I wanted to wait until I had conducted both of my open house dates before I posted -- just to get an overall view.
Well, the two Open Houses did not have the turnout I had hoped and had planned for, but they were still fun. Yes, I did spend more money on them than I made in return, but a few more people were able to experience what Urban Botanic was all about, they had a lot of fun (I sure did!), and I'm hoping they spread the word and maybe book a workshop in the future. I also had a couple of people who let me know they couldn't come, but were interested in perhaps attending a workshop in the future.
The first workshop was at my house. Only one of my friends and her nine-year-old daughter came, but we did have fun. It was wonderful to visit. The daughter created a yummy scent to put into a bubble bath and really liked the creative process. She won a U.B. warmer in the raffle drawing I did (even with only two people, I did it), but my friend will be the primary user and they purchased 3 unopened oils that I had in stock to use with the warmer.
The second workshop was at my parents' house (thank you Mom and Dad!). My aunt and cousin came! :-) While my cousin's two girls played, we got down to experimenting. I love finding out what scents others like -- they open my eyes (and nose!) to scents that I hadn't thought to like or even combine. My aunt created something right away that she liked -- I did, too -- with White Tea and Fig, then put it in a lotion. She continued to experiment with combinations after that just for fun. My cousin tried several combinations, looking for a "clean" scent to put in a shower gel. I believe she ended up with a combination of Green Tea, Pine and Lilac -- it was a lovely mix, I remember, and one that I wouldn't have thought to do.
My aunt won the drawing for the warmer, which was perfect as that was what she was interested in and was thinking of purchasing. She did purchase one oil to use in it.
-- My little note: I cannot believe how one or two drops of the oils into the warmers fill the room with scent! Those little oil bottles will last so long! What a cost savings from candles. I love candles, too, and love the ambiance, but the oil warmer from Urban Botanic is so easy to use. --
I love seeing my aunt and cousin, and my son had a good time playing with them after he and his grandpa came home. I'm sure we will get together to create again either just as a family or in a workshop setting.
As I was cleaning up and putting my oils away, I talked my dad into smelling some of the scents in the Spicy family. He has worn "Old Spice" for years, so when he smelled the Allspice U.B. Fragrance Oil, he decided to try mixing it with Asian Spice. A few drops later, he liked it. While refusing to allow me to put his creation into one of the unscented products for him, he dipped his finger into the mix he'd done and rubbed it on his neck, jaw and hand. Now, those oils are concentrated and a little goes a long way -- especially when not mixed in a product. Dad no doubt still smelled like his creation this morning! I loved that my dad, a very "manly man," even had a bit of fun creating. :-)
So even though the Open Houses didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, I'm glad I did them. I love seeing my family and friends. Plus, I got to play a bit, too.
I'm going to be creating a sample fragrance to put into goody bags for the upcoming Portland Crave Party on December 5th. I'm excited that 100 or so women will hopefully find out about Urban Botanic.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Open House
I'm going to hold an Urban Botanic Open House Workshop on Sunday, October 7th! From 1-3:30 p.m., guests can stop by my little home to learn about Urban Botanic, create a fragrance, experience the new UB Home Fragrance System, and have a chance to win prizes!
Actually, I'm having two Open Houses. Next Sunday, Oct. 14th, I'm going to hold one at my parents' house in Newberg. I have such great and supportive parents!
I am hoping that the Open Houses will give me a push to begin asking people to hold workshops or join me in this venture. I've been shy lately about my business and that is not the way to be in business.
Invitations have been sent and emailed. I've a few to place on neighbors' doors today.
It's so much fun to create the fragrances! The last one I created reminded me of White Shoulders.
I'm going to burn an Apple Pie scent, most likely, in the new warming plate by Urban Botanic. I tried it out the other day and liked the combination of Green Apple, Brown Sugar, and Cinnamon. I had earlier put in a drop of Maple Spice, but found I liked it better without it. I want to try a Chocolate Chip cookie type smell... have to create one! :-)
Happy October!
