From Side Hustle to Six Figures: A Layoff Pivot

Kelly initially launched the venture in 2023 to combat the isolation of moving to a new city. By leveraging her marketing background, she transitioned from hosting intimate candle sessions to managing a platform that now offers over a dozen experiences, including pasta making, tea blending, and pottery. The business model relies on a network of eight to 10 contractors, allowing Kelly to focus on logistics, site selection, and scaling operations for corporate clients such as Google, Salesforce, and Chick-fil-A.

Following her departure from the corporate world, the transition into full-time entrepreneurship was born of necessity rather than a long-term plan. Facing a stagnant job market, Kelly shifted her focus entirely to the business, eventually securing a permanent space in downtown Atlanta. While she currently balances the roles of instructor, marketer, and operational lead, her long-term strategy involves refining systems to allow for expansion into new markets, including Miami and New York. Despite the pressures of managing a growing schedule, she views the move as a permanent shift toward autonomy, with plans to prioritize brand partnerships heading into 2027.