Corporate workers smell like angry emails.

In this interview, we chat with Deborah Amarachi Nwaeze, founder of Raveperfumesng. We discuss her journey to entrepreneurship, the challenges she's faced, and her advice for business owners.

Deborah is a natural storyteller who shares her experiences with humour and candour. She’s also a versatile creative, and she offers invaluable insight into the world of entrepreneurship.

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Tell us about yourself.

My name is Deborah Amarachi Nwaeze. I’m an entrepreneur and a creative writer with works published here and there. I run Raveperfumes.ng, a virtual fragrance essentials store in Lagos. When I am not doing this, I’m buried in a book, daydreaming about my next story, or scouting for meat to eat.

What was the inspiration behind starting your business?

Basically, I’m a frag nerd—I was really curious about perfumes. In the course of learning about them, I thought it’d be cool to share my knowledge of fragrance essentials and make cool cash while doing it. That’s how Raveperfumes.ng was born.

Can you describe the process of curating and selecting the perfect scents for your customers?

I’m a very perceptive person. This influences my flawless ability to match peoples’ scents to their personalities.

A bright person needs something solid but subtle or something featherlight and alluring, because it portrays them in the best possible ways. A corporate worker would need something full and soft, a bit hard around the edges, but something that eases them into a room.

So far, I've had a 98% success rate.

What has been the most popular perfume in your store so far, and why do you think it resonates with customers?

Oh, two perfumes have held the bestseller title since the conception of Raveperfumes.ng: Mousuf and Charming Pineapple Body Mist. I think they sell quickly because they’re super affordable and smell heavenly.

Raveperfumes.ng clocked 1 on 19th October, 2023. Throughout this journey, what valuable lessons have you learned?

One vital lesson I've learned is that honesty pays. Sometimes, customers would feel some doubt about the authenticity of my business, but all I do is show them receipts of clear transactions. No going through the corners. No dirty tricks. This, of course, helps me retain customers.

I've also learned that professionalism is important in business. Being able to separate business from friendship or informal relationships/interactions is really important.

Also, productivity is essential. Spend more time creating than consuming, because the more time you spend consuming information, the less motivated you'll be to utilize what you're learning. You don't have to wait until you know EVERYTHING to start working on an idea.

One more thing I've learned is how to manage money. Running a business requires being able to balance books, manage expenditure, yield income, manage losses and all. My financial intelligence has peaked..

How has running Raveperfumesng impacted your personal growth and confidence?

When I started running Raveperfumesng in October 2022, I'd just returned from one of my longest social media breaks. I used to take those breaks because social media got really overwhelming. But, coming back to strictly run my business has been a deeply insightful experience. It gave me purpose and helped me focus on developing myself and watering the flowers people give me.

Running my business has also helped me improve my communication skills and become more patient. Not every customer is calm or knows exactly what they want, so sometimes, they'll take you in circles or give you a hard time. It takes a lot of patience to handle situations like that.

Infact, when I go out to do offline transactions, I don’t rush or transfer urgency to anyone. I have to maintain decorum every time.

Besides, I'd say running this business has taken my confidence from a 6 to a 9. When I started, I sent a lot of pitches to people you'd call fragheads on social media introducing myself and my business. At first, it didn't yield any fruits, but now, I have a wholeass garden.

More than that, running Raveperfumesng has helped me build some of my life's principles. For instance: one of my major values is transparency. That's why people can never say “Oh, she's running a scam”, because I have built trust with clients and people around me. I mean, most of my referrals are often from people I don't know.

So it's been great for my personal growth, because it has helped me to learn patience, improve my communication, and build a transparent brand.

If you could create your signature perfume, what would you call it and what elements would it contain?

If I could create a signature perfume—which I will next year, I will call it La Fossa. It's a Latin word for pit or trench. The idea is something deep, bottomless.

Whenever I imagine how I want to smell, I don't want to smell flighty or too sweet. My favorite kind of scents are the ones that smell deep, like you're falling into something. I like perfumes that tell a story. So that's why I want a scent like a bottomless pit.

I guess that's where the word Fossa in biology comes from. Because it means a depression in the skull or the bones—the vertebral column.

What would it contain? The musk should stand out. I'd also really like floral patches.

What do you believe sets Raveperfumesng apart from other online perfume stores in the industry?

I like to think outside the box. I like people to think of me as someone unconventional, separate from the crowd.

