Her Story
About Molly
I own a perfume company where I serve as the olfactory designer, a title I've given myself. I spent a lot of my career in spirits and more recently transitioned into perfume because I had this connection with gin production and botanicals, and I love botanicals. It took only a hop, skip and a jump to get to perfume making because the way I prefer to do it, which is all natural ingredients, is botanicals. It's a fun and different way of connecting with people. My entire life I've also liked perfume, and it wasn't until more recently that I realized what I was doing as a spirit maker was very related. I basically run this company as perfumer and handle all imagery and everything. My background prior to spirits includes a degree in chemistry, so I use a lot of that knowledge and the chemical background, looking at ingredients and seeing how they work together. A lot of it is also just artistry, a combination of both skills. Running a whole business is another whole set of skills as well. We're launching the first set of perfume at the end of June this year. My vision is to keep this very small and niche, to just grow chunk by chunk and make it exactly what I want it to be. My goal with this is to lean into the fact that this is artistry, and it is whimsical, and it's fun, focusing on that more than just the hard work that goes into it. Right now, I think the world needs some whimsy.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Molly
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received comes from a Ted Lasso quote that I try to do a yearly rewatch of because I find it so impactful. His quote is 'be curious, not judgmental.' I think that, especially when you're doing a little bit of editing and days can go by really quick, to take the time to just actually dig into what the problem is, or if there is even a problem, versus just making assumptions, is something we should all try to take the time to do. That's the best advice that's come from a fictitious person, to always be curious.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenges are pretty relatable for most businesses, and that is how do you grow and stay true to your vision? My vision is to keep this very small and niche, and to just grow chunk by chunk, make it exactly what I want it to be, but that is not without its own challenges. It's looking for either deciding to do it entirely on your own, or looking for partners who believe in that same vision, and that's something I think a lot of founders struggle with as well. I think the opportunities with this is just that it's another way to connect with people. Right now, I think the world needs some whimsy, and so my goal with this is to lean into the fact that this is artistry, and it is whimsical, and it's fun, focusing on that more than just the hard work that goes into it.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
A lot of the values have to do with the fact that it is small and it is just me, but I hope that's not always the case. I want to be a company that treats people like people. That's one of my first values. A lot of our values are shown with our ingredients as well. We use organic ingredients whenever possible. We are using natural ingredients, so botanicals and natural isolates, so no synthetic ingredients. Depending on where you line up with ingredient chemistry, that might be a little bit of a healthier option as well.
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