Actually, I'm having two Open Houses. Next Sunday, Oct. 14th, I'm going to hold one at my parents' house in Newberg. I have such great and supportive parents!
I am hoping that the Open Houses will give me a push to begin asking people to hold workshops or join me in this venture. I've been shy lately about my business and that is not the way to be in business.
Invitations have been sent and emailed. I've a few to place on neighbors' doors today.
It's so much fun to create the fragrances! The last one I created reminded me of White Shoulders.
I'm going to burn an Apple Pie scent, most likely, in the new warming plate by Urban Botanic. I tried it out the other day and liked the combination of Green Apple, Brown Sugar, and Cinnamon. I had earlier put in a drop of Maple Spice, but found I liked it better without it. I want to try a Chocolate Chip cookie type smell... have to create one! :-)
Happy October!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Little by Little
I just spoke on the telephone to a friend that I hadn't talked to for awhile. While our husbands speak every so often, she and I just don't. Maybe we're just not telephone people? She has a 21 month old daughter, and I have a 5 1/2 year old son, so we seem to be busy with "mom" duties when the guys are talking. Last night, my husband handed the phone over to me after talking to his friend for awhile as the wife, my friend, wanted to speak to me. I had seen a photo of her and her daughter in the newspaper just that day, so was excited to chat. The photo was at an independent toy store in her town near ours, and accompanied an article about the toy store.
During the early part of our conversation, I asked for her email as I am so much more of an email person and she and I just don't see each other as much as we used to when we were single. She, in turn, asked for mine. I gave her my personal email, but mentioned I had another that was connected to my new business, Urban Botanic. She was at her computer, so she immediately pulled up my website and asked questions. She was interested in making a scent for her niece as a birthday gift. The niece had just turned 13 years old and she hadn't yet purchased a gift.
Long story short, I'm going to visit her tomorrow afternoon for her to create a scent for her niece! She may even do one for herself. She's also interested in talking about having a workshop.
What I love about Urban Botanic is that it sells itself even without someone "seeing" the product. The concept of creating something unique -- actually hands-on creating -- is so cool! While I wanted to let my friend know about my new business as I was excited, I had no intention of overloading and pressuring her for a workshop during our conversation (we continued our conversation last night talking about jobs, schools, and life in general).
Little by little, I will build this business. I've only had my kit for about a month... I need patience and shouldn't expect to have tremendous success all at once. Little by little, the word will get out and it will grow.
During the early part of our conversation, I asked for her email as I am so much more of an email person and she and I just don't see each other as much as we used to when we were single. She, in turn, asked for mine. I gave her my personal email, but mentioned I had another that was connected to my new business, Urban Botanic. She was at her computer, so she immediately pulled up my website and asked questions. She was interested in making a scent for her niece as a birthday gift. The niece had just turned 13 years old and she hadn't yet purchased a gift.
Long story short, I'm going to visit her tomorrow afternoon for her to create a scent for her niece! She may even do one for herself. She's also interested in talking about having a workshop.
What I love about Urban Botanic is that it sells itself even without someone "seeing" the product. The concept of creating something unique -- actually hands-on creating -- is so cool! While I wanted to let my friend know about my new business as I was excited, I had no intention of overloading and pressuring her for a workshop during our conversation (we continued our conversation last night talking about jobs, schools, and life in general).
Little by little, I will build this business. I've only had my kit for about a month... I need patience and shouldn't expect to have tremendous success all at once. Little by little, the word will get out and it will grow.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Chugging along
This week has primarily been taken up with catching up with my "regular" job since I was off last week doing the Mommy thing in getting Jordan ready and off to kindergarten. After the first initial breakdown in the cafeteria by him on the first full-day of kindergarten, he has taken to it quite well and loves it. He even told me yesterday that he now is getting used to his new before and after school care place -- and he only started that on Monday. Our little boy is growing up!