Hence, before I started my business, I went on a survey on all social media platforms and did a brand survey for profiles. I discovered that they all had a pattern. Some vendors come online like, “Perfume oil ₦500. DM to place an order.” Some others are like, “Buy this perfume; it's very nice and sweet.” That's all.

But for someone with a writing background, I decided that I wanted to be more descriptive—I didn't even know it was a thing at the time!

I'd tell a story on each perfume that features all its elements. I made sure to give my target audience an experience—I'm selling an experience, not just the perfume.

I also said I wanted to sell not only perfumes but also knowledge of fragrance. That's why I tell people I run a fragrance essential store. So anything you need to help you or your space smell good, I'm your girl.

Essentially, I think out of the box and sell experiences, I also uphold honesty and originality.

What are your biggest challenges so far in running Raveperfumes.ng?

I've struggled with visual branding the most, Aside from having a name and a thing you're known for, you need a visual brand to run a business—like a logo, color pallettes, fonts, et cetera. It has been challenging doing this aspect of branding, but I'm well on my way to figuring it out.

Can you share some tips for choosing the perfect perfume for different occasions or seasons?

I'll mention 2. I've noticed that corporate workers usually smell like angry emails. That’s not gorg.

For my corporate baddies, the best thing to smell like is welcoming, sharp, clean, and soft. It makes it easier for you to ease into a room. I recommend Zara perfumes. They're affordable—around the 40-50k range.

For male corporate workers, wear good designer perfumes, like Dior Sauvage. If you can't afford that, you can get the dupe which is as good. If you're on a budget, use something deep, soft, and musky, like an Arab fragrance. You don't need something harsh.

Sometimes, life and adulting get overwhelming. On days like that when showing up is the most difficult thing ever, how do you handle your business?

When things get tough for me, I take a break for a day or two and do things that excite me and I crease my dopamine levels. I also have a thing I live by for my business: create more than you consume. Instead of scrolling on the web mindlessly, I go offline totally and spend time creating things for my brand.

Where do you see Raveperfumesng in a year from now?

Well, I'm open to more collaboration. I've done some collaboration recently. For example, a wing of my business does perfume-themed gift boxes. We collaborate with an artist to make the boxes for us, so it's PR for both brands.

One of my goals is also to make Raveperfumesng a custom brand. The goal isn't to always sell or resell products on the market chain; I'd also like to explore making custom products. In the next year, I hope I can achieve this dream of making fragrance essentials.

I see Raveperfumesng being a bigger brand. More following, exponential sales, and having a solid visual brand on all social media platforms.

How do you deal with bad customers? Can you give an instance?

One thing I'll always tell people who want to go into business is to maintain a professional front at all times. In times when you encounter unreasonable people, that professionalism will be your shield.

Stay professional, stay patient, and put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Think, “If I were in this situation, how would I feel? How would I react? How would I want this problem to be solved for me?”

Ultimately, your customer service is needed the most in the moments when you encounter bad customers. No matter how problematic a customer is, you owe it to your brand to maintain composure and handle the situation with utmost professionalism.

For instance: I had a customer sometime ago who reached out to me for a refund after her order had been processed. Unprovoked. It was uncalled for, actually, and I told her I couldn't do a refund. She wanted to raise hell, but I told her the refund was impossible; however, she'd get a free gift in her order, and that calmed her down.

Some people just want to be coddled, to feel important. So it's left to you to make sure that, at every point, your customer is left satisfied.

What advice do you have for people who are looking to get into the perfume business?

I'll give you 3:

1. Do your research thoroughly and be transparent.

2. Stay consistent and stand out.

3. Create incentives to endear your brand to people.

What do you think being a Bluxie will help you achieve business-wise?

Being a Bluxie would give me room to grow in terms of networking and financial intelligence.

I spoke about creating a custom brand earlier, and I want a substantial part of it to be centered around women. Behind every brand, there's a person. And that person is who I'm trying to build. Being a Bluxie will help me achieve the personal growth I need to create a better brand for myself.

How can we find Raveperfumesng online?

• Instagram: @raveperfumesng

• X (Twitter): @raveperfumesng

• Facebook: raveperfumes.ng

Through transparency, professionalism, and patience, Deborah has not only built a successful business but also undergone personal growth. This year, she envisions collaborations, a custom product line, and exponential growth for Raveperfumesng.

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