Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jose Alvarez, co-founder of Abbott, located in New York City, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a clean fragrance brand that makes perfumes and scents that transport you to the natural world. Our customers are mostly young urban professionals that have a connection to the outdoors. They care about the products they use on their bodies and are educated about ingredients. They also want to have a positive impact on the environment. We are a unisex brand and are pretty evenly split between genders.
Tell us about yourself
I am originally from Nicaragua, which is where I started my relationship with nature. From my childhood, nature became a source of mental well-being, and it is something I carry within myself to this day. I came to NYC in my early 20s and worked on Wall Street for a bit over ten years. At that point, I wanted to build something on my own, and I had been experimenting with scents that transported me to nature. Due to my busy job, I was not able to access nature as frequently as I wanted, and smelling something that reminded me of nature opened a new world of possibilities. That was my AHA moment. If I can get mental benefits from scents that transport me to nature, so can other people. I decided that I wanted to create these beautiful scents and find other individuals that could benefit in the same way I had.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Walking around NYC and smelling Abbott perfume on people as I walk by them. Very rewarding.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Everything is difficult. Nothing is easy. Coming from a corporate world that was very structured and where I was trained and told what to do, was very different from starting a business where there was no roadmap. I essentially had to create my job out of thin air, and that is something that I still am doing today.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Create small batches of products.
- Create a feedback loop with your first customers.
- Gather consensus and information and tweak the product.
- SCALE!
Spend time and resources on getting to know your die-hard customers and create a feedback loop where you create or tweak products based on that feedback. A lot of brands create products and never consider what their customers like or dislike about their products. Spending that time in the beginning on product development and listening to your customers will ensure that you can scale your brand and products in the long run.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://abbottnyc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbottnyc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbottnyc/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbott/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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