Can you tell us a little about yourself as a person?
I am married with two children and the founder of Independent British Perfumer Boujies London. I live just outside Guildford.
How did you first set up the business?
I've always been interested in fragrance and a few years ago when we moved out of London, I spent a blissful summer enjoying our new garden with my first daughter who was a toddler. Inspired by the fragrances around me I started experimenting with perfume blends and mixing up concoctions on the kitchen table. After testing them out on friends and family, the feedback was so amazing I decided to incorporate these fragrances into a range of natural wax candles and take the leap into founding my own perfume house.
Encouraged by my lovely husband, we created a vision to take raw materials and inspiration from the scents around us to create a range of fine fragrances, inspired by nature and use these to create handmade products of the highest quality.
After months locked away discovering the fragrances which would define our vision, Boujies was finally ready to launch. I started trading our candles at Spitalfields Market in London and was completely overwhelmed to sell out on our first day. During our trade launch, we took over 50 trade orders at our first show alone and had people queuing to order. We featured on national radio for product innovation and the phone did not stop ringing.
Fast-forward an amazing 5 years and we now have a range of natural wax candles, aromatic diffusers and gift sets which are sold all over the world.
How old is the business?
Boujies was founded in 2010.
Did you ever think you'd be running your own business?
I'd always dreamed of working with fragrance, but never dreamed that I would one day have my own perfume house.
Where are you based? Do you have a shop or are you just online?
We work from our offices in Surrey and have a factory on the Isle of Wight where all of our products are poured by hand by our amazing team. We have a busy schedule of events throughout the year where we sell our products directly to customers.
We also sell online via www.boujies.com and into luxury boutique retailers across the world. A booming area of our business is in supplying luxury members clubs and hotels with our products and also in supplying wedding gifts and fragrances for weddings.
What is the most popular product sales wise?
The seasons have an amazing effect on the fragrances people choose. In the summer, our lighter fragrances, Indian Vetiver and Earl Grey are always the most popular.
In the colder months, we can't make Black Ginger and Black Dahlia products fast enough. Both fragrances are dark, heavy and warming and suited to cosy days in tucked up by the fire.
Black Ginger is our signature fragrance and the most popular all year round.
When we first started, our fragrances were showcased in candles. Everybody kept telling me to launch a range of diffusers. I wasn't convinced but when we tried our two most popular fragrances in diffuser format we sold out of both of them.
We now sell as many diffusers as candles and I love them both equally. The fragrance intensity and atmosphere you achieve from a glowing candle can't be beaten but there is also something amazing about walking into a room and being hit with fragrance which is always there. I use different fragrances in every room so the senses are stimulated in different ways in each area in the house and each room is decorated with a different fragrance.
What is your newest item / product?
We are currently working on the launch of our eighth fragrance which is an SS15 fragrance called Pink Pomelo. It's a sparkling and uplifting citrus fragrance with top notes of yuzu, grapefruit, sweet lemon and effervescent pink pomelo - perfect for the upcoming spring/summer.
What is the one thing people must know about your business?
We pour each of our candles and diffusers by hand so can guarantee that the quality is there in each and every product. As the business has grown, I remain obsessive about retaining the same personal, handmade quality and superior performance of all of our products and fragrance blends.
What is your proudest business achievement?
The greatest pleasure I take is when customers come back and tell us that our candles and diffusers are the best they have ever had. There is nothing better than a happy customer who comes back for more.
What do you do when you aren't working on the business?
I have two beautiful children who are 5 and 7 who take up most of my time away from Boujies. I love the fact that having my own business means that I am able to pick them up from school (most days!) and do something that I truly love whilst they are busy at school.
What five words describe your business?
Independent boutique British perfumer.
Any big plans for 2015 you can share?
Behind the scenes we are working on plans for our first perfumery which will allow our customers to explore our fragrance blends in our very own shop. We are also working on our first perfume, which is not only very exciting but also something I would never have dreamed of in those early days mixing up fragrance on my kitchen table!
My long-term aim is to build a sustainable, profitable business that is proud to be British and continues to build on the reputation for excellence we have already established. I hope one day, to see Boujies products in homes everywhere, proud in the knowledge that our little luxuries are bringing a touch of my first magical summer with my daughter to homes everywhere.
How can we find out more about you:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/boujies
Twitter: @boujies
Pinterest: Boujies London
Website: www.boujies.com
Email:hello@boujies.com
Telephone: 01483 282 918
Oh I love pretty smelling things! What fragrance from the website is your favourites? I learnt so much reading this blog - thank you Michelle!
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