Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole McNulty.
Nicole, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
On June 30, 2021, our son Michael passed away in a tragic accident on Lake Minnetonka. Michael was special – perfectly imperfect. In his 15 well-lived years, he gave hugs to those that needed a lift. Introduced new friends to old ones. Encouraged friends to go big, and laugh bigger. His courage, authenticity, and fun-loving spirit resulted in countless connections and friendships.
To honor Michael’s impact on our community, we started Michael’s Light, a charitable fund, that spreads kindness to local youth via grants and scholarships. And in November of 2022, we took it a step further launching A Kindness Co., which designs, makes, and sells candles with the proceeds supporting Michael’s Light and other organizations focused on youth well-being.
A Kindness Co. is a family-run small business. We believe in the butterfly effect where one small act of kindness can set off a chain reaction. Our mission is to create a stream of kindness. In the last 2.5 years, we’ve learned so much about running our purpose-driven company, making and selling over 3,600 candles, donating tens of thousands of dollars to youth organizations supporting mental health and needs-based programs, and making the world a brighter place along the way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a small business we’ve experienced lots of bumps and bruises along the way. We knew absolutely nothing, nada, zip about making candles. While working our day jobs, we feverishly researched and tested candle formulas on nights and weekends. Everyday felt like the Groundhog Day movie. We were stuck in a time loop. But instead of trying to become a better human like Bill Murray’s character, we were trying to make a candle that smelled amazing, had both good hot and cold throw, and pooled properly upon burning. It’s a process that requires a tremendous amount of precision, as well as knowledge of how to blend scent oils so they don’t smell like burnt rubber! We definitely stayed motivated by our kindness mission, our desire to honor Michael, and the support of friends and family who tested our candles with us.
When we officially launched A Kindness Co. in November, 2022, there was an immense outpouring of support resulting in nearly instant profitability and ability to support kind causes with our proceeds. But the last 18 months we’ve struggled with sticking to a marketing and channel plan to maintain and grow our sales. We’ve loved developing our eye-catching product and dialing in our quality, hand-poured production process, but we know we are dropped the ball on executing our marketing plan. We should be spending 25-40% of our time on it when in reality it’s pretty close to zero. The best products won’t sell themselves if people don’t know they exist. And with marketing comes awareness which has a snowball effect, just like kindness. At A Kindness Co, we focused 2024 on participating in local MN & WI markets which was a start to grow our brand awareness. And in 2025, we are excited to be investing in online marketing and wholesaling with local retailers. This plan is not particularly complex. It’s about discipline. We can do it and for anyone else struggling, you can do it too.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about A Kindness Co.?
A Kindness Co., founded and led by husband and wife team, Nicole & EJ McNulty, designs, makes, and sells candles with a kick of kindness. How do we infuse kindness into our candles? We sweat the details. The scent design, messaging, name, and artwork, are all thoughtfully designed by us to create a bold and brave message of kindness. And, we source kind ingredients. Using only clean and toxin free scents, 100% natural soy wax, reusable vessels & recyclable packaging. Finally, we make our candles with love. All hand poured and assembled in our home by us. The product development process is definitely collaborative, EJ leans into his right brain talents to design the candle and Nicole uses her left brain skills for scent development and production. And the result is a uniquely, kind experience.
When you open and light one of our candles we want you to have a moment. Starting with with the box that tell you what’s inside is about to hit different. Inside is a story card that explains the origin of A Kindness Co. and our mission to spark a stream of kindness. And each candle has its own unique message – designed to give the receiver a note of encouragement and validation. So they know they matter and belong. Lighting our candles is the icing on the cake. Setting a mood and using scent science to lift your spirits. We want you to feel good so you want to do good.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
We look at the industry from a two perspectives. Globally, the candle market was valued at 10.5 billion USD in 2024 and is projected to reach 16.3 billion USD by 2033. It’s still growing and evolving rapidly, with sustainability, wellness, and technological innovation at the forefront. We know consumers want candles made of eco-friendly, and toxin-free materials like soy and other plant-based waxes, wooden wicks, and essential oils. This all leads to a cleaner, healthier burn too. Other emerging trends are customized and personalized candles, candle-making classes, smart technology like LED candles and diffusers with adjustable scents, and candles designed for wellness and self-care.
We also look at the industry from the lens of kindness. While we can’t produce or sell kindness, we are observing trends and cultural shifts and finding ways to spark kindness while also growing our business. We have started to explore other channels and products that increase our reach and our purpose-driven mission. One example is a recent partnership with a local school to collaborate with their middle school students to design, make, and sell candles to raise money for a cause. The students learn real-world aspects of product design, manufacturing, and sales. And along the way, they learned the value and outcome of kindness designing the candle’s message and selecting the charity for the proceeds. For A Kindness Co., it’s a win win. We are connecting and engaging with kids talking about all things kindness related and reaching others who need or benefit from kindness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://akindness.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akindness.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akindness.co/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-kindness-co
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@akindness.co
