February 8, 2024 • 25 mins
Young entrepreneur at the age of 10, is the imaginative force behind Lily Lou's Aromas.
This remarkable journey from confronting schoolyard bullies to igniting a passion for candle-making through a school project, turned this fifth-grader into an entrepreneur with a following of 350k.
Lily proves that building a business and enjoying a childhood fuelled by imagination aren't mutually exclusive:
- Alternative education (homeschooling and ADHD)
- Advice for kids wanting to start their first business
- Ways that young entrepreneurs are misunderstood
- Mindset tips for small business owners of any age
Tune in and let Lily's entrepreneurial spirit ignite your own ambitions, no matter your age.
Resources:
- Free workshop: Design Your Best Self
- Get 15% off at Lily Lou's Aromas (code: whatsyourfree)
- Get 10% off your first Fiverr order with this link
- Who Sam hires on Fiverr to make her IG Reels
- Sam's Reel she outsourced
Support the show:
☕️buymeacoffee.com/whatsyourfree
About the show:
Sam Laliberte - entrepreneur, digital nomad and freedom seeker, hosts the Freedom Lifestyle Podcast to expose people to the many ways you can design your dream life and unlock your own version of the freedom lifestyle. Her guests have empowered themselves through flexible work as a way to “have it all” - financial, location AND schedule freedom.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
You're listening to a new episode of the Freedom
Lifestyle podcast, where Iintroduce you to relatable
stories from everyday people whohave leveraged flexible work
arrangements to design theirdream lives.
Today, you are going to meet a10 year old entrepreneur, which
I'm also meeting a 10 year oldentrepreneur.
(00:23):
That was definitely a first forme interviewing somebody who
has so much knowledge andsuccess even at that age.
It was very impressive.
You're going to get to meetLily, who is the founder of Lily
Lose Aromas, which is a candlemaking venture, but is so much
more than that.
This business has truly becomean inspiring platform for so
(00:46):
many other kids.
Her age Lily is following ofover 300,000 at the time of me
recording this, and she reallyuses her business and her story
of being bullied at school,which resulted in being
homeschooled, which resulted inher even starting this business.
It was a school project thatactually became a real thing.
So today we definitely talkedabout what it was like starting
(01:09):
a business at 10, what peopleget wrong about what it's like
to be an entrepreneur at thisage.
A lot of people say that she'sbeing robbed of a childhood and
she really wants to set therecord straight.
She loves having this business.
She feels so passionate aboutit and you're going to be able
to tell from this conversation.
I got to hear what her advicewould be for other kids her age
(01:30):
wanting to start a business.
But regardless of your age,there's a lot of insights and
learnings for someone at anystage of their entrepreneurial
journey.
Lily's mindset and her abilityto learn on the go, to fail
quickly, to iterate, is just amessage that we could all hear
over and over again.
It's also just really fun tochat with a 10 year old
(01:50):
entrepreneur.
Today's episode is brought toyou by Fiverr, the world's
largest marketplace forfreelance services.
I've been a Fiverr Pro sellerfor three years and it's
actually my top channel forattracting new customers.
But I've also become an act ofclient and now I love
outsourcing parts of my variousbusinesses by buying other
(02:11):
people's services on Fiverr.
Recently, I've leveled up mysocial media marketing by
outsourcing you're not going tobelieve this my Instagram reels.
You know, when you go to anevent or you go to an amazing
experience and you look at yourcamera roll after and you just
have dozens of video clips thatyou know would make for such a
(02:31):
cool Instagram reel, but itwould take you forever to put it
together.
Well, I found someone on Fiverrwho I literally send my dozens
of unorganized video clips to,and within two business days she
sends me back a 30 second reelwith trending audio that I can
share with my community, justdays after the event.
I've included a link to herprofile.
(02:52):
I've included a link to herexact profile in today's show
notes, along with some of myfavorite reels that she's made
for me.
I challenge you head toFiverrcom next time you have a
project but just don't have thetime, or maybe you don't even
have the expertise to execute onsomething you're thinking.
I have been so pleased by howmuch space this frees up for me,
(03:14):
how much more freedom thiscreates in my life.
And if you're new to Fiverr,use the link in the show notes
for 10% off your very firstorder With no further delay.
Here's Lily.
Lily, welcome to the FreedomLifestyle podcast.
How are we feeling today?
How's your energy?
(03:34):
What are we going into thiscall with?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
I am super happy.
I love doing podcasts, so doingthis right now makes me super
happy and even helps me with myspeaking.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
You're such a great speaker.
When we met, I remember youwere like an impromptu speaker
at the conference.
You weren't even prepped, youjust rolled with it and on the
spot you did such a great job.
Does that come naturally foryou, or are you working on that
intentionally?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
It's what podcasts do and like speaking out.
Events do to me.
I do podcasts all the time andevents.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Amazing.
Well, what would you normallybe doing right now?
So, first of all, where in theworld are you, where are we
taking today's call from?
And if you weren't in thispodcast interview, what would
you normally be doing?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I'm currently in BC, Canada, and normally I start
making all my reels to make sureI got those all posted, and
then I do all my voiceovers forthe Lose of Romance.
I have one personal account andthen the one my business
account, so I post on those twoand then I do my stories, make
sure I keep everyone updated andthen have my lunch and then
(04:37):
start going on to spending timewith the family and making
dinner and everything.
