Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Velasquez.
Hi Danielle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always gravitated towards entrepreneurship and received my first dose during my time at USC. I was working at a Wealth Management start-up at the time and was an integral part of the business development of the firm. As time went on and I moved on to other sectors in my career, I wanted to start my own business.
I created Deeelicious Scents in honor of my mother. She was an extremely talented woman and when she passed, I dedicated time to do things she liked to do. During the winter of 2021, I decided I wanted to make homemade gifts for my family and close friends—something that was reminiscent of her spirit. Then it dawned on me that she made candles! I researched materials, tested and perfected various scent profiles, and gifted them. I received awesome reviews and decided to pilot a small batch on Instagram. The rest is history, and Deeelicious Brands, AKA Deeelicious Scents, was officially born in April 2022. Every Deeelicious Scents Candle is handmade and is one of many ways my mother’s light and legacy continues on in this world.
In addition to this, I acquired my life insurance license in 2023 to help protect families and ensure they have proper financial coverage. As a second-generation Latina, it is my purpose to ensure knowledge is provided back to our community and provide an even playing field for all. I balance all of these pursuits while starting a new business, to be announced soon, and excelling in my multifamily tech sales corporate job. I live for staying busy and active.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been a multitude of situational struggles that I was not prepared for. In my life and career. The most impactful has been thinking that I wanted to pursue a certain career and then digging deep and determining that it was not my passion. Also, when my mother became terminally ill, I re-routed my career and jumped into a different sector to be closer to home. That opportunity to jump into tech is what afforded me to be closer to family and to have more autonomy to explore other passions that I would not have been able to do in my previous job position. If I could go back and change things, I wouldn’t because those twists and turns have molded me into the woman I currently am. I still struggle, but I know that everything always works out, and with my thinking cap on and grit, I will persevere.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My entire career has been in the business development space. I have worked in education, wealth management, and I am currently in the technology space providing Internet connectivity to multifamily Owners and developers. A passion of mine is developing a mission-driven business from genesis to launch and beyond. Another layer to me is my love and appreciation for creative endeavors, which I inherited from my mom. She was so talented- painting freehand around the house, a great chef, a dancer, an educator, etc. When she passed, I dedicated time to do things she liked to do and during the winter of 2021, I decided to perfect candles. I researched materials, tested and perfected various scent profiles, and gifted them. I received awesome reviews and decided to pilot a small batch on Instagram. Deeelicious Scents was officially born in 2022.
Around the same time, I became interested in life insurance and decided it was time to pursue my license to have the opportunity to educate individuals on the importance of having a proper insurance plan in place. A resonating theme in my personal mission is legacy and inclusivity in minority communities. That has been an ingrained and lived mission of mine since childhood. Being a Latina woman with a voice is a position that I do not take for granted and has propelled my business alliances in order to contribute back to the community that has held me up. With that in mind, that is also why I took a leap of faith in the technology space and aligned with BAI Connect.
BAI Connect provides Internet service to over 60,000 subscribers in southern California, Denver, Las Vegas, and Portland in the multifamily, hospitality, commercial, and live event space. As the Director of MDU Sales, I focus on our growth in the multifamily space, partnering with Owners, Developers, and HOAs to ensure that their communities are technologically future-proofed.
What attracted me to BAI Connect was their mission for inclusivity and their advocacy in providing free services to community centers in low-income areas in Los Angeles to bridge the digital divide. This was extremely crucial during the pandemic and an effort that the company continues to refine and push towards. It is beautiful to see a life’s passion for advocacy and inclusion turn into business ideas and be inculcated into all professional avenues.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice to you, the reader, is to be relentless in your action plan. If you have an idea. Go for it. You will make mistakes, as I have along the way, but there is always a solution. The hardest step is just doing. Get your idea off the ground, and everything will fall in line. I can vouch from experience. If I listened to every person who said that it sounds impossible or I have too much on my plate, I would not be doing this interview today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deeeliciousscents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeeliciousbrands & https://www.instagram.com/itsdani_marie
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellemvelasquez
