Perfumer Discovers Sweet Scent of Success with Possets
After working for over a decade in manufacturing, Fabienne Christenson finally did what she had always secretly wanted to do: make and sell perfume. Christenson decided to use the internet as her storefront, as overseas customers would be an essential part of her business.
Though she created a business plan in MBA school, following through on it in real life was a different matter. She sat down with Dick Wendel from SCORE in 2006 and thoroughly examined her company's goals, strengths, weaknesses, and needs.
Writing a new plan took more than a month of hard work, but Christenson says it was worth it.
"I felt as if I had left no problem unexamined and I changed my mind about a number of important factors during my writing. For instance, what should I do if there is an economic downturn? Good thing I thought of that. If I hadn't, I know I would have priced myself out of the success zone," said Christenson. "The best thing about a business plan is that you must take a look at where you are likely to end up and what you need to do about it in advance.
"With a good business plan you won't get caught by unexpected circumstances because you will have researched it all when it's the most powerful: at the beginning of your business. You really do have to sit down and do that plan."
Possets Perfume is located at www.possets.com. Christenson has a lively blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, podcast, and a Hubpage as well as a member forum. Descriptions of hundreds of fragrances to choose from are on her site, with something new all the time. Possets Perfume is also sold retail at bigg's/Remke in Hyde Park.