I am planning on blogging about the Thursday workshop. I've been processing the event for the past week... it didn't go as planned, but I learned a lot from it. In retrospect, it was okay. A learning experience. A chance to know what to do / what not to do the next time. And, I have two leads to follow up on! :-)
Last Saturday, after finding myself with a little time alone in the evening, I just took out the perfume oils and started creating. I meant to write down what I was doing, but then just started adding certain oils until I found a combo I loved. I had a little bit of shower gel left in a bottle, so I added it to it (I'd been making samples out of it prior to then). I then created another scent for a little bit of lotion I had left. Yummy! Both were leafy/floral combos. I found I liked them better the day after. Even though I am mostly a "Leafy," I love some of the florals. I just cannot let go of the Rose, Lily, Lilac, or Violet. I also love the Lavendar, which is in the Herby family. That's the great thing with Urban Botanic, though: you can go outside of what your Scent Personality is and just go with what you like! The guests at the Thursday workshop created some yummy combos that I am also itching to try, or at least experiment with. Pomegranite was a hit that night, plus Egyptian Musk.
That has to be my happiest part of being a fragrance designer for UB -- seeing people get excited and be happy with what they've created.
I am planning on blogging about the Thursday workshop. I've been processing the event for the past week... it didn't go as planned, but I learned a lot from it. In retrospect, it was okay. A learning experience. A chance to know what to do / what not to do the next time. And, I have two leads to follow up on! :-)
Last Saturday, after finding myself with a little time alone in the evening, I just took out the perfume oils and started creating. I meant to write down what I was doing, but then just started adding certain oils until I found a combo I loved. I had a little bit of shower gel left in a bottle, so I added it to it (I'd been making samples out of it prior to then). I then created another scent for a little bit of lotion I had left. Yummy! Both were leafy/floral combos. I found I liked them better the day after. Even though I am mostly a "Leafy," I love some of the florals. I just cannot let go of the Rose, Lily, Lilac, or Violet. I also love the Lavendar, which is in the Herby family. That's the great thing with Urban Botanic, though: you can go outside of what your Scent Personality is and just go with what you like! The guests at the Thursday workshop created some yummy combos that I am also itching to try, or at least experiment with. Pomegranite was a hit that night, plus Egyptian Musk.
That has to be my happiest part of being a fragrance designer for UB -- seeing people get excited and be happy with what they've created.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
New UB Product!!!
Urban Botanic has announced a new product! The UB Home Collection! Now you can use the same UB perfume oils you use to create your personal perfume/lotion/shower gel/ bubble bath scent to create a personalized home fragrance.
Here is what the announcement from Urban Botanic founder, McKenna Gordon, had to say:
As you know, we have been investigating many different methods of scenting your home with UB products. We have tested everything from candles to reed diffusers, plug-ins to room sprays… we wanted to find the best way to fill your home with inviting fragrance.
In the end we found the best method to be oil warming. Your UB Perfume Oils make the most fabulous home fragrances and are safe to use in an oil warmer. We are astonished at the quality of home fragrances our products make. We probably shouldn't be so surprised, but we found the Urban Botanic Home Collection to be more fragrant and clean smelling than any candle or other form of home fragrance we'd experienced before. Ever. We can't wait for you to discover the same!
The best part is your customers can enjoy our fragrances in their home for about one-tenth the cost of candles. Not to mention UB Home Fragrances are a safer, more environmentally friendly, and a no-hassle way to scent your home.
Here's how it works:
Place 2-3 drops of your favorite UB Perfume Oil directly into our Oil Warming Plate (SKU UB470) and turn it on. Within five minutes, you'll be enjoying rich, inviting fragrance throughout your home. It takes just a few drops to scent your home for 6-8 hours. You can also turn the Warming Plate off after a period of time and the scent will linger in your home much longer than candles and other home fragrance methods.
