“Inspiration can come from anywhere.” As much as that statement may sound too cliche, I strongly believe it.
I’m the creator of a luxury fragrance line, MAIR, the inspiration of which came from the most uncommon thing – my signature. I had been unemployed for a year after graduating from the University of Houston with a Communications degree when, after countless interviews, I landed my first job as a receptionist for an engineering firm in the Oil and Gas industry. Even though I had envisioned an entry level marketing position as my first job, I embraced being a receptionist with zeal well-knowing that I could market myself within the company and climb up the corporate ladder.
“Never despise your humble beginnings” has been my motto and even though working as a receptionist was not how I envisioned my dream job, it got my foot in the door to my career and destiny. It was at that receptionist desk that a VP of marketing saw my signature and told me he could see it on a perfume bottle one day, and three years later it was my reality.
It has not been rainbows and sunshine growing my MAIR fragrance line. On the contrary, it has mostly been an uphill journey. Though I don’t claim to be the first female fragrance designer with their own line, I am definitely one of the very few and well-aware of the uniqueness of our position. Coming into the industry, I knew that product placement would be a challenge; even with the rise in the growth of niche fragrance brands, retailers rely on buyers to wholesale them these products. Buyers can either break your brand or help propel it forward. I knew that for my business to thrive, I would have to win them over.
