Celebrating Women’s History Month
Let’s chat with some of our female team members about what Women’s History Month means to them, reflecting on their time at Vellabox and empowering other females in the industry!
When you began at Vellabox, did you ever imagine that you would have a leadership role in this industry/organization?
I began my career in the corporate fashion world and never anticipated taking on a leadership role in a different industry. When I left the company I was previously with, my brother Adam, the founder of Vellabox, invited me to join his small team. With just three other employees at the time, it was a significant transition. Though I loved candles, I hadn’t pictured myself in that retail sector.
Today, Vellabox has a team of over 15, with over 70% being female, and I’m proud to be part of this empowering journey.
Bri, CEO of Vellabox
Fast forward three years, I can’t see myself anywhere else and fully embraced my role as a leader at Vellabox. My journey has not only deepened my understanding of the candle industry, but also taught me invaluable lessons about growing a small business. Mentors, self-teaching, and daily interactions with our dedicated employees have contributed to my growth. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it’s an honor for me to serve as a leader to a talented majority-female team, collaborating to enhance our candle community and redefine the standards of success for women in business.
Bri, CEO of Vellabox
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
One of my favorite quotes that aligns well with what Women’s History Month represents is,
“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”
Only positivity, strength, and equality can be gained when we uplift our sisters. I’m inspired by women who empower those around them, encourage creativity and happily take up space.
Melina, Creative Marketing Associate
What is your proudest achievement while working at Vellabox?
Since I work on both our Product & Marketing teams, I’m super proud of all my contributions as I juggle projects for these two important aspects of our brand.
If I had to narrow it down to three, pitching our 2021 Top Shop Product: Wine Flight was pretty scentsational. I’ve always been a fan of beer & wine flights and when I noticed businesses start to do coffee flights or candle trios, an idea sparked in my head and I was like Vellabox needs to do this!
As I help brands tell their story through a signature scent and custom merch, creating the Orangetheory candle & diffuser campaign really was full circle for me. OTF was the first group fitness studio I got hooked on. So it was special to not only create their scent (it’s flames, not biased) and design the products, but also see the products advertised for sale in nine studios in my area.
Lastly, I’ve helped secure Vellabox national coverage in large publications such as People, HuffPost, Woman’s Day, Oprah Daily, Marie Claire to name a few, which has been really incredible.
Lauren, Public Relations & Brand Partnerships Lead
How has your role at Vellabox empowered you?
Vellabox was my first full-time job after graduating college. At the time, it was a bit of an unconventional track – joining a startup with a team of less than five while many of my peers in business school were going off to larger corporate positions. These past four years at Vellabox have been quite the journey full of challenges, but also huge successes, and LOTS of experience gained.
One of the most rewarding parts has been the large impact my work and ideas have made on the things that we do. I truly believe I would not have gained as much knowledge, confidence, or growth in any other role at this time of my life as a young woman in business if I had followed the more “conventional” track post-college.
Through the years, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to welcome more smart & inspiring women to our team and help lead them to success in their own roles.
Much love & respect for the Vellabox team, our candle community, and all the women breaking barriers!
Lydia, Director of Marketing
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self that perfection isn’t everything. The need to be perfect isn’t real and to take the pressure off of myself on the daily.
Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle with all of this on a daily basis. Although if I could have told my younger self all of this, I may have felt less alone in those feelings and given myself the opportunity to take a deep breathe and have a little bit more fun.
When I moved to NYC on a whim after college, I didn’t know anyone or have a job lined up and I just made it work! It was very outside of my comfort zone but something that I will never regret doing.
Natalee, Merchandising & Partnerships Manager
Which women inspire you the most?
My biggest inspiration is my mom. Growing up, she led by example with her hard work and kindness towards others, and she always encouraged me to pursue my passions and goals. Her leadership both in her career and our family has been a constant source of inspiration, and her love and unwavering support have played a significant role in shaping the woman I am today. My sisters also inspire me as mothers – I admire their strength and resilience and hope to be as good as a mom as them one day!
Brittany, Support/Fulfillment and Wholesale Lead
