Today we’d like to introduce you to Aiesha McKenzie.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story started when I was in third grade. I used to gather up materials outside and make my own potpourri. As I grew older, I would use my mother’s body products and layer lotions with powder and perfume.
Then I would save my money to go to Walmart’s fragrance counter and buy perfume. My favorites were Jovan White Musk, Sand and Sable, and Vanilla Fields. My love for perfumery continued as I grew older and my collection increased. When most people go out of the country, they may collect shot glasses or something. I collected perfume- from Brazil, Paris, and London. When I was in St. Martin, I even went to a studio to make my own perfume. Fast forward to the present, and I have created my own collection of unique fragrances, and I am about to open my own perfume-making studio.
Alright, 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?
A smooth road? Hardly! Where do I begin? It can be hard to sell perfume. It has the unique challenge in that it is something best experienced in person, as opposed to being purchased online without having smelt it first. On top of that, there are a whole lot of perfumes! Little-old-me is competing against well-known designer names. I previously sold my product in a store I shared with two other people. That proved challenging because my schedule didn’t allow me to be there often, and customer interaction was very important for sales. I have since moved my products to other stores where my presence is not required. However, that has it’s own challenges because I am not there to hand out samples, engage with customers, or get their feedback. I am resourceful and always looking for new ways to do things. One thing I did was run a Facebook ad to have people sign up for free samples. Needless to say, this was the most successful ad I ever had… I had done my research to find out how much shipping would be at the post office. I go to the post office only to find out that the small sample vials are considered parcels, and the minimum to send each was $5.00! It ended up costing me $300 to send all of the packages. And get this, I didn’t get one sale from it! So, yeah, I’ve had some challenges.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about My Signature Scent, LLC?
My love of scent and creative expression are what led me to start My Signature Scent. The many times I made my own perfume at different places in the past were so much fun I wanted to make it into a business. My perfumes are generally related to the Black cultural experience. One of the things that I do when making a new fragrance is design around a theme. For example, when I created Yo’ Mama, I looked at perfumes worn back-in-the day by women and took different notes from them- aldehyde, musk, rose, and combined them to make a modern version inspired by perfumes that made us think of our mothers.
However, I can say that the fun is in creation, not trying to convince people to buy your products! Therefore, I had to think of a way that I could continue to enjoy what I do. I have started a mobile perfume bar where I blended simple perfumes meant to be mixed and matched to create a signature scent quickly. I am now in the process of opening a perfume-making studio so I can guide others in making their signature scents from scratch. They will be able to have a private or couples’ session. One of my focuses is on creating a signature scent for your wedding. I feel like this is such a memorable time, and having a scent to associate with it helps the memory last. One thing that I am going to offer is a unity scent. It is kind of like when the couple comes together to light the unity candle, but they are coming together to create one fragrance. I think it is the ultimate exercise in compromise!
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I would say being in “the country” as we called it, which was going to Culpeper, VA to visit family.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mysignaturescent.net
- Instagram: @mysigscent
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mysigscent
