Holly Feld — empire coven

Age || 28

Company Name || Flyaway Bluejay

Job Title || Owner / Founder

Years Living In New York || 1 year

Social Handles || IG: flyaway_bluejay; PT: shopflyaway

Company Website || Flyaway Bluejay

What did you want to be while growing up?

Something creative! I was always drawing, painting, and creating houses and structures out of old cereal boxes and twigs from our backyard. I wanted to be an artist or designer when I grew up and I think I’ve always kept that creative passion in every job I’ve had.

Where did the inspiration for Flyaway Bluejay come from?

Flyaway Bluejay has evolved since it’s first iteration, but the current path of natural scents started when I realized what was used to make most candles. I had always been obsessed with scents and had a collection of perfumes and candles, but I frequently experienced sneezing fits and headaches when I was around these scents. I discovered that many of the ingredients in both perfumes and candles can be harmful to inhale. This is when I decided to take on the task of creating scents that were fully natural.

What’s the best piece of advice you were given when you were starting Flyaway Bluejay?

Believe in your abilities. Running a small business can be tough and there are always going to be road blocks, which can make you doubt yourself. If you started a business with passion and purpose you probably aren’t giving yourself enough credit. Listen to advice from friends and family, do as much research as possible, but ultimately trust your gut feeling with important decisions.

How has your background helped you with this venture?

My background has been in design-based industries and retail. Having an eye for design has really helped me to create a full brand for Flyaway Bluejay to exist. Creating the logo, website, and marketing materials were things that I was prepared and truly excited about when starting this business. Working retail for years also taught me the importance of creating meaningful connections with clients and the ability to multitask.

What is your creative process like for making new products?

I only ever make a new product that I would personally want to use. When I start the creative process I spend a lot of time thinking about what I’m missing currently and what types of scents would make me happiest to be burning or spraying. I then connect with my customers to see if this potential product would be something they would enjoy in their life as well.

How do you define success?

For me success is being able to do what I love. Being creative with scents and connecting with my amazing customers are the things that drive me. Being able to work in a way that keeps me passionate and excited is my version of success.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned since starting out?

Be adaptable. Things constantly change in a small business and just when you think something is all figured out another challenge emerges. I’ve come to love these little challenges and changes as it keeps me on my toes and always betters Flyaway Bluejay in the long run.

What is your go-to motivational quote or personal motto?

I try to always remind myself, to enjoy each moment. Running a small business gets really chaotic at times and sometimes when you’re focusing on big projects you forget to celebrate all the little successes along the way.

Which women inspire you?

My mother. She had a passion for writing and dreamed of writing a book. One day she took the plunge and wrote her first novel. To this day she has published 14 books. Watching her work so hard to make her dreams come true, all while working a full-time administrative job and raising two children, really influenced how I saw my potential future. If there was something I truly wanted to accomplish I knew I could.

Your products are naturally scented, why was this important for you to do?

Most of us care about the ingredients in our food and what goes into our skincare. Scents in your home are really no different. Most people have switched to burning soy candles and away from paraffin wax, which is a petroleum based product. However, many people aren’t aware of what’s in the fragrance they are inhaling. A lot of synthetic fragrance oils are derived from petroleum and can contain benzene derivatives, aldehydes, phthalates, and other harmful toxins. I wanted to create a way that people could still enjoy the calming effects of a candle without introducing toxic chemicals into their home.

What is your favorite scent?

It honestly varies from day to day. Lunar is always my nighttime go-to. The lavender is so calming and puts me at ease. During the day I like to burn Solar because of its uplifting citrus notes or Terra if I feel I need grounding.

How do you handle situations where you feel overwhelmed?

Take it one step at a time. There are so many situations in a small business that can feel daunting, but I’ve learned a lot of that is our perception of the situation. When you break the situation down into smaller actionable steps it suddenly feels doable.

What has been the most rewarding thing since starting out?

The most rewarding thing has been connecting with people who have the same passion for healthy scents that I do. It’s so amazing hearing from customers who loved a candle or spray and seeing them reorder over and over again. I’m so glad that I can help my customers create a self-care ritual in their homes through natural scent.

What advice would you give to other women trying to enter your field?

It can be scary to think about launching your own business, but if it’s something you're passionate about then it’s so worth it. Working toward something you love is incredibly rewarding and I would encourage anyone out there with a vision to give it a try!

What are some of your goals moving forward for Flyaway Bluejay?

To keep focusing on growth in manageable ways. But mostly to educate more people on natural products and to keep bringing people ways to partake in self-care naturally. I would also like to eventually expand my product line to include other naturally scented products like perfumes.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.