Overcoming Sales Anxiety with Jesus (w/ Andee Hart)

On this episode, Darren sits down with Andee Hart to discuss her journey from Fortune 500 sales exec to the owner of a successful, Christ-centered wholesale candle company.

Andee Hart is an energetic entrepreneur, sales strategist, mentor, and host of the podcast, She Sells Differently. While working as a sales executive for a Fortune 500 company, Andee began a passion project, Hart Design Co., making candles in her kitchen. What started as a side hustle in a few local boutiques quickly blossomed into a successful wholesale business and storefront. Within a year, Andee transitioned from her corporate career to full-time entrepreneurship through her tenacity, engaging social media presence, and counter-cultural strategies. Her mission is to empower others to overcome sales anxiety and grow their businesses with integrity and grace. 

https://andeehart.com/salestools

Key Takeaways

• Faith reframed work as ministry, not a stepping stone. Early in her career, Andee realized she did not need to leave corporate sales to make an impact for God. She needed to change how she showed up. Viewing everyday work as a place of ministry transformed her attitude, purpose, and influence long before she ever started her own business.
• Selling with integrity meant rejecting pressure-driven tactics. After years in corporate sales, Andee intentionally built her business around service, respect, and storytelling rather than objection-overcoming and force. She focused on how her products serve customers’ lives, believing ethical, Christ-centered selling can still be profitable without manipulation.
• Profit was positioned as a tool for stewardship, not status. Andee consistently emphasized that business success is meant to provide for family, enable generosity, and support God’s kingdom, not to accumulate wealth or image-driven rewards. This conviction shaped how she talked about sales, growth, and long-term purpose in business.

Christian Business Leader is the show for marketplace Christians seeking to explore and apply God’s will for business. If you want to learn more about how to do business for the glory of God and shape culture through discipling the business world, this show is for you.

Full Episode Transcript

Heads up: This transcript was created with AI, so you might notice a few typos or small mistakes. We recommend listening to the episode for the best experience!  

[00:00:03] Darren: Welcome to the Christian Business Leader podcast, where Christ-following business leaders explore God’s will and ways for business. This show is a ministry of the Center for Christianity and Business at Houston Christian University and features conversations with today’s Christ-centered business leaders who are representing Christ faithfully in the business world. I’m your host, Darren Shearer, and if you want to make your work, leadership, and company’s culture more Christ-centered, you’ve come to the right place. On this episode, we’re joined by Andee Hart. Andee is an energetic entrepreneur, sales strategist, mentor, and host of the podcast She Sells Differently. While working as a sales executive for a Fortune 500 company, she began a passion project, HartDesignCo, making candles in her kitchen. What started as a side hustle and a few local boutiques quickly blossomed into a successful wholesale wholesale business and storefront. Within a year, she transitioned from her corporate career to full-time entrepreneurship through her tenacity, engaging social media presence, and countercultural strategies. Her mission is to empower others to overcome sales anxiety— oh gosh, we need that— and grow their businesses with integrity and grace. Andee, welcome to the Christian Business Leader podcast.

[00:01:30] Andee: Thanks, Darren. I’m excited to be here.

[00:01:32] Darren: When did you first realize God wants to be involved in your work and business?

[00:01:36] Andee: Oh man, what a great question. I would say that it was early on in my career, probably the first year I was out of college, and I remember having this aha moment. It was in a conversation with my dad. I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but it was— I was home visiting with my parents And I had been working in corporate America for a couple of months, and I remember having this conversation with my dad and saying, there’s got to be something more. I want to make more of an impact. I want to, um, you know, make a difference in the lives of people. And here I am just taking calls. I was, I was literally taking calls on a small business queue. That’s what we called it at the time. So people would call into this line. I worked for Dell Technologies at the time, and I would sell them a laptop or a computer. It was— I mean, that’s really where I earned my sales stripes, right? And I thought, what difference am I making, you know? And it was a powerful conversation that I had with my father. I think this was Easter weekend, and you know, so I had been out of school for maybe a year at the time, and he told me, I remember he said, Andy, the Lord has you right where you are for a reason. And it may not be to make a difference to a customer you’re talking to on the phone and selling a computer. It could be for your peer that’s sitting next to you on the row. Or it could be to a customer you’re talking to. It could be, but you never know the difference you’re making just by doing everyday life in a Christ-centered way. And you do not have to be in ministry, full-time ministry, or, you know, have a, you know, full-time ministerial job to make an impact. You can do that right where you are in a sales role at and shine for Christ. And that moment flipped a script in me. It just flipped a switch, I should say, in that anything that I do in my work should all be for the glory of God. And so that has always been just a light bulb moment that I’ll never forget that conversation. And so, yeah, I’ve always, always carried that with me. I love that that was your first question.

[00:04:25] Darren: Yeah, and not only can you make a difference as a computer salesperson for Christ, I mean, that is the place where it’s going to happen. I mean, where else is it going to happen? You know, like, that person’s not going to church, they’re not going to your Bible study. You know, hopefully, maybe eventually they will, but in terms of making an impact and discipling people, I mean, that is where it’s going to happen, or it’s not going to happen at all. So, you know, it’s not just sort of, uh, you know, you you can, as, uh, you know, this is sort of like a little boutique Christian ministry you can do out here in the marketplace. No, this is where ministry is going to happen or it’s not going to happen, uh, and then the culture is not going to encounter Christ. Like, it’s just really that, that simple. Um, and, and so, and so what changed once you had this, this revelation?

[00:05:22] Andee: Yeah, that’s a great question. So I think You know, a couple of things. One is just naturally your outlook on work. And so work to me was not a, oh, I’ve got to go to work today, you know, I’ve got to show up. It was a, I get to go to work today. It’s a blessing to be able to show up and use the gifts the Lord has given me to you know, glorify him and also just to be a light to others around, around me. So it’s— it was my attitude, I feel like, you know, because other people are seeing how I am showing up, how I, you know, I’m, I’m not, you know, trying to be negative, um, because it’s very, very easy in those types of situations just to be, you know, negative and bring the culture down. And so that was just a simple way to turn things around. Um, also just looking for opportunities to simply invite others to church. Um, and there were plenty of those opportunities. Um, you know, it’s, it’s a, it was a young culture. People were— I lived in Nashville at the time. People were moving, um, moving to the city right after graduating, and they were looking for friends And so it was a great opportunity to say, hey, I’m going to church tonight, you want to join me? You know, no pressure.

[00:06:56] Darren: Yeah.

[00:06:57] Andee: And so just those simple, simple opportunities that I was intentionally looking for just to be a light in the workplace.

[00:07:08] Darren: Yeah. So you started your candle company after working as a sales executive at You went from Dell to Lenovo, right? And, so how have you been able to— and certainly when you have your own business, you have more freedom to influence and kind of direct the, the culture in the direction that you feel called to go, which is toward Christ and the ways of God and the ways of God’s, God’s kingdom and how were you able to operate differently, and how did your organization begin to look more Christ-centered than perhaps, you know, the previous organizations that you were in?

[00:07:54] Andee: Yeah, so, you know, fast forward from those kind of early years of selling, and, you know, now I’ve moved to Raleigh in the pandemic, and I’ve opened my candle company, and So much of what, you know, over the— I was in corporate America for 17 years, and so much of the training, the sales training that I had received over the years was a very cultural, worldly view of selling. That is, you hear a no, and how do you overcome that? How do you sell to someone regardless of hearing a no from them and overcome their objection? And so I knew when I started my candle company that I wanted to be different in that I wanted to sell and serve people with my— the products that I created. I wanted it to be a way to bring joy to those that I created these products for. And so, I didn’t want to force them on people. Um, I think there’s a way to sell your creations and your products to others, but also provide an exceptional customer experience and still have a profitable business? Because those go hand in hand. I think a lot of times people think, you know, creating a great customer experience means letting customers roll over you, or just, you know, you just bend over backwards for a customer. And you can create an amazing customer experience and still sell well to a customer and serve them with intentionality. And so what that looked like for me was simply, you know, showcasing my products in a different light and how I talked about them, because listen, everyone has candles, and if I had a dollar for every time someone told me, you know, you’re— you’re— the candle market’s saturated, right? But what it looked like for me was how I talk about my products and how I talk about them and the story behind them. And so instead of talking about my products, you know, they’re handcrafted, and they have, you know, all-natural products, I would talk about the joy that they bring your home and sitting around a dinner table and gathering as a family or relaxing after a long day of work.

