Homemade fragrance

The Boardroom

The smell of success: sweet or sour?

Running a successful business takes a lot of hard work to get to the

‘successful’ part. But is the journey worth it? WORDS BY EMILY MILLER Finalist

Entrepreneur Abbie Dattani has experienced some serious highs and some definite lows involving tears in the kitchen at 2am.

The busy mum of four could never have predicted how her company would evolve in such a short space of time to incorporate over 100 products.

“There were times when it all got a bit much. Some days I was working until 2am and I kind of lost sight of the reasons why I started the company in the first place.

“It’s challenging starting a business and the speed of the success of the company was overwhelming at times. I often experienced the feeling of imposter syndrome – I just couldn’t believe how much I was achieving,” Abbie comments.

Fast forward 18 months and her company Louise Rose Aromas is receiving countless award nominations, has hired a small workforce, been featured in the small boutique business section of Vogue magazine, and is developing new products to meet customer demand.

Adapting to client demand involved branching out to providing hand sanitiser – a result of setting up during a global pandemic. One particular dabble with an unnamed brand led Abbie to the drawing table. “I was a little delicate after one too many drinks the night before, and when I went to use a hand sanitiser it was rather too close to the smell of tequila and that was it – I developed a Louise Rose Aroma hand sanitiser that was safe for delicate heads,” Abbie laughed.

Products are eco-friendly, using non-toxic ingredients and customers are coming back time and time again, to the amazement of Abbie. “Our customers make everything worth it, all the blood sweat and tears. It’s definitely been worth everything I have put into it; I don’t regret a thing.

“My advice to anyone doubting their ability for setting up alone is to just do it, don’t take time for granted, life is short. Oh, and don’t stress over the small things, I worried about far too much!”

Find out more about Abbie’s story at louiserosearomas.co.uk.