank you for doing what you're doing. Well, I appreciate that. I mean, I couldn't have done it without everybody else. mean, too, it's like the support of my family and my friends and the motivation. Like, I really thought I had to have this all figured out and perfect, perfected before I like started at all. I was like, well, I can't do it. I can't do a show. can't. I can't put it on a Facebook page. I can't do all that. And somebody was like,

36:50 you're never going to have it perfect. She said, just start, just, just, just start, begin. And that's where it'll all come together. And I was like, okay, maybe, maybe she is right. So if anybody, yeah, if anybody listening in there just like, I don't know if I should do something like this or, you know, start a passion or maybe even put it in a business. You don't have to have it all figured out.

37:19 That's one thing I should say. You don't have to have it all figured out. It will come. Yes. And I'm always saying start small, dream big. I'm also, I'm also always saying, how do you eat an elephant one bite at a time? Yes. So yeah, if you have an interest and you have that little thing in the back of your head saying, I'd really like to learn how to do

37:48 whatever it is you want to learn how to do, take it one step at a time. And if you get four steps in and you're like, this is not for me, you don't have to keep going. You can stop. It's fine. Right. Yeah, I absolutely agree. That's the first thing I always say too when I'm, you know, talking to somebody like, you don't have to like my product if, you know, if you don't like the smells, totally fine. But

38:15 you know, maybe there should be a scent that you like, because I typically carry like 50 cents every time I go to a show. I'm kind of ridiculous, to be honest. I'm like, hey, why don't you just come over and smell some candles with me? Here, I'll talk to you about my passion. I'll tell you why my candles are presented the way they are. So it's just really funny to see like people's reaction. But people are always just like, yeah, like, let's just have a conversation, you know? And I think that's too, instead of being behind, you know, social media and our phones.

38:44 People still really like that. They like to have that face to face and, oh my gosh, that smells like you were saying, like, oh, my grandma's house or this memory. And that's what it's really all about. When they come up and they're like, wow, this truly smells like my grandma's kitchen. I'm like, yeah, I mean, it really brings you back and you can see the smiles on their faces. Have you had anybody burst into tears when they had something or a mind?

39:12 had one of your candles remind them of something? Yes. mean, it was just a little tear, but it was just it was the sweetest moment. uh It was just like two uh sisters that were out and about shopping. And they came and spent hours just going through the candles. I won't. That's probably an over exaggeration. But I would say it was a good half hour of them smelling. They went shopped a little bit more and then came back. So it felt like a long time. And they just

39:42 all the memories and those that have passed away, but they still have those memories of the holidays or the summer evenings. ah It's truly nostalgic. Yeah, olfactory scent is one of the strongest things that makes you remember. And music is also one of them. Hearing music will bring back a memory immediately.

40:09 I'm huge on candles. I'm so glad you had the time to talk with me today, Jillian. Where can people find you on Facebook? It's, uh what's name of the company? Yep. So it's Farm Country Candles. So I do have a Facebook. I have an Instagram and then I just launched on Shopify. So I have, I mean, I have a ton of cents, but I do have 20 cents listed on Shopify. So you can actually order online now and I can have them shipped to you.

40:39 And it does include my three house blends. So if you want an exclusive farm country candle scent, uh those three again are the Minnesota Prairie, the Northwoods and the Armaretto Sunrise. But otherwise I have 17 other scents right now available and I'll be adding more scents as the days go on. Fantastic. As always, people can find me at atinyhomesteadpodcast.com.

41:07 Jillian, I'm so glad we finally found a time to talk. This was great. Thank you. Thank you so much. Have a great day. You too.

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