Veteran Owned Business Spotlight — Bedside Glow
Meet Dr. Nydia Dixon of Bedside Glow. Bedside Glow is an artisan, black, women, and veteran-owned & operated candle studio dedicated to aligning one’s chakras; located in the heart of NY, NY. Dr. Dixon and her son Princeton co-created Bedside Glow in 2018 with the commitment to provide quality soy wax candles that assist in aligning one’s chakras. Each candle is hand-poured using the highest quality soy wax and fragrances. With this, Bedside Glow candles provide a cleaner burning candle that contains no toxins, carcinogens, or pollutants. Their line has grown to include oil rollers for use on the go, which has the same benefits as the candles, as well as palo santo, rose of jericho, incense, and sweetgrass.
While in the U.S. Navy, she willingly adapted their core values of honor, courage, and commitment and has applied these values throughout her life, particularly when she applied them to starting Bedside Glow. She used the following as a daily mantra to help her stay focused and motivated, “I have the honor to respect and accomplish any goal I set for myself. I have the courage to face challenges with discipline, sacrifice, and fortitude, even when all forces are against me. I have the commitment to follow through with any and every goal that I set for myself without uncertainty.”
As a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Dr. Dixon innately has a desire to help improve the health of others. Along with this, she always had a strong affinity for beautiful scents and often burned candles. After having her son, she continued to burn candles daily. As a first-time mom, she would sleep in close quarters with her son and light a candle beside the bedside. The glow of the candle soothed him and helped him sleep throughout the night. From this experience, the name ‘Bedside GLOW’ was inspired.
Her training and experience with Eastern Medicine has had influenced Dr. Dixon’s desire to start the Bedside Glow Chakra Care line. Using the knowledge she learned from graduate school, she created fragrances that are aromatically appealing and provide therapeutic benefits.
Though starting a business isn’t easy, Dr. Dixon notes that The greatest challenge she faced was having no blueprint of how to run an eCommerce business. There was a huge learning gap and a lot of ebbs and flows. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to organize their ideas in writing, develop a plan and just start. In addition, if feasible, keep your 9–5 until your business can be your primary source of income.
One of Dr. Dixon’s greatest wins for her business was being featured in Oprah Daily’s 25 Best Candles from Black-Owned Companies. Check out the link below to see our feature (hint: they are number 5!).
To learn more about Bedside Glow visit their Website, Facebook, or Instagram at www.bedsideglow.com
https://www.facebook.com/BedsideGlow
@bedsideglow or https://www.instagram.com/bedsideglow/
Dr. Dixon is taking advantage of the free services offered through the Community Navigator Program.
Iona University is participating in The Community Navigator Pilot Program In partnership with Institute for Veterans and Military Families — IVMF Powered by the U.S. Small Business Administration
