Loree Sandler, founder of Let Them Eat Candles, revolutionized a product category by reimagining traditional wax birthday candles as edible chocolate treats. In the process she transformed herself from stay-at-home mom to entrepreneur. Her debut business memoir, Let Them Eat Candles: A Sweet Startup’s Rocky Road to Shark Tank, documents her journey from concept to store countertops to reality TV.

Sandler earned degrees from Vassar College (BA, Economics, 1986) and the University of Illinois – Chicago (Master of Architecture, 1994), working as a paralegal, stockbroker, and architectural designer, before leaving it all on the field to raise three sons.

She lives and works with her husband, Bob Michelson, and mini bernedoodle, Zuko, in a suburb north of Chicago. She’s into yoga, knitting, live music, and documentaries. Cookies and rabbits quicken her heart. Eyeballs freak her out. Learn more at www.LetThemEatCandles.com.