Place 2-3 drops of your favorite UB Perfume Oil directly into our Oil Warming Plate (SKU UB470) and turn it on. Within five minutes, you'll be enjoying rich, inviting fragrance throughout your home. It takes just a few drops to scent your home for 6-8 hours. You can also turn the Warming Plate off after a period of time and the scent will linger in your home much longer than candles and other home fragrance methods.
Some highlights of the product:
1/10th the cost of candles: An average 24oz candle ($25 - $35) burns for approximately 110 hours. One bottle of UB Fragrance Oil offers over 1000 burning hours and at a much more appealing price!
Safety: No open flame.
Environmentally friendly: no soot, wax, or harsh chemicals released into the air.
Change your scent with your mood! You don't have to commit to loving your home scent for 110 hours as with a candle. With your Signature Fragrance Collection, you can change your mind on your home scent every day! Monday: Pear + Grapefruit, Tuesday: Apple + Cinnamon, Wednesday: Fig!
Other UB Home Fragrance Information:
What if my recipe is more than 3 drops?
Although it only takes a few drops of oil to scent your home, you may choose to use more drops in order to create a home fragrance recipe. For instance, you may like to warm up 3 drops of Maple Spice with 1 drop each of Vanilla and Coconut. Using a few extra drops won't waste your oil: you can turn off your Warming Plate once your home is well-scented, and then turn your Warming Plate back on the next day without adding extra oil. As long as there is still oil in your Warming Plate, you can turn it on and enjoy the fragrance.
What if I already have an oil warmer or lamp ring?
We highly recommend using the UB Warming plate. It heats UB Perfume Oils to the perfect temperature to guarantee maximum fragrance output and safety. We can't guarantee the safety or effectiveness with other oil heating devices. Customers can use other oil warmers and lamp rings at their own risk. If the customer uses a lamp ring or other device heated by a tea-light or light bulb they will experience a less detectable fragrance and possibly fewer burning hours.
The Oil Warming Plate is $19.95.
The UB Home Collection is $49.95 (Contains Oil Warming Plate, plus three perfume oils of the customer's choice. That's a value of $60.46 ,so you are saving $10.50!).
Some great news! For the month of September, all Signature Fragrance Collections ordered by customers will receive a FREE Oil Warmer Plate in their shipment. That's an added $20 value!
Please contact me by visiting my site, www.urbanbotanic.com/kim, if you are interested.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Getting Ready
I'm getting ready for both my first regular UB workshop next Thursday AND our son's first day of kindergarten the same day. Between those things and my regular FT job, I'm busy! I'll be out of my regular work office all next week to take care of Jordan and do the kindergarten thing. First soccer game for Jordan is next week, too!
I just placed an order with UB to stock up on product for the workshop. I have the free product that came with my kit order, but I want to be sure to have enough on hand for both the gift bags and the single orders. My hostess is doing a fantastic job of gathering guests. I'm expecting 8-12 people to show. How exciting! I hope it goes well for all of us. The good thing for me to remember is that the guests are going to have fun creating their own unique scents and that is the biggest thing of all. My organization and presentation will get better the more workshops I do. This is new and I am allowed a learning curve -- no one is perfect!
Goodness! I hope I sell the product! I've not "paid" back for my kit or other business expenses yet and I'd like to move forward on that.
I just placed an order with UB to stock up on product for the workshop. I have the free product that came with my kit order, but I want to be sure to have enough on hand for both the gift bags and the single orders. My hostess is doing a fantastic job of gathering guests. I'm expecting 8-12 people to show. How exciting! I hope it goes well for all of us. The good thing for me to remember is that the guests are going to have fun creating their own unique scents and that is the biggest thing of all. My organization and presentation will get better the more workshops I do. This is new and I am allowed a learning curve -- no one is perfect!
Goodness! I hope I sell the product! I've not "paid" back for my kit or other business expenses yet and I'd like to move forward on that.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A Beginning
Wow!
