315 | His Candles (and Your Products) Aren't for Everyone with Jesse Regis, Virgins On Fire Candle Co

We are excited to host Jesse Regis from Virgins on Fire Candle Company and today, we talk to him about the evolution of his brand, the importance of finding community, and why your product is not for everyone.

There is a quote by Amy Poehler that we've used at our events in the past, and it really encapsulates today's discussion. She said, “Find a group of people that challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life.”

The idea of finding your people and creating community is a common theme in today's episode. We also discuss why his products and yours are not for everyone and how finding his people positively impacted his business.

Jesse describes himself as a Jersey boy with a city attitude. He runs Virgins on Fire Candle Company full time and is a LABS member and Paper Camp alum

Jesse has fulfilled many roles throughout his career, serving as a fundraiser for one of the best art and design colleges in the country, an administrator for the largest community based food pantry in New York City, and a community organizer for two winning presidential campaigns.

Jesse lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his partner Ron, and their rescue dog son, Rockwell Rufferman, whom they call Rocky.

In addition to his popular candle line, Jesse recently released his first book titled F*ck It, I'm Buying a Cabin.

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How Jesse Got into the Product World

Jesse's career took many turns before he found himself in the product world.

With a background in fundraising for prestigious art and design colleges, working for a community-based food pantry in New York City, and serving as a community organizer for two winning presidential campaigns, Jesse had a varied professional journey.

text overlay about Jesse losing himself in the non-profit world. He was too focused on helping others that he let his creativity fall by the side.

Despite his accomplishments, he felt unfulfilled and unhappy, leading to his decision to pursue his own creative path.

The Birth of Virgins on Fire Candle Co.

Jesse discovered his love for candle-making as a side hobby, initially selling his creations on Etsy and giving them away as gifts.

However, in June 2020, he reached a turning point when his vacation was denied, and he realized he needed to bet on himself and leave his job.

“My business definitely wasn’t prepared to pay me full time, but what it did do was it lit a fire under my butt to make it happen full time.”

— Jesse Regis

While his business wasn't initially prepared to support him full-time, this served as a catalyst for him to prioritize his candle company and eventually transition to working for himself.

This is nothing new inside our Proof to Product community. Many of you can relate to the feeling of working in a corporate job and wanting to leave to have freedom and flexibility.

In fact, Jesse challenged the notion that a full-time job guarantees stability, highlighting the potential for layoffs and limitations in a traditional workspace.

As an entrepreneur, there are no limits to the possibilities, collaborations, and income potential. The limitations we face in the corporate or non-profit world also don’t exist.

Jesse shared about being able to work with a vendor who makes genital-shaped waffles on a stick- something he would have never been able to do in the non-profit world.

Finding Community in the Messy Middle of Business

Once Jesse left his job in the non-profit world, he turned all of his attention to running and growing Virgins on Fire. He quickly realized that he was in the “messy middle” of business.

I talk a lot about the messy middle of business.

When you are in the beginning stages of running your business, everything is exciting, it’s new, and you feel like your possibilities are unlimited!

Then you get to that messy middle where you realize this business could actually be something and it is starting to run itself.

You recognize, “I can grow this even further, but I need the foundations in place to make that possible.”

But that's where the gut check comes in…do you have the foundations in place?

Jesse realized that he was running around in the messy middle & feeling overwhelmed with all the ways to grow his business. This is the around the same time he joined us in both LABS and Paper Camp where his energetic and giving nature quickly made an impact within our communities.

As Jesse said, what you put out into the world comes back to you. Being a part of a community like LABS or Paper Camp provides the reciprocal nature of support and growth.

Your Products are Not for Everyone

When I talk with brands and ask them about who their products are for, it’s not uncommon to hear “everyone!” in response.

As much as we think our products are for everyone, they are not! And we don’t want them to be. The more we niche down and target a specific group of people to sell to, the more impactful and genuine connection we make with those prospective customers.

We’ve had conversations about this recently on the podcast. Here are some episodes to check out:

Jesse talked about the power of building a community and tapping into communities that resonate with personal identities.

text overlay: "finding your people is everything. your business is not for everyone."

As a queer, sober creator based in Brooklyn with a passion for rescue dogs, Jesse found tremendous support from communities he genuinely belonged to, such as the LGBTQ community and the sober community.

He candidly shared how integrating these parts of his identity, even the ones he once struggled with, helped him connect with customers in a deeply personal and authentic manner.

This is why we niche our audience down. We aren’t trying to appeal to a broad audience but instead want to target specific groups because they can lead to more impactful and genuine connections.

Collaborations with Other Businesses

Part of recognizing that your products are not for everyone means finding other businesses that target similar people as you and working together on collaborations.

Jesse shared his collaboration with Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue, where he adopted his dog.

This collaboration allowed him to donate gift cards for their benefit raffles, create touching products like candles for grieving pet owners, and even participate in the benefit committee.

Jesse talked about other causes like Planned Parenthood and sober beverage companies. These collaborations resonate with his personal beliefs about liberation and second chances in life.

Collaborations aren’t always about profitability, although they can bring financial gains. There are many different ways to collaborate with other businesses as a way to increase sales.

For Jesse, though, it was about choosing partners who align with his values, sparking creativity, and making a genuine impact.

"It's not easy, but when you do put yourself out there, I promise you there are people ready to take you in!" Jesse Regis

Creating a Life that Aligns

Jesse’s story highlights the importance of finding a supportive community that challenges and inspires, driving personal and professional growth.

His path to entrepreneurship allowed him to tap into his creativity, take control of his own life, and explore unexpected opportunities. Jesse’s experience serves as a reminder that success is not limited to traditional employment but can be found by taking risks and embracing one's creative passions.

Ultimately, creating a life that aligns with our authentic selves and finding our people is the true measure of success.

Quick Links

Here is a quick recap of links to other helpful blogs and podcasts shared in this post.

If you have ever wanted to pick my brain, or get my eyes and ears on your business, Proof to Product LABS is the place to do it.

We have monthly group coaching calls and a wide range of On Demand training specifically for product-based business owners. We open up the doors a few times a year so be sure to sign up to learn more!

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MEET jesse regis

A Jersey boy with a city attitude, Jesse runs Virgins On Fire Candle Co. full-time. He has fulfilled many roles throughout his career.

Leveraging his degree in Political Science and Communications from The George Washington University, Jesse has acted as a fundraiser for one of the best art & design colleges in the country, administrator for the largest community-based food pantry in NYC, and community organizer on two winning presidential campaigns.

Jesse lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his partner Ron and their rescue dog son, Rockwell "Rocky" Rufferman.

His first book, "Fuck it, I'm Buying a Cabin" is available everywhere books are sold.

CONNECT WITH Jesse

WEBSITE: virginsonfire.com | INSTAGRAM: @virginsonfirecandleco| LINKEDIN: @jesseregis

Connect with Katie Hunt

Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.

Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct