Ask Bruno: Fragrance Hobby vs. Fragrance Business
If you had one piece of advice for someone who is about 3 years into their fragrance 'hobby' (addiction, let's be real), what would it be?
-Carissa
I get this question a lot, and it usually comes with a follow-up about starting a fragrance brand.
Here's what I wish I'd known: having a perfume obsession and running a fragrance brand are two different experiences.
And they demand two different people.
Right now, you're three years in. You know what you love and why. You get to focus purely on continued discovery—building your palate, understanding compositions, chasing down rare bottles and materials.
Running a brand means manufacturing, spreadsheets, supply chain headaches, and spending a week reblending soap formulas for the fourth time ;-)
It turns out that I love running this business. But I struggled with that for years. It's not for the faint of heart.
Over time, I've come to love all the growth it has required of me to become the kind of person who runs a business.
Both paths have their rewards. Just know what you're signing up for if you ever decide to turn passion into a paycheck.
–Bruno Fazzolari, Founder of FZOTIC
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