And yeah, it's kind of how itgoes and how it flows Amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
You do such a great job with your social media and
your Instagram account,specifically telling the story
about the brand.
I know you tell this story sooften, the story of how this
business started, and Idefinitely am gonna bug you to
tell it again today.
Oh my God, yes, but first Iwanna talk about the actual
business, because what you'veactually created, it's more than
(05:09):
just an amazing story of how itcame to be.
The business itself is awesome.
So can you give us a bit of anelevator pitch what you offer
and perhaps some of your bestselling products?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Okay, of course.
So my best selling products?
I would definitely say myEnchanted Rituals Hero, Distance
Sun, is definitely a bestseller.
It's Grapefruit, Melon andCitrus.
I also I like the Birthday Cake, which is my favorite because
it smells like yellow cake,buttercream frosting so nice,
it's my favorite.
I still have it in my room.
I'm gonna light it, but it'stoo beautiful.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, I think those are kind of the best sellers
that are current right now, andfor someone who hasn't heard of
your business at all before,what would you tell them?
How would you introduce whatyou do?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I would just say, like, my name is Lily, I am the
founder of Lily Luzon Romance.
I make non-toxic slow westcandles that don't give you
headaches.
That's kind of the pitch.
I would have Make a short one.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
You've got it nailed.
How long has it been since youstarted this business?
It's been two years.
I would say yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Most businesses fail within the first year.
So you've overcome that.
You've beat the odds.
That must feel good.
Yes, I know you've also usedyour business to get to meet and
be mentored by some reallyimpressive women.
When we met at the upliftconference, jamie Kern Lima was
the keynote speaker and she gaveyou so many shout outs by the
(06:33):
end of her keynote.
Everybody in the audience knewwho you were.
How has it been getting toreach out to women like that,
and how did that even come about?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Honestly, I think she found my profile and we're
basically we text each other nowand for people to come out.
I've had that a couple of timesbefore, but when Jamie reached
out to me, I was so happybecause I never thought she
would.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
I mean, that's pretty impressive for a 10-year-old
getting to be friends with someof the biggest entrepreneurs in
the world running a business.
Do you find that has impactedyour relationships with kids
your age Like?
Can you still relate to themand what is the impact on your
friendships On social media.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
A lot of people, I would say, get bullied a lot.
And when I go out there and Isay like I've been bullied, a
lot of kids come to my pagebecause like they'd say, oh,
I've been bullied before, like Ican come to Lily because she's
been bullied and I can relatethe same to her.
So I would say I have a lot offriendships between my kids and
teenagers and I'm trying to helpthem and get them to be
(07:38):
positive and like keep away thebullies from like getting the
negative, you know.
So I always reach out to themand I say, like it's OK, like be
positive, and I'm like I dovideos about it.
So, yeah, it's been amazing andI feel like I have a good
relationship with like kids andteenagers.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Amazing.
If anything, it seems like it'smade it easier for you to be
friends and make thoserelationships.
Someone listening to this mightthink Lily bullied.
She's so cool.
Like what could she possibly begetting bullied about?
Are you open to sharing alittle bit about what was
happening?
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
So basically, a lot of people have said that on my
page I'd be like Lily, likeyou're so kind and you're
amazing and talented, like howcan you possibly get bullied?
When I was at school, I wouldalways say, like, why me?
Like why have I done to them?
And they'd say that I wasn'ttalented.
They'd say I wouldn't smart,like I'd have to go to extra
(08:38):
lessons because I have ADHD.
It's really hard for me tocomprehend like lessons and
everything so.
And then they'd say like callme not pretty, and they're just
all kind of things that aren'tnice.
So that's kind of what'shappened to me and a lot of
people.
So I'd have to share it onsocial media.
So they'd be like, oh my God,Lily, like this is so bad.
(09:00):
Like, why, like, why would theydo this to you?
So I would just say to myselfwhy me?
Because I've done nothing tothem.
When I first got into school, Iwas like friends with everybody
, I'm like kind, nice, and thenwhen these bullies came up to me
, I had no clue why I did tothem.
So it's kind of weird how ithappened, but I just got bullied
because of no reason.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
So sorry.
Well, I'm glad you're sharingthat and being open about it,
because I think when you're arole model like this for a lot
of people and people can thinkhow could it even happen to you?
It makes people realize likeanyone can get bullied no matter
what, and it's something thatcould happen to anyone.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
But let me say they did me a favor, Like if they
didn't bully me, this would havenot happened.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
So let's talk about that.
Yeah, how did bullying lead tothis business?
So I know you're not in schoolanymore, you're being
homeschooled, so let's likepaint a picture of your life at
that time and starting thebusiness.
So when?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I was well.
Basically I was pushed downmiddle stairs, I was in rock
star and it really hurt me.
And because of the bullying, mymom and dad homeschooled me.
And by accident well, not byaccident, but my mom and I did
this ritual where we go upstairswe'd light a candle, watch a
famous show, friends and werealized the candles were giving
(10:22):
us like very bad headaches.
And I searched it up and I waslike, wow, like these have like
lots of toxins and um, so I waslike no wonder why they're
giving us headaches.
So I basically wanted to make achange in that.
So I started doing it.
I started buying all thesupplies and it kind of just
(10:42):
grew and grew and grew.
And well, I started first Igave out the product to my
family for it and my friends sothey could like try it and make
sure it didn't give themheadaches.
And then we started posting onsocial media to four family
friends and then I startedposting a lot about my company
and and then that's how I grewinto my website, because a lot
(11:04):
of people wanted to order frommy business.
So then I went into my websiteand then it kind of blew up and
I have now 350,000 followersacross my platforms.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Wow, and did I get that right that it started as a
school project, like were?
You working on it to be likelet's see what we can learn and
since we're being homeschooled,this is a fun, real life project
which is for you, is a betterway to learn.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Right is doing, not just reading yeah, because I
like I told you like I have ADHD, so I really struggled with
like reading.
My mom she doesn't have ADHD.
She reads a book for like 30minutes and then she's like, oh,
you're right, all done, andthen and she actually processed
what like was in the book andthen she can like remember
everything.
But if I read a book for 30minutes, I got bored and then I
(11:50):
just like start scanning throughall the words and then I don't
remember anything because I haveADHD.
So doing my business is areally peaceful and fun way to
do things and create and becauseI love creating and doing more
crafty stuff.
So, yeah, it kind of started asa school project for me to
learn and how did you even learnhow to make candles?
Speaker 1 (12:11):
because if I realized that my candles were toxic and
giving me headaches, I wouldn'teven know where to start.
Like did you take a candlemaking workshop or how did how
did you learn how to makecandles?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
actually, I first started off with wax molds
because they were the easiestthing to do.
So I started learning from myinstructions and but we realized
that we used the wrong wax.
We used candle wax so that onebadly crumbled.
It wasn't good.
But then, once we got them,after months and months and
months and later we got the hangof it and we start, and then we
(12:45):
learned to.
And then when we did wax molds,I wanted to learn candles,
because there are night routineas candles, no wax molds.
So we start doing candles.
But we were like, how do wemake candles?
Like how does this work?
So basically, my mom had afriend from from Spain who makes
(13:06):
these beautiful candles it'sunbelievable and I reached out
to her and I was like, how comewe make candles?
And she shoe us and she startedtelling us all the instructions
to do it.
So I basically started makingall of them and I started like
pouring it and then I actuallyfinally made the right wax and I
(13:27):
did it.
And then I made a candle withthe label and I was like, wow,
this is, this is a masterpiece.
So every then, yeah, aftermonths, and later we got it hang
of it and then started sellingthem on my website, and then
started making more and more andmore after months later and if
anyone listening hasn't seenthese candles yet, these are not
just your average candles likeyou said at the beginning,
(13:49):
they're so pretty, they're thosecandles that you don't even
want to light because you'relike I can't ruin it, like I
have like yeah, I have a.
I have a friend that I gave ahappy birthday candle to, and
when I gave her the happybirthday candle, she, her
birthday was like one year ago Ithink.
And then, well, her birthdaywas just like like a couple
(14:11):
weeks ago, but one year ago she,I gave her a happy birthday
candle for her birthday partyand when she and today she still
had some of it, she was like Ican't ruin the perfection of it
like I can't do it.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I would need to buy two.
I want the birthday candle.
My eyes are on that.
I showed you at the beginning.
I've just lit my last, one ofthe three you gave me when we
met and I'm going to buy twobirthday candles one to just
look at and then one to light.
Yes, that was what I wasthinking.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yes, do that yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Amazing, amazing.
And where do you make thecandles?
So I know it's a familybusiness.
I want to hear about your team,but where does the production
happen now?
Speaker 2 (14:50):
So the production is still in my kitchen, since, from
the start, like maybe we'regoing to do something different
with it, like I don't know,we're still trying to figure
that out, but at the momentwe're just still doing it in the
kitchen Amazing.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
I mean, you already have the kitchen, why not Don't
have to go anywhere.
And your family, your family'spretty supportive.
I, when I met you, I met yourmom.
She was hanging out with youall day and you're matching pink
blazers, which caught a lot ofattention.
So who is the team?
Who was involved in thisbusiness?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
So I can definitely say that I have a couple of
people that do things for me.
I else one I just marketing,marketing graphics.
She's really good at graphicsand doing all the pictures.
I have a new book releasingsoon and I'm super excited for
it, so she's doing all of thelike me and like the pictures
(15:46):
and everything and drawing allthis she's amazing.
And then we have the other one,which is Narissa.
She is our content creator.
She does all of the captions.
So if you have ever seen myvideo and it has like the bubble
text on it that she does allthe caption and like on the
video and then on the captionlike down beside the video,
(16:08):
there she does all of that,which is amazing.
And then we have another onewhich Alana, my operations
manager.
She breaches out to stores andthen does like helps us go to
popups and then she helps usmake the candles and everything
and the packaging supplies andeverything.
But, yeah, yeah, full team, butthose are some of the ones that
(16:30):
I have.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
A lot of people have misconceptions about young
entrepreneurs.
What is something you wishpeople understood?
What do you think people getwrong about you?
Speaker 2 (16:43):
So some people say that I have no childhood.
That's definitely one, and I dohave a childhood.
I have friends that I hang outwith A lot.
I go to their houses I havelike popcorn and then like watch
movies with them because thekid does that right.
(17:03):
And then I go and I go to thepool, I like do like fun
activities there, I go to atrampoline park, like I do all
these kids stuff.
I just don't share it enoughfor them to be able to believe
that I actually have a childhood.
So I really want to share itand I am.