[00:10:47] Darren: Right.

[00:10:48] Andee: You know, and so bringing even, even sometimes just bringing the, the spiritual aspect of my products into people’s everyday lives can be a simple way to get people thinking about that. I even have a client that I’ve worked with, and she named her candle company TOPHOS Candles. So it’s T-O-P-H-O-S, which means the light in Greek. And I love this because she was intentional about bringing her faith into her candle company, and she shares the meaning behind it, which is the light of Christ.

[00:11:38] Darren: Yeah, I love that. It’s like the old adage, don’t sell the hammer, sell the hole. But then you know, because people don’t buy the hammer just so they can have— or sell the drill, not the— “sell the hole, not the drill.” I’m getting it all mixed up. Goodness. But even the hole is not ultimately what they want. They want to be able to hang a picture, and they want to hang a picture of their family to enjoy those memories, you know. And so as salespeople, what we often do, especially in markets that do tend to be saturated is just, you know, kind of sell the features like everybody else is doing rather than selling the story behind it. And so what, like, what is that? How do you tell that story?

[00:12:30] Andee: Yeah, so it depends obviously who, you know, my target audience is specifically for. You know, I could be talking to a retailer, and their aesthetic is, you know, a farmhouse retailer, right? And so it really depends on what retailer I’m looking at, but because I mainly sell wholesale, but I really look at it from how it’s going to benefit them. Because in the same way that— and there’s really an application here in selling of that. In the same way that our Christian life it’s not about us, it is the same way when you’re selling. It’s not about your brand. And so I really stay away from talking about my brand and my products, but what they’re going to do for them and how they’re going to benefit their store and fit into the overall aesthetic and, and help their business, right? Um, and a lot of times, and this is where I want to be different than the other brands, yeah, a lot of times they might say we’re not interested or the timing is wrong. And so there’s a time and a place to dig in and ask, but I always want to be respectful and to understand where they’re coming from, but to also follow up when the timing is right. And that’s where I think a lot of brands go wrong, is that they think that following up is being, um, annoying. And I want to flip the script from a sales perspective, um, and especially from, you know, just a Christian perspective that, you know, actually following up is serving, is serving. Because I truly believe when you have a product or a service, and your business serves others, you know, the Lord’s given you a gift or product that you’re creating that serves and provides value, then you actually owe it to them to share about it and to follow up with them. That’s actually serving them.

[00:14:55] Darren: Yes.

[00:14:56] Andee: Yeah.

[00:14:56] Darren: And I love your emphasis on, um, on the results and, and selling the results and not just the features and, and why you think it’s good. And we can learn from the example of Jesus. You know, Jesus did a lot of branding, personal branding. You know, I am the door, the Good Shepherd, the vine, all of these, these visual branding elements that he used to help people understand who he is. And yet when John the Baptist is sitting there in prison, and he’s discouraged that he’s not— he doesn’t— he’s kind of doubting that Jesus was who he said he was. And Jesus said to report back to John what you have seen. And the lame walk and the blind eyes have been opened. And he’s emphasizing the results. And that’s what we have to do in ethical Christ-centered selling, right, is to sell the results. Like, this is the kind of joy that our customers report they are experiencing from these products, as opposed to aspirational selling. You know, I hope you’re gonna get this kind of benefit. This is what I really envision this product doing, as opposed to these are— this is actually what people are experiencing. You know, you can make what you want out of that.

