 By Terry Johnson, Business and Marketing Teacher Another year has passed, and another has begun. Last year is now history and time to reflect on what we have learned from the previous year that can be passed on by proper planning to those (including ourselves) who will benefit from that additional knowledge and experience gained in traveling on our own personal Perfume Roads.
Here are a few tips on planning this year’s Perfume Road journey: Step 1: Thoroughly review last year’s goals, achievements, and setbacks and develop an overall evaluation of how the market may have changed during the year that might impact the coming year. What modifications to this year’s planning should you make due to achievements or setbacks you might have experienced last year? Set aside enough time to give your undivided attention to the project. The best way to ensure you’re dedicating the right amount of time is to schedule a time slot for every day over the course of the week. Step 2: Review your Purpose/Vision, Mission Statement and Value Propositions which are your blueprints to stay on course traveling your Perfume Road. Did you stay on course to fulfil your Mission and Purpose for the year? Is it time to get back on track? Step 3: Incorporate your past years’ history and experience as well as the history of perfumes into your marketing strategies going forward. Friends and relatives from outside the natural essence community ask me why it is so important to educate consumers about the history and culture of natural perfumes and essences. Besides the fact that perfume history is important human history, understanding our perfume past helps us properly shape the future through effective planning, successful marketing, and giving more meaning to consumers about how important natural perfumes and essences are in their personal lives. Creezy Courtoy’s beautiful book The Perfume Roads and her excellent IPF Teacher’s Academy course World Perfume History Course teach us about the importance and value of the culture and heritage of natural perfumery. What those ancient Perfume Roads created historically has a direct and important link to what we did last year and what we will be doing this year and beyond. This is because we are still on those Perfume Roads that will lead us to a better world for futures generations, and your business success will benefit from the efforts you make today in planning your Perfume Road journey going forward. To find out more about world perfume history, visit this link.
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 By Terry Johnson, Natural Perfumery Business and Marketing Expert When most natural perfumers start perfume businesses, there is generally only one person involved doing every business activity. This means all responsibility and authority rests with one person. If a one-person business is the plan, then all is fine. If, however, a natural perfumer wants to take full advantage of the growing consumer interest in natural perfume or natural aromatherapy and significantly grow their business, they will have to make the decision to develop a team to professionally carry out all of the growing business functions.
Here are some fundamentals every growing company needs to consider on team delegation: 1. Make careful choices for every person added to the team, including looking for indications of experience in team play. For example, ask if they have ever played on a sports team and enjoyed it. 2. Ensure each member of the team thoroughly understands the company’s Mission, Purpose/Vision, Value Proposition, and policies, and how important their job is in fulfilling these fundamentals. Develop a company manual containing these fundamentals and policies and give the entire team regular access to them, reviewing the manual with everyone periodically. 3. Assign each team member’s responsibilities with some appropriate authority. It is quite easy to delegate responsibility without authority - just tell one of your team to do something. It is not as easy, however, to properly delegate responsibility that includes authority. Delegating responsibility without authority can result in failure, team disengagement, and even resentment, and is also known as "dysfunctional delegation." Proper management practices necessitate clearly stating the lines and limits of each team member’s authority and responsibility. 4. Review each team member’s job performance and knowledge of fundamentals periodically and continually re-focusing on your team regarding your purpose, mission, and value proposition. This keeps the entire team on the same page. 5. Manage the team with balance between ignoring or hovering, and monitor team performance without undermining employees. Remember, team members may do things a bit differently than you would do yourself, but that is part of the give-and-take nature of team delegation of responsibility. Want to learn more about operating a business and marketing natural perfumes and essential oils? Sign up for Business and Marketing in the Natural Essence Community.  By Terry Johnson, Perfume Business and Marketing Expert and Teacher “Precious Things are Without Value to Those Who Cannot Prize Them.” The Rooster and the Jewel-Aesop’s Fables After talking to Natural Perfumers or reading their website content over the years, its completely clear to me that Natural Perfumers are universally passionate about their perfumes. And why shouldn’t they be?
Fine Natural Perfumes, like fine wines or fresh flowers, are truly alive and precious - each in its own way! Yet, many potential Natural Perfume consumers act like the rooster from the Aesop’s Fable above: Upon finding a jewel on the ground, the rooster declared that he would rather have a single grain of barley than the jewel. The lesson for Natural Perfumers? Consumers will always purchase what they consider valuable and meaningful to their lives. The challenge for Natural Perfumers today is to use the same passion they applied in creating their Precious Undervalued Perfume (PUP) into developing a Perfume Value Package that will be appreciated and prized by consumers for a lifetime. So, how do Natural Perfumers turn their “PUP” into a Prize? Here are some suggestions:
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