How to Become a Potpourri Maker - Starting a Potpourri Business



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Potpourri Maker
Potpourri Business Owner

Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Potpourri Maker
How to Start a Potpourri Business
How to Make and Sell Dry, Wet and Crystal "Rock" Potpourri
How to Become a Potpourri Artisan

The ancient art of using aromatic plant essences to enhance well-being has been edging its way into the mainstream for the last twenty or thirty years. Some of modern uses of aromatherapy potpourris: lavender and rosemary odors are used in patient waiting rooms to keep their occupants calm, while lemon and eucalyptus oils are used in banks to keep the staff alert. Essential oil blends are being used to replace chemical sedatives in some hospitals in Oxford, England. And you’ve probably seen aromatherapy products on the shelves of your local pharmacies and grocery stores.

Aromatherapy is part of a growing movement towards alternative medicine and natural treatments, on which some 65% to 80% of the world’s population—that is, 3 billion people—rely on as their primary form of health care. Americans spent almost $1.5 billion on herbal remedies in 1993, and that dollar amount has only grown since then, approximately $3 billion today.

In Europe, alternative medicine and aromatherapy are receiving more mainstream support, such that the British National Service runs five homeopathic hospitals in Great Britain and one out of three prescriptions in Germany is an herbal remedy rather than a synthetic drug. In the United States, a September 2004 market report shows a distinct preference for aromatherapy and anti-stress products in soap, bath, and shower product purchases. It’s a $1.6 billion market industry, which is not going to slow down any time soon. It’s clear there is a market in today’s world for scents that calm the mind, relax the body, and improve our quality of life.

The fragrance industry in general is doing well. In 2004, the omnipresent dangling car air freshener, oddly enough representing the majority of air freshener sales at the time, almost doubled its annual aftermarket returns over the previous year. According to a reputable research market report, national brands represent 80% of sales at the retail level, but for every one private brand on the shelf, there are two national brands to choose from.

Another source said that air fresheners in general were up 21.6% for the 13 weeks ending October 2 of 2004, and innovations in air freshening technology was driving the $41.4 million industry category.

In many industry reports, it was revealed that fresh-smelling air was more important than ever before as represented by the odor-masking and air-purifying characters. In 2004, it was a 13.3% growth in the air freshener category.

The growth of the industry hasn’t been limited to the United States. The National Association of Aromatic Product Manufacturers (PRODAROM) announced a higher annual turnover in France in 2002 than the previous year. An increase in total sales was attributed to a rise in exports to the European Union. Sales in Japan rose by 4.5% as compared to 2001.

And of course perfume sales should not be discounted. In 2003, the UK Cosmetics and Fragrances Market showed an increased value of 6.4% as compared to 2002, and in 2005, Inter Parfums, Inc. had a 17% increase in sales as compared to the previous year.

Clearly, good smells are highly valued commodities in the first decade of the 21st Century.

While the decorative and medicinal use of scent goes back to ancient times, potpourri in particular dates to medieval France. The word “potpourri” is a French phrase meaning, literally, “rotten pot,” and it was no metaphor. The original room-scenting concoctions were no more than mixtures of plant materials, salt, spices, and spirits left to rot. Lifting the lid of the tightly sealed container resulted in a strong but not necessarily pleasant smell. But in a time before indoor plumbing or the regular washing of clothes, the pungent odor of a potpourri was vastly preferable to those it was meant to mask.

After some time, these potent potions lost their popularity in favor of bowls of dried flowers, which both looked and smelled better, even if their smell was not so strong. As cleanliness practices became more “civilized,” householders could afford to place a greater emphasis on eye- and nose-pleasing beauty rather than on simple brute odiferous force. Soon these lovely arrangements of dried flowers could be found in every room of aristocratic homes. Sachets—small cloth pouches filled with dried aromatic plant material—were hung in closets and left in drawers to freshen the scent of items contained in those closed-in places.

History has shown that potpourri is no passing phase, but rather a long-standing phenomenon subject only to refinement and diversification as time goes on. Today, the spectrum comprises both synthetic air-fresheners as well as all-organic plant mixtures, dried herbs as well as simmering mixtures, seasonal scents as well as medicinal odors.

The advent of aromatherapy has given potpourri a new purpose: cinnamon mixtures to subliminally convince a customer to linger in the store, citrus scents to brighten the mood, lavender bouquets to relax nervous patients in the waiting room. Potpourri can be made as a home craft, a party favor, or a commodity. Whatever focus you choose to give your potpourri business, there is a niche just waiting for you to fill it.

Now if you're wondering whether you can start this business with only a few hundred dollars, the answer is definitely yes. Now consider these possibilities in making and/or selling:

Dry potpourri
Wet potpourri
Crystal "rock" potpourri
Cool potpourri
Heated potpourri
Potpourri sachets
Potpourri bouquets and gift packages
Aromatherapy potpourri
Spa and bath potpourri
Auxiliary products (incense, bath salt, candle, fragrance)

Now, how much money can you make?

With all the above choices, your income potential is literally unlimited. There are several scenarios, depending on which path you choose:

Making and selling dry, sell or crystal "rock" potpourri online with your own Web site at $10 per package. If you sell 20 packages, you're making $200 per day, or $5,000 per month or $60,000 per year.
If you're making and selling potpourri through a retail store for $5 per package wholesale price. If you sell 1,000 packages per month, you're making $5,000 per month or $60,000 per year.

Need we say more?
This eGuide provides insightful information, advices and tips for anyone who is contemplating to start a potpourri business. Numerous hard-to-find resources are included to help you locate pertinent information.

Do you know?

According to US Census, there are 20 companies listed as having shipments of $100,000 or more, and the product category is reported to have a total product shipments value of about $70 million.
Home fragrance is a $3 billion industry annually.

Editor-in-Chief Jennie S. Bev, co-author Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little have talked to several potpourri professionals (an herbalist, an aromatherapist and an importer of plants and flowers), to provide you with the best and the most comprehensive self-study guidebook filled with insider information, tips and advice for breaking into and succeeding in this lucrative crafty business.

About the Authors

Jennie S. Bev is THE fashion, image and fun careers expert, whose reputation has been acknowledged by prestigious media internationally. She has been profiled and mentioned in Entrepreneur, Teen People, Canadian Business, Home Business, Dong (France), San Francisco Chronicle, The Independent, Daily Southtown, The Arizona Republic, Femina (Asia) and Dewi (Asia).

Editor-in-Chief Jennie S. Bev was named 2003 EPPIE Award finalist in Non-Fiction How To category for excellence in electronic publishing. She has published over 40 books and 900 articles in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Southeast Asia. She is also a college professor based in San Francisco Bay Area.

Co-author Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little is an accomplished author, freelance writer, and web designer from the New Orleans area. She graduated from Metairie Park Country Day School and went from there to the University of Washington to pursue B.A. in English.

Her fiction and essays have been published in a diverse handful of literary and New Age magazines, including PanGaia. An aspiring novelist, she has been an annual participant in National Novel-Writing Month since 2002. She now resides in Colorado.

This 65-page instantly downloadable StyleCareer.com eGuide Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Potpourri Maker brings you valuable insider tips, advice and suggestions not available elsewhere to help you embark on this highly lucrative career path.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Myths, the Realities, and the Basics
I love potpourri but I’m not that familiar with all those fragrances, essential oils and dried flowers.
I’m bad at mixing and matching; I’m bad at making arts and crafts.
I don’t have any potpourri recipes.
I have no idea on where to buy those oils and “fixatives”—what are those, anyway?
I live in a small space, so unless making potpourri can be done in my kitchen….
I have never started my own business.
Isn’t the market already saturated? Is there a place for a newcomer like me?
Can I make a living selling potpourris as a home business (perhaps having my own web site)?

Getting Started
Potpourri by the Numbers
Aromatherapy
Fragrance
Arts ‘n’ Crafts
Top Potpourri Companies
Mass Production
High-end Products
A Brief History of Potpourri
Benefits of Potpourri
Masking Odors
Beautifying a Space
Creating an Atmosphere
Aromatherapy Treatments

Potpourri Classifications and Trends
Wet or Dry?
Cool or Heated?
Plants, Wax, or Crystal?
Natural or Synthetic?
Main Ingredients of Potpourri
Safety First

Starting Potpourri Business
Creating Themes and Product Branding
Packaging Options
Recipes of Popular Potpourri Mixes
Crystal Potpourri Recipes
Wholesalers

Outsourcing Production
Outsourcing Options
Small Volume Options
Large Volume Outsourcing Companies
Questions to Ask Your Outsourcing Manufacturer

Selling Auxiliary Products
Re-scenting Options
Baskets, Bowls and Bottles
Cauldron Boil, Cauldron Bubble
Other Scent-sational Products
Do “Do It Yourself” Yourself
Branding, Revisited

Being Successful
Having a Back-up Plan
Getting onto the Shelves
Attending and Participating in Trade Shows
Networking Organizations
Trade Publications to Subscribe

Success Profiles

This eGuide literally saves you hundreds or even thousands of dollars spent on professional workshops and training and hundreds of hours of research. It will help you break into the career of your dream faster without having to repeat the same mistakes that most newcomers do.

We have also included resources on the following:

Trade and networking associations
Trade shows and expos worldwide
Learning resources
Wholesale suppliers and resources

You can have this exclusive eGuide right away by instant download for only $20.95, which you will earn many times over with your first paid job. This special low discount price is reserved for today, Saturday, 13-Mar-2010 09:20:33 PST only. (Regular price: $40.95)

Breaking Into and Succeeding
as a Potpourri Maker
Regular Price: $40.95
Sale Price: $20.95

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