Jessica Bobbitt Doaks | The Black Candle Company
Founder of The Black Candle Company
Jessica Bobbitt Doaks is the CEO of The Black Candle Company. With a career in nursing of over 13 years, Jessica decided a career change was necessary. She began her entrepreneurship journey in 2016 with the birth of Jessica Doaks Interior Design, LLC. Her passion for interior design has now developed into a strong dedication to her candle company.
Finding Her Spark
Jessica’s journey began with a deep passion for design. As a kid, she loved rearranging furniture at her friend’s house, sparking a lifelong interest. Her first business, Jessica Doaks Interior Design, launched in 2016, was born from this passion. But she wanted to build something more—something that combined her love of design with a fresh twist: creating affordable luxury home fragrances.
Crafting a New Path
Building on her design background, Jessica launched The Black Candle Company, a modern, minimalistic luxury candle and home fragrance brand. With 10 captivating scents and 14 products, she’s grown beyond just products—offering wholesale, private label, candle making classes, and scent consulting. Jessica’s entrepreneurial spirit is fueled by giving 110% to what she loves, pushing through rejection, and acting boldly on ideas instead of waiting.
Lighting the Way Forward
Jessica’s advice is clear and simple: “Just do it.” She encourages entrepreneurs to leap in confidently, accept that “no” will come but not to be deterred, and protect themselves while moving fast. Her story reminds us that passion paired with action, resilience, and smart choices can turn dreams into thriving businesses that bring beauty and warmth into homes—and lives.
“You’re going to have a lot of people that are going to tell you no, I’ve had plenty of doors slammed in my face.”
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So my name is Jessica Doaks, and I'm the owner, curator, and CEO of the Black Candle Company. We are a luxury home fragrance collection that specializes in affordable luxury. We offer a collection of simple, minimal, modern label-less candles, room sprays, pretty much anything you need to scent the home.
And with that, we have 10 different captivating scents that each tell their own story and 14 different products. Not only are we a product-based business, but we also have services as well, such as wholesale, private label, candle making classes, and then a service called Scent Event. How I got started as an entrepreneur in 2016 was actually my first introduction to entrepreneurship.
I started a company called Jessica Doaks Interior Design. What really drove me to open that company was my passion for design. When I was younger, I used to go to my friend's house and I would rearrange furniture and try to decorate. So that was really my driving force behind opening up that initial company.
And I say to this day, that company actually kind of flows into what I do with my candle business from a design perspective. What really inspired me to pursue entrepreneurship is just my passion. I've always been the type of person, if I really enjoy doing something, I give it 110%. Like I just really go full force into it.
When I was doing interior design, anytime my friends or people I randomly met would ask about my company, I had no problem talking about it. I loved taking on projects, giving advice to someone, stepping into entrepreneurship.
I would say just do it. I know it sounds so cliché, but once you come up with that idea, just go ahead and start acting on it. A lot of times we find ourselves coming up with this amazing idea and then trying to fine-tune every detail about it.
Then you look up and somebody else has the business and they're already taken off with it. So go ahead and jump into it and, of course, protect yourself in the process and be smart about it. But just do it. You're going to have a lot of people that tell you no. I've had plenty of doors slammed in my face.
It's okay. You will go on. You'll continue to breathe. So just continue on. If you're passionate about it and you enjoy it, just do it.
Why We Share These Stories
We believe that celebrating Tennessee’s entrepreneurs will inspire the next generation of bold thinkers, risk-takers, and community builders. Entrepreneurs don’t forget where they come from—and they carry the power to transform not just their businesses, but entire neighborhoods, towns, and local economies. See more entrepreneur stories from the Patton Foundation.
