logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2017
41m 3s

Chesapeake Bay Candle: Mei Xu

Guy Raz | Wondery
About this episode
Twenty-five years ago, when Mei Xu emigrated from China to the U.S., she loved going to Bloomingdale's to gaze at their housewares. She eventually started making candles in her basement with Campbell's Soup cans, an experiment that led to the multi-million dollar company Chesapeake Bay Candle. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P ... Show More
Up next
Jul 30
Advice Line with Chris Riccobono of UNTUCKit
Today’s callers: Adrian from California wants to grow his apparel company to complete with big-name athletic brands. Then, Preet from the Rockies looks for strategies to reach seniors and their children with his daily check-in app. And Derek from Virginia considers social media a ... Show More
46m 21s
Jul 27
Sweetwater: Chuck Surack. How a Customer Service Strategy Built a Billion Dollar Online Pro Audio and Music Company.
Chuck Surack never planned to build one of America's largest online retailers. He just wanted to be a musician. So right after high school, he took his sax and drove off in his old VW van to play gigs around the country. It didn’t work out. But with the audio and mixing skills Ch ... Show More
1h 12m
Jul 23
Advice Line with Curt Richardson of OtterBox
Today’s callers: Andy from Sarasota weighs whether the path to scalability for his live game show business is through personality or product. Then, Marissa from Tampa wants to recapture sales for her fairy tale-inspired teas after taking a hiatus to focus on her family. And Vince ... Show More
41m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2021
A Chinese immigrant living the American Dream
Mei Xu is a Chinese American entrepreneur who made it big in the US by setting up a global candle business. She grew up in Chairman Mao's communist China, but was educated at an elite school, where she learnt English with the aim of becoming a diplomat. That was until the pro-dem ... Show More
17m 29s
Apr 2023
Lessons from a Candle Company Selling New York Nostalgia
<p>Literie Candles doesn’t just sell scents, it sells memories. In this episode, Literie Candles founder Erica Werber explains how she created candles based on New Yorkers’ favorite pastimes and why the packaging has made her scents sell.</p><p>For more on Literie Candles and sho ... Show More
40m 27s
Aug 2020
What its like owning a small candle business
This week Bryanna sits down with guest Miranda, owner of mimzy's choices candle company. The two talk business, childhood memories, careers, and everything in-between. Music Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flowLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4 ... Show More
1h 12m
Sep 2021
299. When You Have a Small Email List with Jess Miller of Bella Vida Candles
<p>There is a path to profit for each product entrepreneur. In this episode, we feature a success story from one of our students. We hope this episode inspires you and proves you can build and grow your business the way you want to.</p><p>Jess Miller was making candles as a hobby ... Show More
50m 20s
May 2022
Christine Chang on Leaving Your Desk Job
Every weekend growing up, Christine watched her mom and grandma go to the Korean bathhouses, rubbing things like tea and spoiled milk on their skin. And she’s been hooked on skincare ever since. Now, she’s the co-founder and co-CEO of the skincare brand, Glow Recipe. But before l ... Show More
26m 13s
Oct 2023
Emily Schuman: Founder of Cupcakes and Cashmere and Lavune
<p>Emily Schuman had the initial idea for a food and fashion blog called Cupcakes and Cashmere back in 2008, and today, the company has grown into a full-fledged media and e-commerce business. In addition to running the Cupcakes and Cashmere company, engaging with the 570,000+ fo ... Show More
56m 12s
Aug 2022
What I Know Best: What’s In A Name
When Matthew Herman quit his job in L.A.’s fashion industry to work full time on his brand, Boy Smells, he’d been pouring wax and formulating fragrances for candles in the evenings in his kitchen for more than a year. Since growing his brand into retail and direct-to-consumer sal ... Show More
7m 30s
Dec 2022
How Good Design Can Elevate Your Home Products
<p>Vitruvi is a home scent company known for its air diffusers and humidifiers that can essentially double as home décor. In this episode of <i>Shopify Masters</i>, founder Sara Panton shares how she quit medical school to start Vitruvi, sourced clean ingredients, and kept design ... Show More
29m 55s
May 2023
The Coke Can Liner Caper
Shannon You was a good chemist, a bad colleague—and a thief. She planned to use the IP she'd stolen to start a company in China, and it might have worked if she herself hadn't been duped.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
42m 51s