So then they know and then theydon't say, oh, lily doesn't
(17:26):
have a childhood.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
That's such a good answer.
I can imagine people say thatthey comment that on your post.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Yes, they do.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
She doesn't even get to be a kid.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yes, they say like they say all those type of stuff
, but they hear all about mybusiness.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Just not me.
I think people probably justdon't want you to grow up too
fast.
You know being a kid.
A lot of people miss being akid because it's so easy.
They didn't have theresponsibilities of being a
business, but it sounds like youlove having a business.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
I love.
It's literally why I created it.
It was my passion and I willstill always be a kid, like I'm
10 years old, and sometimespeople call me an old soul, but
in a good way I'm like I'm anold soul.
I'm old but I'm still 10 and Istill do like fun activities and
everything.
I just I don't share it enough,so I feel like I should really
(18:17):
I should really share that.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I mean, don't feel pressured to share anything you
don't want to share.
If you want to keep yourpersonal life personal, you
should get to do that.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
That's why I have a personal account.
That's why I go, I'm like checkout my personal account, Like I
have all of my things that Iget ready with me, like all the
people that beg that like,please do this, but just not my
business account.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Totally fair.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (18:43):
is the.
What is the best part of havinga small business when you're 10
years old?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
I would say the best thing is inspiring people, you
know, bringing them joy andmaking them happy.
And like I want to be a personthat, like I want people to come
to me and be like I can go to.
I can go to Lily because shehas been bullied and she can
motivate me for the day.
I can go to Lily because sheshe's going to make me happy for
(19:11):
the day.
Like I want people to come tome and say like I can go to Lily
for this and this and this.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
So yeah, it sounds like it's given you, like it's
given you an audience.
It's given you an opportunityto be a role model.
Yes, definitely that, I wouldsay.
I'm guessing.
Kids ask you often then aboutbusiness advice.
What would you suggest ifsomeone your age wants to start
a business, what do you tellthem to do first?
Speaker 2 (19:39):
I would say I would definitely say trust you like
your heart and you guy, and ifthere is a path, that path will
lead you to your dreams.
And I would say, like, focus onyourself.
Somebody said that don't letother people's opinions drown
your inner voice, and that's Idefinitely quote.
(20:00):
That I would say to everybody,for who's like struggling with
other people's opinions and I,every time I have somebody's
like opinion on my, on my post Iwould just say that quote to
myself.
And it's, yeah, it's alwaysamazing.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
You kind of gave us a hint about what's coming next
year.
You said a book is coming.
What are you working on for thenew year?
Are there new products you'relaunching?
So there are.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
So I have like, yes, about the book it's still sneak,
like it's a secret, but I won'tsay too much of it because
you're good at that.
I'm not that good at secrets,so I'm trying to keep myself
getting in control.
But I also do have myValentine's collection Releasing
and I'm super excited for it.
(20:50):
I because I love Valentine'sand any holiday.
But yeah, not just Valentine'sbut other products as well,
which I'm super excited for aswell amazing.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Okay, last couple questions for you.
I know we want to go back intothe day.
The Sun is finally shining inBC.
It's been so cold, I'm sureit's cold.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
We were told so like.
So cold, minus 15 where we live.
Yeah, I'm in.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Squamish, not too far away.
It's so cold.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
I know.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah.
Do you think Everybody can bean entrepreneur or do you think
you have to have some certainskills?
Speaker 2 (21:26):
You can definitely be an entrepreneur if you want to
like.
Anybody can be an entrepreneur.
I'm not saying that they can'tlike they can be an entrepreneur
.
You don't need to be able tohave the skills whilst you're in
the business.
You can learn the skills whilstyou're doing it.
So whilst when I was doing mybusiness, I had no clue what I
was doing, but I still had abusiness and I was still running
(21:48):
it myself.
So I just clicked a bunch ofbuttons.
I Like I had no clue what I wasdoing, but along the way there
was new skills, there was newthings I was learning and it was
amazing.
So you can be an entrepreneurand have no skills.
You just learn the skills alongthe way.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
That's how I would say it, and if you're learning
on the job, you were probablymaking some mistakes.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Maybe, failing.
here and there Can you talkabout maybe a mistake you made
and how that felt, maybe likeyou hire someone and then they
might not be the right set foryou and make the wrong mistake,
and then you and then you haveto move on to the next one.
Like that can be a mistake thatyou make, like I said, like I
(22:32):
made a wrong mistake with thewax Listen, like that was one.
But that's one mistake thatI've probably made in my
business hiring someone Not too,not good, and then that wasn't
a right for me and then I just Ididn't know.
But then I just like Finishthem from my business and then I
(22:55):
moved on.
But, like you know, mistakeshappen.
Like you always move on to thenext one and see what's
happening.
So that's how you learn.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
That's so good.
Do you have a tip for hiring?
Then, is there something thatyou look for now to make sure
someone's the right fit?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
So I would definitely get them it to come like, come
over and then like see how theyare, how much skills they have
to be able to do this, and thenif they're, if they're not too
good, then like you, just youjust say no, don't be.
Also, I would say don't bescared to say no, because I am
that people please her.
(23:29):
See, I am a people please herand I'm not that good at saying
no, so just say no and try notto be so attached.
Yeah, don't.
Because.
Because I would say don't tryand make like your Stuff your
family if you get too attachedto them, because that is the
wrong thing to do.
