I Took The Road Least Travelled - Jo MacFarlane

Jo MacFarlane is a creative, a teacher and Luxury Candle Business owner and author of Ask and Act, a book that shares her journey and talks about spirituality mixed with business. In this episode, we learn about the importance of being open to change and opportunities. KEY TAKEAWAYS COVERED IN THE PODCAST Jo is a serial creator which led her to her candle business which was originally created from her kitchen table and has grown into a thriving business where she now creates candles for luxury hotels around Scotland and the UK, she runs in-person workshops (pre covid) and also runs online workshops. She pivoted during the lockdown and now has her course ‘Run Your Business From The Kitchen Table’ online as well as two of her candle making workshops, and of course she’s still making her candles. Her book is business-focused but has a whimsical angle as she tells stories from her time as an air hostess.  It is a guide to building a first-class business and touches on spirituality in terms of manifestation and visualising your dream life. The candle business happened quite by chance after making candles for Christmas presents one year.  She then started selling to friends and local people. Then came the call from a local hotel, The Fairmont asking for a few hundred candles.    The next step came with the subscription box Birchbox, where she thought her candles would make a wonderful addition to their box.  Jo emailed them and they said they’d love to work with her and asked for a quote for 10,000 candles and this is when she had to scale the business.  The business has grown organically at the customer's desires. Pivoting and being open to change and opportunities have meant that Jo has continued her business even with her studio being closed for in-person workshops for a year.  Moving to the online platform has now meant that she has worked with people from all across the world and has been able to widen her impact. Legacy was the push Jo needed to publish her book, to help other people.  She wanted people to learn from her journey and perhaps avoid some of the mistakes.  Legacy is also the impact she’s had on the hundreds of people all around the world, who have come through her workshops (online or in-person).  Legacy to Jo is giving people an opportunity.  Legacy is being part of a catalyst. Her mum and grandmother's wedding rings are a couple of the pieces Jo has and treasures, as well as a crystal ring she bought herself.  There’s also the romantic 3 heart-shaped diamonds her husband got her, which have been turned into a bracelet. Jo also still has some pieces she received for her 18th birthday but that she doesn’t wear but they hold memories.  She’s now thinking of having them remodelled. Her parting advice on creating a meaningful life - everyone should run a marathon. Because in that journey we discover so much.  We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. LINKS MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE Jo MacFarlane Roseanna Croft Jewellery Website  Find Roseanna Croft Jewellery on Instagram Find Me on Instagram