Sniffing out a very good organization opportunity

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Business proprietor Joyce Lian stumbled upon the environment of fragrances at polytechnic, and a diploma in chemistry cemented her like for producing perfumes. Now she owns her personal fragrance business. It wasn‘t an straightforward journey – at a single stage, she experienced to choose up a lender job due to the fact she couldn’t get a foot into the fragrance sector. She shares with Schoolbag what it took to chase her desire, and has information for budding entrepreneurs.

By Owen Tan


When Schoolbag previous spoke to Joyce Lian in 2017, she experienced accomplished a diploma in beauty science and perfumery, was pursuing a chemistry degree, and harbouring dreams of turning out to be a perfumer a person working day.

She talked of getting to be an artist of smells, creating heady new fragrances for perfumes, shampoos, candles and even laundry detergent. Quickly forward to 2023 and she is now the happy founder of her own fragrance corporation – Scent Journer –which has launched not 1 but 4 perfumes of her possess building. We ask Ms Lian to share the  activities that have assisted her to get to the place she is right now. 

Schoolbag: Perfumery is quite a specialized niche area. What was the journey like from graduation to commencing your small business?

A: “After finishing my diploma in chemistry at NUS (National University of Singapore) in 2018, I struggled to obtain a position in the fragrance field, inspite of acquiring a lot more than two years of internship encounter. It’s this kind of a area of interest field. I finished up doing the job as a formulation chemist and performing sales in a lender.

In 2021, I joined a enterprise developing programme facilitated by NUS and Enterprise Singapore (ESG). This was my opportunity to find out how to be an entrepreneur and produce my personal way back into the fragrance sector. 1 of the industry mentors I achieved shared that a start-up is not meant to be an costly pastime but about fixing a difficulty buyers have. I carried out interviews with in excess of 300 consumers to uncover out their suffering factors when it will come to fragrances. It was intensive, with some discussions as long as two hrs. Out of these conversations, Scent Journer was born with an aim to capture the therapeutic essence of mother nature in a fragrance bottle.

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Ms Lian presenting her small business pitch to market mentors as portion of the NUS and ESG undertaking making programme. 

Schoolbag: You had an fascination in dermatology when you joined the polytechnic, right before fragrances caught your interest. What lessons did you learn from subsequent your enthusiasm?

A: My university activities have been abundant chances for mastering. Singapore Polytechnic’s Diploma in Cosmetics and Perfumery was the place I was initial released to the earth of fragrances and produced an comprehending of how scents function. I remember fondly investing hours in the laboratory, sniffing at smell strips and seeking to determine the different best, center and base notes right until I received problems.

In university, I learned far more about the science at the rear of my craft. For instance, analytical chemistry, in which I acquired to explore instruments and techniques like working with the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer to decipher the elements of distinctive materials or the course of action of esterification – to develop uncooked components for fragrances.

When I look again, I also realised that my first perform encounters have been not a distraction from my aspiration but have been as a substitute stepping stones for me. Working as a formulation chemist contributed to my products advancement expertise and gave me the self esteem to be unbiased and experiment with new thoughts. As a romantic relationship manager at a bank, it was also a steep learning curve for somebody coming from a science qualifications. But through the knowledge, I discovered how to pitch thoughts to likely prospects, rising my interpersonal techniques.

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Ms Lian at her pop-up retail store in a boutique good at F1 Pit Setting up.     

Schoolbag: What is it like to run your personal business? 

A: There will always be unpredictable issues. That is when your resourcefulness and perseverance appear in. For illustration, we essential to procure uncooked materials for our investigate and development process. We had at first observed a business that would supply a vital liquor ingredient to us but observed out at the last minute that they were not able to fulfil our purchase. I experienced to achieve out to my contacts in the market and even my college professors for assist. At some point, with their assist, we managed to obtain a company that would offer our requires. Then it took us above a 100 examination bottles of experimentation to get the formulation suitable.  It was a very long course of action, operating carefully with a highly regarded fragrance house in advance of my very first bottle of perfume – Clouds in Heaven was born.  

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She experimented with in excess of 100 check bottles to best her to start with perfume, Clouds in Heaven. 

Schoolbag: Any suggestions for budding business owners, and on how to tackle setbacks?

A: Owning enthusiasm and perseverance in entrepreneurship is incredibly essential. As a start off-up, you are not likely to recoup your expenditure, at least within the to start with 12 months or so. That’s when you start off to see your financial institution account depleting. And because most of your close friends are functioning, it is challenging for them to relate to your encounter. It can get lonely at moments, which is why it is crucial to have a sturdy community of fellow business people who can inspire you on. 

Go after a little something that you are fascinated in and appreciate. To me, perfumery is the perfection blend of science and art – the understanding of chemistry enhances the artwork of mixing various resources collectively into a beautiful masterpiece. That is why I am so passionate about it and delight in every single component of the system.   


A lot more tales on playing to your strengths: 

A nose for the future
Just after O-Ranges: Why the subsequent phase is not that difficult for us
EAE: Taking part in to a strength – From new media to new music scholar

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