Just, they're like, you can saythem as your friends, but
(23:51):
sometimes, sometimes, yeah, youmight not expect them what they
are going to be expected youknow, as we're nearing the end,
is there any type of final wordsyou want to leave with the
audience?
Speaker 1 (24:03):
We're gonna tell them where to buy the candles, where
to buy the birthday cake candle, because I think that's my
favorite one, but anything elsewe want to leave the audience
with that.
You want to make sure peopleknow I would say definitely go
and follow Lily.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Lou Harper and Lily lose a romance.
Make sure to go to my websiteladies around this calm and
check out all the products Ihave.
And, yeah, and I hope you havea warm, cozy day and go on to
your blanket, get a cup of teaand don't be.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Thanks for listening to another episode and if you
haven't heard yet, my husbandand I are hosting a free online
workshop together that's gonnahelp you define and design your
version of your best self thisyear.
I mean, it's one thing todecide what you want to do this
year, but have you really takenthe time to identify who you
(24:55):
need to be to get there?
This is gonna be an interactiveand activity based free
workshop where you'll identifythe two words that are gonna
guide you this year.
You are going to define yourideals, discard the distractions
and derive your destiny.
To get a better sense aboutwhat I'm talking about, head to
(25:15):
what's your freecom, slash mybest self and you can sign out
for the free webinar.
You're listening to a new episode of the Freedom
Lifestyle podcast, where Iintroduce you to relatable
stories from everyday people whohave leveraged flexible work
arrangements to design theirdream lives.
Today, you are going to meet a10 year old entrepreneur, which
I'm also meeting a 10 year oldentrepreneur.
(00:23):
That was definitely a first forme interviewing somebody who
has so much knowledge andsuccess even at that age.
It was very impressive.
You're going to get to meetLily, who is the founder of Lily
Lose Aromas, which is a candlemaking venture, but is so much
more than that.
This business has truly becomean inspiring platform for so
(00:46):
many other kids.
Her age Lily is following ofover 300,000 at the time of me
recording this, and she reallyuses her business and her story
of being bullied at school,which resulted in being
homeschooled, which resulted inher even starting this business.
It was a school project thatactually became a real thing.
So today we definitely talkedabout what it was like starting
(01:09):
a business at 10, what peopleget wrong about what it's like
to be an entrepreneur at thisage.
A lot of people say that she'sbeing robbed of a childhood and
she really wants to set therecord straight.
She loves having this business.
She feels so passionate aboutit and you're going to be able
to tell from this conversation.
I got to hear what her advicewould be for other kids her age
(01:30):
wanting to start a business.
But regardless of your age,there's a lot of insights and
learnings for someone at anystage of their entrepreneurial
journey.
Lily's mindset and her abilityto learn on the go, to fail
quickly, to iterate, is just amessage that we could all hear
over and over again.
It's also just really fun tochat with a 10 year old
(01:50):
entrepreneur.
Today's episode is brought toyou by Fiverr, the world's
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Here's Lily.
Lily, welcome to the FreedomLifestyle podcast.
How are we feeling today?
How's your energy?
(03:34):
What are we going into thiscall with?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
I am super happy.
I love doing podcasts, so doingthis right now makes me super
happy and even helps me with myspeaking.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
You're such a great speaker.
When we met, I remember youwere like an impromptu speaker
at the conference.
You weren't even prepped, youjust rolled with it and on the
spot you did such a great job.
Does that come naturally foryou, or are you working on that
intentionally?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
It's what podcasts do and like speaking out.
Events do to me.
I do podcasts all the time andevents.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Amazing.
Well, what would you normallybe doing right now?
So, first of all, where in theworld are you, where are we
taking today's call from?
And if you weren't in thispodcast interview, what would
you normally be doing?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I'm currently in BC, Canada, and normally I start
making all my reels to make sureI got those all posted, and
then I do all my voiceovers forthe Lose of Romance.
I have one personal account andthen the one my business
account, so I post on those twoand then I do my stories, make
sure I keep everyone updated andthen have my lunch and then
(04:37):
start going on to spending timewith the family and making
dinner and everything.
And yeah, it's kind of how itgoes and how it flows Amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
You do such a great job with your social media and
your Instagram account,specifically telling the story
about the brand.
I know you tell this story sooften, the story of how this
business started, and Idefinitely am gonna bug you to
tell it again today.
Oh my God, yes, but first Iwanna talk about the actual
business, because what you'veactually created, it's more than
(05:09):
just an amazing story of how itcame to be.
The business itself is awesome.
So can you give us a bit of anelevator pitch what you offer
and perhaps some of your bestselling products?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Okay, of course.
So my best selling products?
I would definitely say myEnchanted Rituals Hero, Distance
Sun, is definitely a bestseller.
It's Grapefruit, Melon andCitrus.
I also I like the Birthday Cake, which is my favorite because
it smells like yellow cake,buttercream frosting so nice,
it's my favorite.
I still have it in my room.
I'm gonna light it, but it'stoo beautiful.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, I think those are kind of the best sellers
that are current right now, andfor someone who hasn't heard of
your business at all before,what would you tell them?
How would you introduce whatyou do?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I would just say, like, my name is Lily, I am the
founder of Lily Luzon Romance.
I make non-toxic slow westcandles that don't give you
headaches.
That's kind of the pitch.
I would have Make a short one.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
You've got it nailed.
How long has it been since youstarted this business?
