TWYK Turns 3: Sitting Down with the CEO to Celebrate

Sitting down with the CEO to discuss what lies ahead for TYWK. Image by @JakeCarbonaraVisuals

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Outside of working for $10 an hour at a local Chicago grocer, Kylie spent most of 2021 like the rest of us: at home. 

In the absence of gatherings, they filled their home with the ambiance of candles. Soon, Kylie burned through them faster than they could be replaced. The new hobby burned through their wallet, too. So Kylie turned to DIY candle-making kits. But they found that pouring the candles was as enjoyable as it was practical. Less than a month later, they had to choose between kicking the hobby out or turning it into a business. They decided to fan the flame. 

“That first launch was a success—for what it was at the time,” they recall. 

By then, they’d pivoted to a career in social media. The financial backing of a full-time job allowed them enough resources to research product quality and small business operations and reflect on their creative vision. While they were inspired by the connections that they had made with other creatives, the demand to generate content for their job interfered with the attention that TYWK needed to thrive.

The time it took to design the business relaunch (over a year, to be exact) allowed plenty of opportunity for Kylie to back out. But every step toward the relaunch only made them more certain. They knew they could rake enough money in to sustain their DIY candles. What was possible with an increased capacity to take the quality to the next level? They knew the price self-care enthusiasts were willing to invest in to find the answer. 

Our first blog post shared exactly what went into the business relaunch and how TYWK plans to expand. In the short time since, TYWK has achieved LLC status, furthering its momentum toward Kylie’s vision for success. Although there’s plenty more in store for TYWK, the present moment is what Kylie has been looking forward to the most. 

“I’m not a ‘make your moves in silence’ kind of person,” they assure, “but we wanted to proceed cautiously to make sure we could deliver.” 

They’re especially grateful to the other team members who agreed to the slow burn. When Kylie received the product staging photographs, they were in awe of the excellence of visual storytelling, never mind that the photographer, Emily Davis, was also willing to wait a year for their debut while everything else fell into place. The wait to publicize the behind-the-scenes efforts increased the excitement and joy we feel at TYWK. 

While every corner of TYWK’s operations has been revamped, elevating the experience for both the users and the person behind it all, maintaining the integrity of being a small, owner-operated business remains vital to their vision: 

“I know my story… but I never get to talk about the ‘lore,’” they say jokingly before turning serious again, “It definitely started off as a side hobby, but now I want to see how big we can grow while keeping it manageable with a small team.”  

Kylie plans to navigate the next year by continuing to prioritize careful expansion, stress mitigation, and customer experience. They are energized by how their self-care solutions can disarm the hostile tendrils of the current economy that is antithetical to the infectious kindness and radical positivity at the heart of the TYWK mission.

Treat yourself with kindness always,

TYWK Team xx