Triumph Over Adversity - Turning Life’s Challenges into Booming Businesses

This week Karen is talking to Anne Onwusowulu, an alumni of Karen’s Artisan Perfume Mastermind course. Anne is the founder of fragrance company House of Purple Rose and, along with her husband John, runs a second company, the Skin and Hair Manufacturing Hub. However, both of Anne’s companies, and all the services they offer, were born out of personal tragedy or challenges she faced on her entrepreneurial journey. In this interview with Karen, Anne inspires as she details the way in which she took every challenge and turned it into an opportunity.   KEY TAKEAWAYS When Anne moved into her new house she found that the open plan nature of it led the smells of food to drift all through the house. She wanted to overcome this problem and started to research candles and diffusers; what she found, however, led her to set up her company, House of the Purple Rose.  When Anne tragically lost her mother, the stress she experienced from this led her to have problems with her skin. Determined to do something about it she went from trying a multitude of different skin care products to launching her own range.  When Anne started House of the Purple Rose she found it impossible to source suppliers that would give her small quantities of materials, as most demanded orders in the thousands. Once again, Anne took this problem and saw an opportunity and formed the Skin and Hair Manufacturing Hub. Another of the many services that Anne’s companies offer is to formulate a product for indie brands. She talks about this process and some of the brands she has helped to launch. BEST MOMENTS  “People don’t realise the high level of technical skill involved in creating skin care products with a scent.” “When creating a fragrance for skin care the goal is to keep it small so that the notes don’t clash.” “Everyone needs to take notice of regulations, it is the best thing you can do for your clients.” EPISODE LINKS House of Purple Rose Website House of Purple Rose Instagram Skin and Hair Manufacturing Hub Website Skin and Hair Manufacturing Hub Instagram Skin and Hair Manufacturing Hub YouTube VALUABLE RESOURCES Getting Started Guide Artisan Perfumery Mastermind   ABOUT THE GUEST Anne Onwusowulu is a seasoned cosmetic chemist and perfumer with over a decade of experience in the beauty industry. She is the founder of the House of Purple Rose, a renowned skincare and home fragrance brand. In 2021, Anne and her husband launched the Skin and Hair Manufacturing Hub (SHMH), where she serves as the creative and scientific leader. Anne's extensive background as a cosmetic chemist, herbalist, and aromatherapist has enabled her to create successful products for independent brands. Her passion for discovering and blending the finest ingredients drives her work. Anne is dedicated to making high-quality beauty and home fragrance products accessible to everyone, leading pioneering changes in the industry. 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 Instagram Facebook YouTube Email