If you think your brand is too small to worry about trademarks, you might want to think again. Even smaller brands are copied, sometimes by large brands, and a trademark helps protect your intellectual property. A cautionary tale made the news this week after indie perfume brand Eris Parfums filed a lawsuit against the large…
As you grow your business, you will reach a point where you need to hire help to keep up with demand for your products/services. You might need help with packing and shipping orders, with production, or with tasks like website maintenance, customer service, and bookkeeping. You might be surprised by the IRS rules regulating how…
So you have developed your product line and are successfully selling – have you forgotten any business setup details? If you’re selling products like fragrance, body lotion, cosmetics, food, candles, toys, or children’s clothing, you need to carry product liability insurance. Product liability has come into the public eye during famous cases such as the…
Have you dreamed of creating your own perfume brand? Or wondered what keeps artisan perfumers busy behind the scenes? Maybe you have taken classes and developed some formulas, and now your friends say that they want to buy your fragrances. Should perfumery remain a hobby or should you take it to the next level? I often receive emails from people who request advice about…
I receive questions from time to time about how the scents are bottled, so I thought I’d describe the process a little bit. My method is probably similar to that of many other small indie perfumers. As orders come in, I bottle the scents at the time of order. I offer so many bottle sizes…
Many people find the terms niche, indie, and artisan to be confusing, partly because brands use them loosely more for marketing than for clarification. As many more brands have entered the market, the meanings of these terms have become diluted, and small brands have looked for more specific words to describe what they do. I’m…
Chandler Burr’s new book “The Perfect Scent” has sparked discussion about the cheapening of ingredients in perfumes. I’m saddened by this topic but share the concern. From my perspective as a small perfumer, ingredient prices are challenging because I buy the very best, but I must buy in much smaller quantities than the big houses…