[00:16:32] Andee: Yeah. So it’s, it’s interesting too, as we talk about selling that especially— and I don’t want to, you know, over-genderize, if that’s a term, but I think women often struggle with it. First, I’ve noticed this, like, you know, women, we struggle with putting our products out there or our services. But I want to call this out because Proverbs 31 is often used as, in scripture, a wife of noble character, and it’s like this high standard. But what a lot of people don’t realize in scripture, if you look at Proverbs 31, what this woman is doing is she’s actually selling. She’s creating products, and she’s selling her products. And even in— and I specialize, you know, in teaching and wholesaling my candles and teaching wholesale. It says that she takes her goods to the merchant. I mean, that’s wholesaling right there, you know. And but I also want to take that a step further because I think in common in our cultural everyday sales trainings that we see in the world, the end result, what you see is you see these people that are getting out of their Lamborghinis or their helicopters or what have you. And it’s the end result is so that you can have money or assets, or you can have this comfortable life. And I want to challenge that because it’s easy to fall into that mindset. And if you look in scripture, selling and business in general is not so that you can have all and accumulate all this wealth and have a comfortable life, but it’s so that you can provide for your family. And it doesn’t mean that you can’t, you know, enjoy the fruits of your labor. I think there’s a gift in that. I mean, it says that in Ecclesiastes, but so that you can provide for your family, so that you can give to the poor, so that you can give generously, so that you can use for and use for the kingdom of the Lord. I think there is so much to be learned in Scripture from a business perspective that the gifts that we have, and when we use our gifts wisely, it is for kingdom purposes, not for wealth accumulation, and, you know, to have all these, you know, cars and nice assets and things like that. And so that’s where I think it’s important to remember from a sales perspective as well. That is a great lesson from scripture.

[00:19:49] Darren: Yeah, and that profitability allows you to stay in business so that you can really carry on the, the core purpose of business as a Christian, which as I understand it is to make disciples of the people that you influence through that, through that business, which looks different than the way that it is, is done in church where, you know, we’re gonna sit around and go through a book of the Bible or have coffee once a month, and that’s going to be our discipleship. You know, this kind of discipleship is more day in, day out modeling the lifestyle of Christ. And people are either drawn to Christ as a result of what they see in us, in the culture of our organizations, or they are led away, or they’re led toward the pattern of this world and the spirit of the age, you know, which is the way that a lot of companies are oriented. So, can you give us an example of how disciple-making has happened through your company? Certainly, through— it’s a little, a lot easier to see it in the coaching side of what you do in your coaching business, but specifically in the candle business, I’m curious about.

[00:21:07] Andee: Yeah, so I love this question. One of the things that I have really strived to do is be intentional with my messaging and with the way that Heart Design Co. started was through it was actually to help raise funds for adoption through, for some families at my church at the time that were pursuing adoption. And so I have that messaging on my website. And also, you know, the reason that I love creating is because I’m made in the image— we’re all made in the image of the ultimate Creator. And so I weave that thread into, you know, our core brand messaging and, um, you know, backstory. And so I’ve— it’s opened up several conversations with some of my customers. Uh, they’ve reached out and said, I saw your story about why you started HartDesignCo, and I’m interested to learn more. And so I had a retailer— they’re actually based out of Charlotte, North Carolina— and they reached out and asked me, um, to tell them a little bit more about why I started my company. Um, and so I shared, you know, more about being created in the image of God. That’s why I love creating beautiful candles. Um, you know, it’s, it’s a joy of creating. And, um, they ended up placing an order with me, and they’ve been a retailer ever since. So that was when I very— when I first started. So it’s been several years. And so I actually do white-label candles for them, so they put their branding on them. They’ve been one of my biggest retailers, and, um, it’s been a really fun partnership. And it’s just planting seeds like that that’s been a joy to just open those conversations. And it’s just doing business differently. And I have a— my pastor in North Carolina said, when in the business world, it’s doing— you’re just doing everyday life in an extraordinary way. And I love the way he says that, in a, you know, Christlike extraordinary way. And, you know, it doesn’t mean that you have to be out there, um, every day, or, you know, opening scripture and sharing the gospel, but you’re shining your light in an extraordinary way. And so that’s what I want to be about with my candle company.

