Wow, it has been a long 6 months since the last post on this blog. So many changes have occurred in the market of greeting cards and the economy itself has gone through many negative changes. Through it all, Scentsational Greetings is still having a blast coming up with new designs and scents to please our customers. We attended the National Stationery Show in May, and although it was a much smaller attendance, it gave us sincere hope that our industry will start to rebound in the next few months.
Times have been very tough for small business owners over the last year (myself included!). As we commit to making major changes in our life and business, you will notice that often things do get worse before they get better. This can range from feeling down to a decrease in sales.
The goal is to keep moving forward, believe in yourself enough to know that you are laying a foundation for the best, which is yet to come!
Onward to a successful fall!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Jumpstart to a successful 2009...
So far 2009 is shaping up to be an exciting and fun new year! We just returned from the Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings Mart (Jan 9th-13th), and I am now more motivated than ever to develop and expand the Scentsational Greetings brand.
We met so many wonderful people during the show including our newest customers and even had a blast hanging out with our booth "neighbors" (Tamara, Taylor, and McKenna you rock!)
There were so many exciting new products being unveiled at the show, I was amazed at the ingenuity of my fellow entrepreneurs!
This year, be on the lookout for new (and Scentsational) products including invitations, and note cards. If you have suggestions for the type of products or scents you would like to see on the market, feel free to comment on this blog. We welcome your opinions!
Wishing you much success and happiness in 2009!
We met so many wonderful people during the show including our newest customers and even had a blast hanging out with our booth "neighbors" (Tamara, Taylor, and McKenna you rock!)
There were so many exciting new products being unveiled at the show, I was amazed at the ingenuity of my fellow entrepreneurs!
This year, be on the lookout for new (and Scentsational) products including invitations, and note cards. If you have suggestions for the type of products or scents you would like to see on the market, feel free to comment on this blog. We welcome your opinions!
Wishing you much success and happiness in 2009!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
It's beginning to smell alot like the Holidays!
What is your favorite scent of the holidays? It may be the invigorating scent of peppermint, the refreshing scent of a fresh tree, or the nostalgic scent of grandma's freshed baked gingerbread. These scents have a way of transporting us back in time to remember warm, comfortable memories of our childhood. I especially love the scent (and taste) of candy canes, they never fail to put me in a festive mood! Here is a great recipe for the delicious scent of "Christmas" to waft through your home:
THE SCENT OF CHRISTMAS
Fill a wide-mouthed pan 3/4 full with water. Add:
3 or 4 sticks of cinnamon
3 or 4 bay leaves
1/4 cup of whole cloves
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
Simmer all ingredients on low, adding more water when necessary. You can use the mixture for a few days, and your house will smell delicious for the holidays.
I wish everyone a very happy, healthy, and scentual holiday!
www.scentsational-greetings.com
THE SCENT OF CHRISTMAS
Fill a wide-mouthed pan 3/4 full with water. Add:
3 or 4 sticks of cinnamon
3 or 4 bay leaves
1/4 cup of whole cloves
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
Simmer all ingredients on low, adding more water when necessary. You can use the mixture for a few days, and your house will smell delicious for the holidays.
I wish everyone a very happy, healthy, and scentual holiday!
www.scentsational-greetings.com
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
It takes a village...
You may have heard the saying "it takes a village to raise a child". Well I would like to add, 'it takes a village to start and grow a successful business.' Running a small business in and of itself is a fascinating and frustrating act.There are so many details and processes to go through, owning a business is much more than having a great product or service!
I just added a bookeeper to my "village". So far my village consists of lawyers, designers, consultants, accountants, and a printing team. Each person plays a pivotal role in my business structure. It's also important to note, that as a business owner you must know what your strengths are, and be comfortable enough to let a trusted member of your team handle areas you are not equipped to handle. I am learning how important it is to have a team with complementary skills.