It's been two years.
I would say yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Most businesses fail within the first year.
So you've overcome that.
You've beat the odds.
That must feel good.
Yes, I know you've also usedyour business to get to meet and
be mentored by some reallyimpressive women.
When we met at the upliftconference, jamie Kern Lima was
the keynote speaker and she gaveyou so many shout outs by the
(06:33):
end of her keynote.
Everybody in the audience knewwho you were.
How has it been getting toreach out to women like that,
and how did that even come about?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Honestly, I think she found my profile and we're
basically we text each other nowand for people to come out.
I've had that a couple of timesbefore, but when Jamie reached
out to me, I was so happybecause I never thought she
would.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
I mean, that's pretty impressive for a 10-year-old
getting to be friends with someof the biggest entrepreneurs in
the world running a business.
Do you find that has impactedyour relationships with kids
your age Like?
Can you still relate to themand what is the impact on your
friendships On social media.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
A lot of people, I would say, get bullied a lot.
And when I go out there and Isay like I've been bullied, a
lot of kids come to my pagebecause like they'd say, oh,
I've been bullied before, like Ican come to Lily because she's
been bullied and I can relatethe same to her.
So I would say I have a lot offriendships between my kids and
teenagers and I'm trying to helpthem and get them to be
(07:38):
positive and like keep away thebullies from like getting the
negative, you know.
So I always reach out to themand I say, like it's OK, like be
positive, and I'm like I dovideos about it.
So, yeah, it's been amazing andI feel like I have a good
relationship with like kids andteenagers.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Amazing.
If anything, it seems like it'smade it easier for you to be
friends and make thoserelationships.
Someone listening to this mightthink Lily bullied.
She's so cool.
Like what could she possibly begetting bullied about?
Are you open to sharing alittle bit about what was
happening?
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
So basically, a lot of people have said that on my
page I'd be like Lily, likeyou're so kind and you're
amazing and talented, like howcan you possibly get bullied?
When I was at school, I wouldalways say, like, why me?
Like why have I done to them?
And they'd say that I wasn'ttalented.
They'd say I wouldn't smart,like I'd have to go to extra
(08:38):
lessons because I have ADHD.
It's really hard for me tocomprehend like lessons and
everything so.
And then they'd say like callme not pretty, and they're just
all kind of things that aren'tnice.
So that's kind of what'shappened to me and a lot of
people.
So I'd have to share it onsocial media.
So they'd be like, oh my God,Lily, like this is so bad.
(09:00):
Like, why, like, why would theydo this to you?
So I would just say to myselfwhy me?
Because I've done nothing tothem.
When I first got into school, Iwas like friends with everybody
, I'm like kind, nice, and thenwhen these bullies came up to me
, I had no clue why I did tothem.
So it's kind of weird how ithappened, but I just got bullied
because of no reason.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
So sorry.
Well, I'm glad you're sharingthat and being open about it,
because I think when you're arole model like this for a lot
of people and people can thinkhow could it even happen to you?
It makes people realize likeanyone can get bullied no matter
what, and it's something thatcould happen to anyone.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
But let me say they did me a favor, Like if they
didn't bully me, this would havenot happened.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
So let's talk about that.
Yeah, how did bullying lead tothis business?
So I know you're not in schoolanymore, you're being
homeschooled, so let's likepaint a picture of your life at
that time and starting thebusiness.
So when?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I was well.
Basically I was pushed downmiddle stairs, I was in rock
star and it really hurt me.
And because of the bullying, mymom and dad homeschooled me.
And by accident well, not byaccident, but my mom and I did
this ritual where we go upstairswe'd light a candle, watch a
famous show, friends and werealized the candles were giving
(10:22):
us like very bad headaches.
And I searched it up and I waslike, wow, like these have like
lots of toxins and um, so I waslike no wonder why they're
giving us headaches.
So I basically wanted to make achange in that.
So I started doing it.
I started buying all thesupplies and it kind of just
(10:42):
grew and grew and grew.
And well, I started first Igave out the product to my
family for it and my friends sothey could like try it and make
sure it didn't give themheadaches.
And then we started posting onsocial media to four family
friends and then I startedposting a lot about my company
and and then that's how I grewinto my website, because a lot
(11:04):
of people wanted to order frommy business.
So then I went into my websiteand then it kind of blew up and
I have now 350,000 followersacross my platforms.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Wow, and did I get that right that it started as a
school project, like were?
You working on it to be likelet's see what we can learn and
since we're being homeschooled,this is a fun, real life project
which is for you, is a betterway to learn.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Right is doing, not just reading yeah, because I
like I told you like I have ADHD, so I really struggled with
like reading.
My mom she doesn't have ADHD.
She reads a book for like 30minutes and then she's like, oh,
you're right, all done, andthen and she actually processed
what like was in the book andthen she can like remember
everything.
But if I read a book for 30minutes, I got bored and then I
(11:50):
just like start scanning throughall the words and then I don't
remember anything because I haveADHD.
So doing my business is areally peaceful and fun way to
do things and create and becauseI love creating and doing more
crafty stuff.
So, yeah, it kind of started asa school project for me to
learn and how did you even learnhow to make candles?
Speaker 1 (12:11):
because if I realized that my candles were toxic and
giving me headaches, I wouldn'teven know where to start.
