Meet Ashley Fathergill | Owner + Candle Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Fathergill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what do you attribute your success to?
All of my businesses have been started around a deeply rooted WHY. When I was a part of the corporate world and just another name on payroll, I’d always hear business exec’s express how important it was to have a WHY behind what you were doing. I never applied it in that setting because it didn’t feel exciting to say “I’m here to pay my bills”, but as a small business owner the reason behind the scenes is my lifeline. I’ve always created business that have a reason, a story and a motivating factor for me and always created businesses that tie that into my community. My WHY for my most recent endeavor is to give back to mental health awareness organizations and shine a light on what’s good in our day to day life. It’s something that not only I relate to, but many others and allows me to meet people where they feel comfortable.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My educational background is marketing and business which is crazy to think about or even admit considering I graduated college when Instagram wasn’t even a thing. Thankfully that foundation of learning allowed me to always tap into my creative energy through marketing and sharing stories. It also led me to create multiple businesses that allowed me to learn by doing. It was all the hard way, the road less traveled and often met with experiences that we would consider roadblocks rather than pass go and collect $200. I can honestly say that running a business is a constant rollercoaster of navigating what works (the downhill) and a million things that need to be done differently (the uphill). Social media is a huge engine behind my businesses and I’m often paralyzed by the question, what would you do if social media was taken away because I simply don’t have that answer. I have to always remind myself that no matter what is shown on social media, that is only .01% of what actually happens behind the scenes and that is always the best piece of advice I can share and repeat back to myself. I love to hit people with the highlights but keeping it real is 100% the way to go for me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in ABQ so the best place I would take someone is to Old Town Plaza to give people an idea of a visual representation of what New Mexico has to offer. I’d follow it up by the age old question at a local restaurant of Red or Green (Chile) and then quickly whisk them away to a place in the foothills to grab a quick hike in the desert and watch the sunset cascade over the Sandia mountains.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Six years ago I created my first business and fast forward to today, I now have three businesses that allow me to (hopefully) make the world a better place. I wouldn’t be able to take such leaps and bold strides to making these businesses happen without the support from my husband and true partner, Jason. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes and a lot of it is true labor but the majority of it is mental. Jason has allowed me the trust and space to create something out of simple ideas and then pushes me when my boundaries are closing in. I often have to take notes of the love and support that he offers because it’s something that doesn’t come naturally to me and I never want to take that for granted.

Website: www.upsidegoodsco.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/upsidegoodsco.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/upsidegoodsco

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9R9MqR9JRkoHx7Uc2kdPJg

Image Credits
Amanda Powell @adrift_adream