Well luckily with the help of my fabulous designers (Melissa and Roz rock!) and my trusted print team (Sue and Janna are fabulous) we were able to get our holiday cards into over 525 Borders bookstores across the US! Check out a sneak peek of our holiday collection at our online Etsy shop: www.scentedgreetings.etsy.com Also be sure to check out www.borders.com for a Borders location near you carrying our line.
Okay, enough ranting, time to get back to scent development. It's beginning to smell a lot like the holidays!!
I just added a bookeeper to my "village". So far my village consists of lawyers, designers, consultants, accountants, and a printing team. Each person plays a pivotal role in my business structure. It's also important to note, that as a business owner you must know what your strengths are, and be comfortable enough to let a trusted member of your team handle areas you are not equipped to handle. I am learning how important it is to have a team with complementary skills.
Well luckily with the help of my fabulous designers (Melissa and Roz rock!) and my trusted print team (Sue and Janna are fabulous) we were able to get our holiday cards into over 525 Borders bookstores across the US! Check out a sneak peek of our holiday collection at our online Etsy shop: www.scentedgreetings.etsy.com Also be sure to check out www.borders.com for a Borders location near you carrying our line.
Okay, enough ranting, time to get back to scent development. It's beginning to smell a lot like the holidays!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Weight Loss and Smell. It makes perfect Scents!
The relationship between scent and positive feelings is the core foundation of Scentsational Greetings. During daily brainstorming sessions, the goal is to match up fun, vibrant (and many times delicious) images with scents that can improve one's mood. Research has proven colors seem more vivid when connected with scent. Combining colors, creative text, and scents together can make for a dynamic product indeed!
During my research this week, I came across some amazing uses of scent that inspired today's blog including:
Sensa Weight-Loss System: This new product uses your senses of smell and taste to naturally suppress the appetite. You sprinkle the Sensa "Tastants" on all meals and snacks, and these tastants help to stimulate your olfactory senses to signal the part of your brain that tells you when you are full (satiety center). The goal of Sensa is to allow you to continue eating all your favorite foods and still lose weight because it is triggering a feeling of fullness while suppressing hunger and appetite. I would love to try this product myself and blog about it (more to come). If you want to learn more about Sensa, check out their site: www.trysensa.com.
While we are on the subject of weight loss and scent, the smells of peppermint, green apple, and banana have been shown in studies to help curb appetite. Perhaps Scentsational Greetings should release a line of "weight loss" scented cards. That would be a hit after the holidays!!! :) (hmmm....not a bad idea...stay tuned!)
I would love to hear your thoughts on scent and weight loss. Do you view a post holiday weight loss card to be offensive or pretty cool??
During my research this week, I came across some amazing uses of scent that inspired today's blog including:
Sensa Weight-Loss System: This new product uses your senses of smell and taste to naturally suppress the appetite. You sprinkle the Sensa "Tastants" on all meals and snacks, and these tastants help to stimulate your olfactory senses to signal the part of your brain that tells you when you are full (satiety center). The goal of Sensa is to allow you to continue eating all your favorite foods and still lose weight because it is triggering a feeling of fullness while suppressing hunger and appetite. I would love to try this product myself and blog about it (more to come). If you want to learn more about Sensa, check out their site: www.trysensa.com.
While we are on the subject of weight loss and scent, the smells of peppermint, green apple, and banana have been shown in studies to help curb appetite. Perhaps Scentsational Greetings should release a line of "weight loss" scented cards. That would be a hit after the holidays!!! :) (hmmm....not a bad idea...stay tuned!)
I would love to hear your thoughts on scent and weight loss. Do you view a post holiday weight loss card to be offensive or pretty cool??
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Economy Woes?
Economists and the media have been debating whether we are in a true recession or not for some time. During these difficult times, I have made every effort to still expand and develop my business as best I could despite the "doom and gloom".
Just recently I have really started to feel the effects of the economic downturn. Many retailers are closing their shops, or just barely hanging on. I talked to one of my customers the other day to ask how the cards have been selling. She said "...great, if we can get more than 1 or 2 people to walk through the door each day!" At this time, many retailers are also not willing to take a chance on a new product let alone new company. What an interesting time to launch a business to say the least!