Like did you take a candlemaking workshop or how did how
did you learn how to makecandles?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
actually, I first started off with wax molds
because they were the easiestthing to do.
So I started learning from myinstructions and but we realized
that we used the wrong wax.
We used candle wax so that onebadly crumbled.
It wasn't good.
But then, once we got them,after months and months and
months and later we got the hangof it and we start, and then we
(12:45):
learned to.
And then when we did wax molds,I wanted to learn candles,
because there are night routineas candles, no wax molds.
So we start doing candles.
But we were like, how do wemake candles?
Like how does this work?
So basically, my mom had afriend from from Spain who makes
(13:06):
these beautiful candles it'sunbelievable and I reached out
to her and I was like, how comewe make candles?
And she shoe us and she startedtelling us all the instructions
to do it.
So I basically started makingall of them and I started like
pouring it and then I actuallyfinally made the right wax and I
(13:27):
did it.
And then I made a candle withthe label and I was like, wow,
this is, this is a masterpiece.
So every then, yeah, aftermonths, and later we got it hang
of it and then started sellingthem on my website, and then
started making more and more andmore after months later and if
anyone listening hasn't seenthese candles yet, these are not
just your average candles likeyou said at the beginning,
(13:49):
they're so pretty, they're thosecandles that you don't even
want to light because you'relike I can't ruin it, like I
have like yeah, I have a.
I have a friend that I gave ahappy birthday candle to, and
when I gave her the happybirthday candle, she, her
birthday was like one year ago Ithink.
And then, well, her birthdaywas just like like a couple
(14:11):
weeks ago, but one year ago she,I gave her a happy birthday
candle for her birthday partyand when she and today she still
had some of it, she was like Ican't ruin the perfection of it
like I can't do it.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I would need to buy two.
I want the birthday candle.
My eyes are on that.
I showed you at the beginning.
I've just lit my last, one ofthe three you gave me when we
met and I'm going to buy twobirthday candles one to just
look at and then one to light.
Yes, that was what I wasthinking.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yes, do that yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Amazing, amazing.
And where do you make thecandles?
So I know it's a familybusiness.
I want to hear about your team,but where does the production
happen now?
Speaker 2 (14:50):
So the production is still in my kitchen, since, from
the start, like maybe we'regoing to do something different
with it, like I don't know,we're still trying to figure
that out, but at the momentwe're just still doing it in the
kitchen Amazing.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
I mean, you already have the kitchen, why not Don't
have to go anywhere.
And your family, your family'spretty supportive.
I, when I met you, I met yourmom.
She was hanging out with youall day and you're matching pink
blazers, which caught a lot ofattention.
So who is the team?
Who was involved in thisbusiness?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
So I can definitely say that I have a couple of
people that do things for me.
I else one I just marketing,marketing graphics.
She's really good at graphicsand doing all the pictures.
I have a new book releasingsoon and I'm super excited for
it, so she's doing all of thelike me and like the pictures
(15:46):
and everything and drawing allthis she's amazing.
And then we have the other one,which is Narissa.
She is our content creator.
She does all of the captions.
So if you have ever seen myvideo and it has like the bubble
text on it that she does allthe caption and like on the
video and then on the captionlike down beside the video,
(16:08):
there she does all of that,which is amazing.
And then we have another onewhich Alana, my operations
manager.
She breaches out to stores andthen does like helps us go to
popups and then she helps usmake the candles and everything
and the packaging supplies andeverything.
But, yeah, yeah, full team, butthose are some of the ones that
(16:30):
I have.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
A lot of people have misconceptions about young
entrepreneurs.
What is something you wishpeople understood?
What do you think people getwrong about you?
Speaker 2 (16:43):
So some people say that I have no childhood.
That's definitely one, and I dohave a childhood.
I have friends that I hang outwith A lot.
I go to their houses I havelike popcorn and then like watch
movies with them because thekid does that right.
(17:03):
And then I go and I go to thepool, I like do like fun
activities there, I go to atrampoline park, like I do all
these kids stuff.
I just don't share it enoughfor them to be able to believe
that I actually have a childhood.
So I really want to share itand I am.
So then they know and then theydon't say, oh, lily doesn't
(17:26):
have a childhood.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
That's such a good answer.
I can imagine people say thatthey comment that on your post.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Yes, they do.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
She doesn't even get to be a kid.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yes, they say like they say all those type of stuff
, but they hear all about mybusiness.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Just not me.
I think people probably justdon't want you to grow up too
fast.
You know being a kid.
A lot of people miss being akid because it's so easy.
They didn't have theresponsibilities of being a
business, but it sounds like youlove having a business.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
I love.
It's literally why I created it.
It was my passion and I willstill always be a kid, like I'm
10 years old, and sometimespeople call me an old soul, but
in a good way I'm like I'm anold soul.
I'm old but I'm still 10 and Istill do like fun activities and
everything.
I just I don't share it enough,so I feel like I should really
(18:17):
I should really share that.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I mean, don't feel pressured to share anything you
don't want to share.
If you want to keep yourpersonal life personal, you
should get to do that.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
That's why I have a personal account.
That's why I go, I'm like checkout my personal account, Like I
have all of my things that Iget ready with me, like all the
people that beg that like,please do this, but just not my
business account.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Totally fair.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (18:43):
is the.
What is the best part of havinga small business when you're 10
years old?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
I would say the best thing is inspiring people, you
know, bringing them joy andmaking them happy.
