How I Built This with Guy Raz Chesapeake Bay Candle: Mei Xu (2017)
Jun 17, 2019
Mei Xu, the founder of Chesapeake Bay Candle, shares her remarkable journey from China to the U.S. She found inspiration in Bloomingdale's and started making candles in her basement using Campbell's Soup cans. Mei discusses overcoming challenges, including setbacks at trade shows, and how a pivotal moment at the Frankfurt Trade Show changed her design strategy. She also highlights the beauty of Annapolis that inspired her brand and her transition to empowering women entrepreneurs, creating a platform for future innovators.
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Childhood and Education
- Mei Xu's childhood in 1970s China was marked by uniformity, where everyone wore, ate, and lived similarly.
- Selected for a diplomatic boarding school, she learned English and Western culture, even watching "The Godfather" at 14.
Tiananmen Square Impact
- The Tiananmen Square protests changed Mei Xu's life, as educated youth were deemed threats and sent away.
- Assigned to a menial warehouse job, she faced misery and feared losing her English skills.
Immigration to the U.S.
- Mei Xu and her husband David immigrated to the U.S. after a two-year wait.
- Arriving at Dulles Airport, she humorously misunderstood the "aliens" sign, thinking it referred to extraterrestrials.