We’re looking forward to introducing you to Julie Hamm. Check out our conversation below.
Julie, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
I think the thing that is most misunderstood about my business is that we are in it for the money and do not care about our dogs. Or that we are backyard breeders. When people hear that you breed dogs there is a preconceived notion that we don’t care about our dogs and all we think about is money. We get this reaction a lot from people that run animal rescues or from people that only rescue dogs. We are huge fans of non kill rescue organizations, they are so important. We also applaud people that only want to rescue an animal from a shelter. All animals in shelters deserve love and don’t deserve to have been left by the wayside because their human didn’t want to or couldn’t care for them. We, however, are not French Bulldog breeders for the money. We breed French Bulldogs because we love the breed. Our main goal is to produce healthy pups and we have a structure in place to produce healthy dogs. We do not chase fads, we are not looking for he next best thing. We want healthy, happy French Bulldogs. We pair our males and females with each other to balance out each ones positives and negatives. We only have 3 litters per female. With that said if one of our girls tries to get pregnant 3 times and doesn’t take she just isn’t meant to be a mom. If we have a mom who hates being a mom, she won’t have any more litters. That is not fair to her or her puppies. If we have a mom who ins only able to have one litter that is okay. Our biggest concern is the health and happiness of our dogs and puppies.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We are J & J Frenchies and J & J wax melts. We breed French Bulldogs and make 100% soy wax melts. We think we are different than some breeders out there since our dogs are our family first and business second. We love to bring new family members to people’s homes. We also make wax melts. The wax melts started as a way to say thank you to our puppy clients. Each client gets a bag of wax melts in their puppy pack. What was a thank you turned in to a new business venture. We have an Etsy shop and we are in store at Xaos Collective in Garner and are in Curate Crabtree in Raleigh.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Growing up in Mexico City, Mexico truly shaped how I see the world. When you grow up in a country that is not your native country you gain a different perspective of the world. Growing up overseas taught me that there is so much more to the world than where you are born. Once I moved back to the USA at the age of 12 I knew I wanted to travel and learn about different cultures. I am happy to say I have done just that. Since growing up in Mexico I have lived and worked in Argentina, Thailand, Ukraine, and South Korea. Each place has opened my eyes to different ways of life and I am incredibly thankful for that. During my time living and working abroad I was also able to travel to neighboring countries. The world has so much to offer and so much to teach us.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Honestly, the fear of not being good enough. I struggle with anxiety and depression which leads me to think I am not good enough to do what other people do. Even though I have this fear I do my best to push through and put myself out there in life and in work. Every day I try not to let my fear hinder my ability to get out there and try new things. It is not always the easiest but it has paid off. I never imagined I would own a business let alone two. So far my breeding business has done well and I could not be happier. My wax melt business is new so I am still trying to learn the best ways to market my products. I know in time I will get better at getting my wax melts out there.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my closest friends would say that honesty, truth, and loyalty matter the most to me. At times it is hard to be honest or share your truth but I would much rather know how someone honestly feels than not. Honestly is so crucial to living your truth. Loyalty is also a big one for me. I am incredibly loyal to the people I care about and hope they are loyal to me. I will do almost anything for the people in my life that I love.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I am definitely doing what I was born to do. I have always loved animals so it makes sense that I breed dogs. Am I doing what I went to school for? No. I went to school for International Development with a goal to work with women and children in need. I was doing that for a while when I lived overseas but once I moved back to the USA it proved challenging to find a job that I was looking for. As a breeder I know that I am making families happy and that makes me feel good about myself. One of the things I aim to do, in whatever line of work I am in is to help make people happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jandjfrenchiesllc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jandjfrenchies/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jandjfrenchies/
- Twitter: https://x.com/JandJFrenchies
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JandJFrenchies
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/JandJWaxMelts/
https://jandjwaxmelts.etsy.com
Image Credits
Julie Hamm