Who would have thought that I would start a new business while also working a regular FT job, plus being a wife and mother? Well, I did! It is a fabulous company called Urban Botanic and there is not another business like it.
As a Fragrance Designer with Urban Botanic, I assist you in making your own custom scent based on what you like. You know all the celebraties that have their own fragrances? Well, now you can, too! You can even have several to suit your mood, an event, or anything. Your children can even create, too.
Most of the business is done by you inviting friends to your home for a workshop. You start by using Urban Botanic's Scent Personality Test to find what scent family you are most likely to be attracted to (but you aren't limited to creating from just that family). Next, you create your scent by choosing from the available 66 perfume oils, and then place your creation into a hypo-allergenic parfum spray, nourishing lotion, shower gel or bubble bath. You get to name your fragrance and keep the recipe so that it can be duplicated later, if you wish. How fun is that?! You have your own unique fragrance that is you!
I found Urban Botanic by chance while looking up something else online. The name intrigued me, so I clicked on it. After reading about it, and emailing back and forth with Shawna (my manager, now) I had a lotion created for me. Loving it, I ordered a U.B. Scents kit in my scent personality family. I created products for myself and my family and friends, thinking all along, "I should be doing this as a consultant!" The rest is history.
My first workshop was for 12 year old girls this past Saturday and it was so much fun! They did a great job!
I have loved "smelly things" since I was little. I even used to try to make my own perfume out of rose petals and tap water when I was young (it only turned into a gooey mess). Potpourri, incense, candles, several perfumes and body sprays and lotions -- I've collected it all over the years. Now I have Urban Botanic. They've impressed me with their product ingredients -- no alcohol, formaldehyde or lanolin -- and with their people and program. I'm proud to be the first to bring this company to the Portland/Vancouver greater area!
My son has inherited my love of scents. At 5 years old, he loves to create his own lotions to put on after his bath (he has good mixing scents, but leans towards the fruity and baking scents). I will publish his "Fruityesque" creation at another time.
Who would have thought that I would start a new business while also working a regular FT job, plus being a wife and mother? Well, I did! It is a fabulous company called Urban Botanic and there is not another business like it.
As a Fragrance Designer with Urban Botanic, I assist you in making your own custom scent based on what you like. You know all the celebraties that have their own fragrances? Well, now you can, too! You can even have several to suit your mood, an event, or anything. Your children can even create, too.
Most of the business is done by you inviting friends to your home for a workshop. You start by using Urban Botanic's Scent Personality Test to find what scent family you are most likely to be attracted to (but you aren't limited to creating from just that family). Next, you create your scent by choosing from the available 66 perfume oils, and then place your creation into a hypo-allergenic parfum spray, nourishing lotion, shower gel or bubble bath. You get to name your fragrance and keep the recipe so that it can be duplicated later, if you wish. How fun is that?! You have your own unique fragrance that is you!
I found Urban Botanic by chance while looking up something else online. The name intrigued me, so I clicked on it. After reading about it, and emailing back and forth with Shawna (my manager, now) I had a lotion created for me. Loving it, I ordered a U.B. Scents kit in my scent personality family. I created products for myself and my family and friends, thinking all along, "I should be doing this as a consultant!" The rest is history.
My first workshop was for 12 year old girls this past Saturday and it was so much fun! They did a great job!
I have loved "smelly things" since I was little. I even used to try to make my own perfume out of rose petals and tap water when I was young (it only turned into a gooey mess). Potpourri, incense, candles, several perfumes and body sprays and lotions -- I've collected it all over the years. Now I have Urban Botanic. They've impressed me with their product ingredients -- no alcohol, formaldehyde or lanolin -- and with their people and program. I'm proud to be the first to bring this company to the Portland/Vancouver greater area!
My son has inherited my love of scents. At 5 years old, he loves to create his own lotions to put on after his bath (he has good mixing scents, but leans towards the fruity and baking scents). I will publish his "Fruityesque" creation at another time.
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