The economy will always be full of ups and downs but the question is how does a small business continue to weather the storm? It may be time to perform a business "check up". For me the goal is to take a good look at my marketing plan and evaluate whats working and what isn't. It's time for me to evaluate if the magazine ads really are pulling in traffic, or if I'm fooling myself. It's also time to start "cutting the fat" wherever I can. Sure I would really love to have those aromatherapy stress balls with my logo on it, but do I really need it right now?? No, not really.
I am finding the economic downturn to be a great opportunity to evaluate my current business goals and to set a solid foundation for growth. The most important thing is to remain positive.
We can only rise up from this point, and the best is yet to come!!
Just recently I have really started to feel the effects of the economic downturn. Many retailers are closing their shops, or just barely hanging on. I talked to one of my customers the other day to ask how the cards have been selling. She said "...great, if we can get more than 1 or 2 people to walk through the door each day!" At this time, many retailers are also not willing to take a chance on a new product let alone new company. What an interesting time to launch a business to say the least!
The economy will always be full of ups and downs but the question is how does a small business continue to weather the storm? It may be time to perform a business "check up". For me the goal is to take a good look at my marketing plan and evaluate whats working and what isn't. It's time for me to evaluate if the magazine ads really are pulling in traffic, or if I'm fooling myself. It's also time to start "cutting the fat" wherever I can. Sure I would really love to have those aromatherapy stress balls with my logo on it, but do I really need it right now?? No, not really.
I am finding the economic downturn to be a great opportunity to evaluate my current business goals and to set a solid foundation for growth. The most important thing is to remain positive.
We can only rise up from this point, and the best is yet to come!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Welcome to My Two Scents
Whoo hoo, I finally made it to blogging! (Believe me, it took awhile.) Why blog? As a unique business in the fragrance and greeting card industry, I thought it would be great to share my perspective on running my business and all the creativity and craziness that goes along with it.
No one approaches scent on greeting cards quite the way we do, So I think it's fair to say we do have something special to offer. But I ultimately hope to inspire others to follow their heart to entrepreneurship if that is their goal.
There are lots of interesting stories about the making of Scentsational Greetings that I think are worth telling. First, this business started by accident! I just wanted to send a chocolate scented thank you card to my customer, (I also own a chocolate fountain business called Innovative Affairs http://www.innovativeaffairs.com) and I realized they didn't exist. I almost thought that was too good to be true. I asked myself, why can't I find a greeting card that has a vibrant image of something like a cupcake and actually smells like a cupcake? Why aren't the benefits, creativity, and science of scent explored on a greeting card? Literally that day Scentsational Greetings was born! We have been having a blast coming up with fun images, verses, and scents for our customers to enjoy. I also hope to use this blog as a forum for sharing what people are looking for in a greeting card and what scents are most popular.
Post will be irregular, but I will try to create at least one post each week. I hope you will find "my two scents" interesting and worthwhile. So pull up a chair each week, and take a whiff!
No one approaches scent on greeting cards quite the way we do, So I think it's fair to say we do have something special to offer. But I ultimately hope to inspire others to follow their heart to entrepreneurship if that is their goal.
There are lots of interesting stories about the making of Scentsational Greetings that I think are worth telling. First, this business started by accident! I just wanted to send a chocolate scented thank you card to my customer, (I also own a chocolate fountain business called Innovative Affairs http://www.innovativeaffairs.com) and I realized they didn't exist. I almost thought that was too good to be true. I asked myself, why can't I find a greeting card that has a vibrant image of something like a cupcake and actually smells like a cupcake? Why aren't the benefits, creativity, and science of scent explored on a greeting card? Literally that day Scentsational Greetings was born! We have been having a blast coming up with fun images, verses, and scents for our customers to enjoy. I also hope to use this blog as a forum for sharing what people are looking for in a greeting card and what scents are most popular.
Post will be irregular, but I will try to create at least one post each week. I hope you will find "my two scents" interesting and worthwhile. So pull up a chair each week, and take a whiff!
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