June 29, 2025

Reflections of 30 Years - Things I Would Tell My Younger Self

31 minutes

Inspired by a recent chat with her social media manager, and the realisation that she is approaching thirty years in the perfume business, Karen has decided to take a look back and ponder on the thing that she would tell her younger self if the opportunity arose. When you’re new to anything, whether it be a perfume business or not, you are also naive. Only with time, failure and growth can we realise the mistakes we have made in the past. In this episode, Karen looks back at her career and imparts her wisdom upon you, from learning to say no to being your authentic self, so that you don’t make the mistakes that befall so many.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

One of the biggest mistakes new businesses make, and one Karen did herself, is setting your price point lower than your competitors in the hope that it will win you more customers. Karen debunks this idea and tells you how to calculate a price that works for you and your customers.

When your business venture is new and exciting, work doesn’t feel like work and you find yourself working longer hours. However, as Karen learned that hard way, your energy is not unlimited. Karen explains why ‘sustainable’ isn’t just ideal, it’s the only way.

A lesson that Karen learned from her first ever business is one that still holds true today - “Build your business around your life, not the other way around.” Karen’s new business adopts this philosophy and she shares how different her life is because of it.

‘Be Who You Are’ - is one of the biggest lessons Karen has learnt. In her early days in business she tried to be the person she thought her direct audience wanted her to be, but this became exhausting.

BEST MOMENTS

“The clients who choose you, just because you’re cheap, are not the clients you want.”

“You do not need permission to call yourself a perfumer. If you’re doing that job, you’ve earned the right.”

“Being who you truly are is what attracts your most authentic customers.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Perfume Making 101 Waitlist

Rose Fragrance Masterclass Wait List

Journal Prompts

Getting Started Guide
Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way.

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

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YouTube

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

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By Karen Gilbert

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