Customer Spotlight - Vera Gaines
The leaves are changing, the air is turning chill and we are dusting off our fall jackets and preparing for that all the fun autumn brings. As we near closer and closer to All Hallow's Eve, we here at Vetiver would like to take the time out to recognize a very special customer! *Cue dramatic music* Miss Vera Gaines.
She is a very unique artisan who found Vetiver only a few short months ago. Vera has taken perfumery to a whole other level utilizing her imagination, creative writing, and scent making skills to create TheSpaSleuth.com. She will be changing the name to Scent of Mysteries later this year. If you happen to live near Wayne County, Ohio you are in for a treat, as Miss Gaines specializes in mystery perfume soirees! So we recently interviewed Vera and this is what she had to share with us about her strange yet fun parties.
When did you start your business Vera?
I just started my business in June of this year, so I am in the building phase of my business.
How did you get started?
I have always loved murder mystery games and have been involved with them for 30 years. As a retired Esthetician, I wanted to do something part-time so I created a Murder Mystery Spa Party format; putting together the 2 things I love to do. It was going well, until my suppliers discontinued half of my specialty treatments which were the most popular. Luckily, I found Vetiver Aromatics to solve my problem. Now I offer Murder Mystery Perfume Soirees!
Who and what is your inspiration for your company? What do you love about your business?
What inspires me the most,and what I love about my business, is the creativity side and seeing people having a great time at my events.
What has been your greatest reward/accomplishment?
Rewriting murder mysteries, that I purchase online, to work with the format of my parties. It's hard to know what you are buying and many times I felt like I was wasting money on murder mysteries that didn't work out like I needed them to. Recently, I started writing them on my own completely, though it does take more time to do that.
What has been your biggest challenge owning your business?
My biggest challenge is getting the word out about what I do. I have been fortunate that my growth has mainly been by word of mouth. However, In the future, I would like to expand into other areas, outside of my local region. Another challenge is keeping the costs down to satisfy clients and my bottom line.
Where do you see yourself next year? How would you like to see your business grow?
In the future, I'd like to expand outside of my local area and increase the number of Murder Mystery Perfume Soirees I do a month. I still want to keep it part-time so that I can enjoy retirement.
What advice could you give about starting your own business and making it successful?
I think you need to love what you do first and foremost. Apply the strength of your skills and knowledge that you already have into a business format that is unique in some way. Offer something different than what everyone else is doing, and whatever you do, make sure you do it well! You only have one chance to gain a repeat client, so make it count.
So how did you find Vetiver?
I was fortunate to find Vetiver Aromatics by searching online and thought perfume making would be a great replacement. My clients could have fun making the perfume themselves, plus take it home and continue to enjoy it. As it turned out, they all agreed! What I liked about Vetiver Aromatics immediately was their nicely designed, easy to understand website and their professional looking packaging.
What products do we sell that help your business?
I use their Perfume Bar at all my murder mystery perfume soirees. I love it and so do my clients. It is a great way to make your own perfume and you have a large variety of scents to chose from. Their perfume's quality is top-notch, long lasting and I love the look of the bottles for the bar!
What products/services would you like to see in the future?
I wouldn't mind seeing some other scents, like a Holiday Spice, Orchid, and Tuberose (my client requests). Also, a larger selection of perfume bottles for the clients to put their perfume in, from 10 ml to 30 ml.
How has your experience with Vetiver been?
Vetiver Aromatics is great to work with! They helped me put together a custom perfume bar that would work with my particular needs. Plus, they are very helpful with any questions you have or advice you may need. They have everything for your perfume making needs all in one place, making shopping a breeze! Highly recommend them!