And like I want to be a personthat, like I want people to come
to me and be like I can go to.
I can go to Lily because shehas been bullied and she can
motivate me for the day.
I can go to Lily because sheshe's going to make me happy for
(19:11):
the day.
Like I want people to come tome and say like I can go to Lily
for this and this and this.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
So yeah, it sounds like it's given you, like it's
given you an audience.
It's given you an opportunityto be a role model.
Yes, definitely that, I wouldsay.
I'm guessing.
Kids ask you often then aboutbusiness advice.
What would you suggest ifsomeone your age wants to start
a business, what do you tellthem to do first?
Speaker 2 (19:39):
I would say I would definitely say trust you like
your heart and you guy, and ifthere is a path, that path will
lead you to your dreams.
And I would say, like, focus onyourself.
Somebody said that don't letother people's opinions drown
your inner voice, and that's Idefinitely quote.
(20:00):
That I would say to everybody,for who's like struggling with
other people's opinions and I,every time I have somebody's
like opinion on my, on my post Iwould just say that quote to
myself.
And it's, yeah, it's alwaysamazing.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
You kind of gave us a hint about what's coming next
year.
You said a book is coming.
What are you working on for thenew year?
Are there new products you'relaunching?
So there are.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
So I have like, yes, about the book it's still sneak,
like it's a secret, but I won'tsay too much of it because
you're good at that.
I'm not that good at secrets,so I'm trying to keep myself
getting in control.
But I also do have myValentine's collection Releasing
and I'm super excited for it.
(20:50):
I because I love Valentine'sand any holiday.
But yeah, not just Valentine'sbut other products as well,
which I'm super excited for aswell amazing.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Okay, last couple questions for you.
I know we want to go back intothe day.
The Sun is finally shining inBC.
It's been so cold, I'm sureit's cold.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
We were told so like.
So cold, minus 15 where we live.
Yeah, I'm in.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Squamish, not too far away.
It's so cold.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
I know.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah.
Do you think Everybody can bean entrepreneur or do you think
you have to have some certainskills?
Speaker 2 (21:26):
You can definitely be an entrepreneur if you want to
like.
Anybody can be an entrepreneur.
I'm not saying that they can'tlike they can be an entrepreneur
.
You don't need to be able tohave the skills whilst you're in
the business.
You can learn the skills whilstyou're doing it.
So whilst when I was doing mybusiness, I had no clue what I
was doing, but I still had abusiness and I was still running
(21:48):
it myself.
So I just clicked a bunch ofbuttons.
I Like I had no clue what I wasdoing, but along the way there
was new skills, there was newthings I was learning and it was
amazing.
So you can be an entrepreneurand have no skills.
You just learn the skills alongthe way.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
That's how I would say it, and if you're learning
on the job, you were probablymaking some mistakes.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Maybe, failing.
here and there Can you talkabout maybe a mistake you made
and how that felt, maybe likeyou hire someone and then they
might not be the right set foryou and make the wrong mistake,
and then you and then you haveto move on to the next one.
Like that can be a mistake thatyou make, like I said, like I
(22:32):
made a wrong mistake with thewax Listen, like that was one.
But that's one mistake thatI've probably made in my
business hiring someone Not too,not good, and then that wasn't
a right for me and then I just Ididn't know.
But then I just like Finishthem from my business and then I
(22:55):
moved on.
But, like you know, mistakeshappen.
Like you always move on to thenext one and see what's
happening.
So that's how you learn.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
That's so good.
Do you have a tip for hiring?
Then, is there something thatyou look for now to make sure
someone's the right fit?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
So I would definitely get them it to come like, come
over and then like see how theyare, how much skills they have
to be able to do this, and thenif they're, if they're not too
good, then like you, just youjust say no, don't be.
Also, I would say don't bescared to say no, because I am
that people please her.
(23:29):
See, I am a people please herand I'm not that good at saying
no, so just say no and try notto be so attached.
Yeah, don't.
Because.
Because I would say don't tryand make like your Stuff your
family if you get too attachedto them, because that is the
wrong thing to do.
Just, they're like, you can saythem as your friends, but
(23:51):
sometimes, sometimes, yeah, youmight not expect them what they
are going to be expected youknow, as we're nearing the end,
is there any type of final wordsyou want to leave with the
audience?
Speaker 1 (24:03):
We're gonna tell them where to buy the candles, where
to buy the birthday cake candle, because I think that's my
favorite one, but anything elsewe want to leave the audience
with that.
You want to make sure peopleknow I would say definitely go
and follow Lily.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Lou Harper and Lily lose a romance.
Make sure to go to my websiteladies around this calm and
check out all the products Ihave.
And, yeah, and I hope you havea warm, cozy day and go on to
your blanket, get a cup of teaand don't be.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Thanks for listening to another episode and if you
haven't heard yet, my husbandand I are hosting a free online
workshop together that's gonnahelp you define and design your
version of your best self thisyear.
I mean, it's one thing todecide what you want to do this
year, but have you really takenthe time to identify who you
(24:55):
need to be to get there?
This is gonna be an interactiveand activity based free
workshop where you'll identifythe two words that are gonna
guide you this year.
You are going to define yourideals, discard the distractions
and derive your destiny.
To get a better sense aboutwhat I'm talking about, head to
(25:15):
what's your freecom, slash mybest self and you can sign out
for the free webinar.
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