As someone who creates scented home products, I am often at the mercy of the market (and my supplier) as to what scents I can provide. I try to find as many unusual but slightly familiar scents as I can that will brighten up people’s day (no pun intended) and resurface good memories.
Do I always get it right? No. And that’s okay.
Because I offer scents, I get suggestions quite a bit. I can never find the right (and non-rude sounding) way to say “I appreciate this, but I won’t do it right away.” The why that sometimes follows is always answered with me saying “it’s too much to explain.”
So, I’m gonna explain it now. The long version.
Testing Costs Money
This is and isn’t a serious reason. Mainly because I’m going to have to test a scent anyway, whether I add it to the current collection or not. But the way I feel about having to toss out wax that doesn’t smell good isn’t dissimilar to cooking a meal you thought was gonna be fire, but it just doesn’t taste good.
Making a sample candle of a scent that doesn’t make the cut costs more than making a sample of one I will use. Not just monetarily, but my time as well. And I don’t know if any of you have little ones, but time is a luxury I don’t often get. Why do you think it takes me so long to restock?
Everybody’s Nose is Different
One day, I get a message from a customer on Instagram. She told me how much she LOVES something relaxing, particularly for the lemon note in it. The look of confusion and panic that washed over my face was enough to cause anyone who caught it to think I was experiencing a medical issue. Before I responded, I hurried over to look at the notes listed for that candle… and saw it.
Now, before you say, “Don’t you know what’s in your scents?!?,” let me assure you I do.. ish. I have a not-great memory, so some things do get forgotten. Lemon was one of the last notes I thought a lavender scented candle would have, and yet, there it was. I went and opened one from my inventory to see if I could detect some citrus. To this day, I still can’t smell the lemon in it.
There are scents I have that some people love and that others hate. What may smell like one thing to someone may smell like something completely different to someone else. Because I buy my scents pre-mixed, I don’t have control over how much of a note is in a fragrance. When I get a new scent, I’m aware that even though I may like it for this specific note, someone else may not, which, brings me to my next point.
Making Something for Nothing
I can tell you every scent I’ve made that someone has “suggested” for me to carry and that person specifically didn’t purchase it. Am I bitter about it? A little, but not enough to ruin my day. These suggestions range from “You should make something with this note” to “You should make a scent that smells like this very specific smell.”
The worst part? Making something for the person who suggested it and hearing “this doesn’t smell good or like I thought it should smell.” I physically/literally/olfactorily cannot smell things in the exact same way you do. And this isn’t a cop-out. It’s impossible. If we weren’t in a piña colada and I was able to work with someone for the smell they’re going for, then maybe this could happen. But without a lot more resources than I have, I can’t do it.
Are there scents that have come from people’s suggestions that have sold well? Yes, a few. Did those specifically people who provided the suggestions place an order? Nope. But I will say that pumpkin candle that quite a few people have asked for hasn’t moved since I re-launched it earlier this month. And that effing sucks.
Is it me? Am I not describing it right? Is my marketing off? Or should I be taking this personally at all? (Probably not, be we know how depression works.)
Space Isn’t Just the Final Frontier
It’s yet another luxury that I don’t have. Carrying over 15 different scents (and more on the way) takes up a lot of space in this tiny house. Between me, my spouse, our 2 dogs, and a kid (and all our hobbies) we don’t have room to put anything anywhere. Candle-making has consumed our entire dining room and about a quarter of our living room.
I’m sadly at the point where if I introduce a new year-round scent, I’m going to have to take one off the menu. The storage unit that D made for me is full with just the original year round scents. I don’t have the space to put away the 2021 Spring scents, the Summer scents, or the new Fall Scents. Keep in mind, this doesn’t include storage needed for jars, wax, wicks, lids, fragrance oils, etc. We’re working as hard as we can to get a bigger space for ourselves, but it’s not going as well as we want it to.
And.. scene.
But we’re not here to throw a pity party. We’re talking about why I don’t like taking scent suggestions. To be clear, I understand that suggestions are meant to be helpful, and I really do appreciate them. It’s just hard having to turn them down for all these reasons. Do I want to get to the point where I can mix my own fragrances? ABSOLUTELY. But I can’t just yet.
However, I promise I plan on taking TerranMade to new heights.
I’ve thought so many times about quitting, but every order tells me to stick around and that I’m actually doing a not-bad job. Making candles and wax melts has done so much good for my mental health.
Thank you for getting me here.
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