[00:23:53] Darren: Yeah, I love that. So the company, the retailer, were they also a like-minded, Christian-led, Christ-centered company?

[00:24:02] Andee: Yes. When I, when I opened up and shared, learned a little bit more, they were. I’ve had a couple of conversations where people have not been. I have another very large retailer, and actually, in North Carolina as well. And they are not at all. They are, in fact, any of my candles that they are very adamant, any of my candles that are branded with anything religious, they will not buy. But that’s okay. They’re probably my closest retailer to me, which I don’t think is a coincidence. I, you know, text them all the time. I’ve gotten to be very good friends with them. We’ll go to dinner when I’m in town. I don’t think that’s a coincidence, you know. I, and so I, I think that there’s, um, the Lord is opening up doors to have conversations there, in just organic ways. And so, yeah, it’s just a very sweet friendship that is deepening there, from, from that started out as a business partnership that’s slowly becoming, even as I have moved away, slowly becoming a deeper friendship. So yeah, very interesting.

[00:25:35] Darren: Yeah, yeah. I mean, you have influence with Christian-led companies and companies that are not, uh, decidedly, you know, not, not going to, to present anything to their customers that has any sort of religious or Christian affiliation. And I mean, if you’re not reaching them, who is? And reaching them not in the sense of that you’re, you’re going to get them to come to your church, but that they know you’re a Christian. This is what you stand for. And so now every interaction that you have with them can be just more illuminating and more illumination about who Jesus is in you and through your company. I love that. I was thinking about another, you know, kind of similar example of the apparel, like the company. And I don’t know if they still provide the apparel for Chick-fil-A or not, but it’s this company, Oobe, I’m not exactly sure how you pronounce it, but it’s O-O-B-E, which is a really famous brand now. But, they— it stands for Out of Bible Experience, so obviously a play on out-of-body experience. But that also Christian foundations for their company, uh, Oobe. And I think they make a lot of their— all their shirts out of like recycled plastic bottles, I want to say, which is really cool. But they had like no staff. I mean, they had no sales, hardly to speak of, especially for to meet the demands of clothing all of Chick-fil-A’s employees. And they— but they still gave them the contract because they believed in them and they believed in their mission. And so I think we’re seeing a growing number of companies like that that would prefer to do business with a, a company that isn’t, isn’t necessarily just selling like Christian-themed products, but is selling products and services that have, have grown out of a culture that is Christ-centered, you know, because every product, every service is really a cultural expression of whatever that culture stands for and is ultimately leading people toward. And so I love that, that example from you and the other candle retailer.

[00:28:22] Andee: Yeah, and I know she’s, she’s very intentional too about in the same way about reaching out and making disciples as well through her candle company, which I love as well.

[00:28:38] Darren: Yeah.

[00:28:38] Andee: So, yeah.

[00:28:39] Darren: So, Andy, how can people hear more from you? I know you have some sales tools for entrepreneurs that people can check out at andyheart.com/salestools. And by the way, that’s andeehart.com. What else do you want to say about how people can get involved with you?

[00:29:00] Andee: Yes, so that’s a great place. I also have my podcast, which you can find— it’s She Sells Differently— and that is on any podcast platform. And then my candle company, it’s heartdesignco.com, and you can check that out online.

[00:29:16] Darren: Awesome. Well, Andy, thank you for the example you’re setting out there, caring for other Christian business influencers like us, and may God continue to prosper you and your company and your family.

[00:29:31] Andee: Thank you so much, Darren. It’s been a blessing to be here.

[00:29:34] Darren: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Christian Business Leader podcast. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and tune in for the next episode as we continue exploring God’s will and ways for business.

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