Today we’d like to introduce you to Shayla Hill.
Shayla followed in her grandmother’s footsteps by starting up her own cleaning company. Not content with just offering services to clean other people’s homes, she really wanted to do something different for her clients. She decided that her own line of natural home cleaning products would be ideal, but a conversation with her mom was to lead to something even better. As her all-purpose soap was suitable for cleaning the home or your body, her mom tried a lemongrass scented one as an aid to help her sleep after losing her husband. The immediate effect was her first good sleep in months.
This was all the motivation that Shayla needed after losing her dad and to help her mom sleep better at night. Before long, she had developed pillow sprays that were scented with lavender and lemongrass and had formed her own company, Hill + Daniel, named after her grandmother’s maiden and married names. Soon, Shayla was experimenting with new and exciting fragrances, expanding her range with more complex, like woody scents, while still aiming to keep things simple and classic at the same time.
Now two years into her fragrance business and with a fine balance of smooth and rougher textures that cater for men and women, Shayla hasn’t lost touch with her first thoughts which were to have products that can be used for both home and body. She also hopes to expand her range further and offer things like fragrant candles in the near future.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve found things to be much easier now that I have a better understanding of what audience I want to target, what I want my branding style to be, and how to actually engage with my audience. These were some of the struggles along the way, but I’ve managed to overcome them.
Please tell us about Hill + Daniel.
Hill + Daniel is an alternative to all of the tacky air freshener products on the market. Our products are designed to blend in with amazing scents that stand out. Looking to break from the traditions of the typical home fragrance company, Hill + Daniel brings together high-quality design with the intimate artistry of hand-crafted creation to produce items like nothing else. Our fragrances can be used to freshen up your home, car, personal space like your office. You can even spray it on your clothes!
We take pride in our fragrances, keeping them free from the traditional chemicals used in the fragrance industry. We never skimp on the quality of our scents or the products that deliver them. All experimenting, blending, mixing and packaging is done by hand and on-demand, meaning fresh and unique products that are perfect for anyone who wants to take a break from the complex world and smell the roses (or woods) along the way. Our design ethos is simple but effective. We love our community, those who won’t settle for ordinary, and we want to deliver a best in class experience.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I’ve always loved to create. I loved to draw, paint, build set designs, sculpt. You name it, I did it. One summer I wanted to take an art class on realistic drawings. I’m sure it was expensive. The school would send you instructions and guides on how to draw, you study, you trace, then you draw it on your own. You’d then send it in to be graded and you have to keep drawing the same ones over and over until you pass. Well, my mom could not afford it. I’m sure, but she saw how bad I wanted to take it. I can’t remember if I begged or if she just really wanted it for me. Either way, she pulled it off and paid for the lessons. I will forever be thankful and while I do not remember many experiences, I will forever remember that one! I enjoyed it, it kept me busy, and I appreciated it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hillanddaniel.com
- Email: info@hillanddaniel.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hillanddanielfragrances
Image Credit:
Shayla Hill
Nick D’Andria
Sunni Ankh
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