Chavalia Dunlap-Mwamba: Keeps Man, Woman, Child Fragrant

By JOYCELYNE

www.infinitieplusmag.com

When Chavalia DunlapMwamba speaks of her parents there is no mistaking the love and gratitude she feels. Their blessed influence led her to become one of East Texas' main female entrepreneurs in a non-mainstream business.

"My mom instilled drive, diligence and tenacity regarding entrepreneurship, and my bonus father shows me undying support," she says. "They both have sacrificed to make sure I'm able to continue my work by caring for the twins, and we are immensely grateful to have them in our lives and close."

Her parents taught her the vital lessons of honesty, integrity, and fairness when it comes to dealing with her customers regardless of whether or not they buy anything. Seeds of kindness typically sprout into a profitable future as she eagerly shows her Godly love. She is one of many such shining examples from her brood of three children. Her family of origin has multiple sets of twins and one of triplets. They earn their livings in many ways ranging from entrepreneurship to professional ranchers. She loves the road she travels and got a promising start via a firstclass education. problems. She blended these non-allergic potions, used them on herself and others, encountered no difficulties and used these positive mixtures to launch her business, Pink MahogHany. Chavalia’s customers quickly learned they did not have to shy away from fragrances. She was still teaching when she went into business in 2005 and introduced her first original fragrance in 2011. ladder. Her workdays are intense. She is the heart and soul of her enterprise.

She manifested her love of music at Kilgore College and the University of Texas at Arlington, pulling down her bachelor’s degree in music and earning certification as an EC-12 music instructor. Her tuneful inclinations led her first into teaching, but soon took her down another, even more fragrant path.

"Though no two days are identical, as a solo entrepreneur the usual flow is arriving at my workspace to prep, process and prepare to ship orders," she says. "I am in charge of everything from order acceptance to fulfillment."

"I find that through my sharing how God works in my life it acts as a beacon for others seeking clarity in their spiritual walk," she says "For that, I'm grateful."

"I started teaching in 2006, two years after graduating from UTA, and found that my interest in fragrance never left from childhood," she says. "I found myself researching everything related to scent on every break."

It did not take her long to realize she had more than a passing interest in this topic, she was serious about it from a career perspective. Many of those she shared her passion with shied away from perfumes and colognes because of prior allergic reactions. This led her to studying why this happened, and then she purchased fragrances without the ingredients that seemed to cause the adverse symptoms. Testing these scents on herself and others, who had experienced negative results, taught her which additives were prone to cause

"Perfumery actually chose me at a young age, and I reciprocated years later fulltime," she says. "I create and formulate fragrances in the form of several mediums."

• Perfumes for both women and men. Eau de Parfum means 'perfume strength,' so it lasts longer on the flesh due to the concentration.

• Home/vehicle fragrance sprays and diffuser blends.

• Essential oil diffuser blends/ roll ons for adults and children desiring to have more laser-focus in school.

• Custom scent formulation for individuals and businesses plus a private label for those desiring a unique scent for their brand.

Maintaining an advertising profile for her business along with the standard and traditional tactics of innovative advertising and exemplary customer service keeps her atop the East Texas corporate

She typically spends Mondays staying busy outside her office, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are spent getting orders to her carriers, and Thursdays and Fridays are set aside for her to tend to her private clients, formulating trial fragrance blends for testing/evaluation.

"The fact that I don't yet have a small team can be taxing," she says. "All the responsibility and delegation fall on me for now."

The aspect of her calling that she most enjoys is to "bring a fragrant vision to life from idea to scent." The sense of accomplishment she feels upon completing a product for retail is the most enjoyable part of her job.

Still, her relationship with the Holy Spirit keeps her going strong. She enters every new project only after prayer and meditation. If she feels herself led away from a task, she does not accept it. She is also careful to share her faith.

Pink MahogHany is located at 211 West Tyler Street in the TK&F Contractors building. If her white SUV "Blanche" is there, she is present and eager for drop-ins. Just ring the doorbell. Visitors generally leave with at least one complimentary sample.

Chavalia will be speaking at the Queens United 5th Annual Conference on 22 April. For further information about her and her delightful way of making a living please call (430) 201-4899, pinkmahoghany. com or visit parfumista@ pinkmahoghany. com. She serves the community in more ways than just making it more fragrant.

"I enjoy serving when asked," she says. "Children and education are my passion."

Chavalia’s passions leave us all smelling like a rose.