Picture the most “Zen” place on the planet and Times Square NYC probably doesn’t pop into your head. But there I was, sitting in my corner office on the top floor of a skyscraper overlooking the New Year’s Eve Ball, neon lights flashing to the beat of the ever-present sounds of horns and sirens in the city that never sleeps. I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and contemplated my future. It was August 2017 and after a gruelling 18-month process, my team and I had sold our company to a giant corporation. The business was ready for something bigger and after 14 years it was time to leave “my baby” in the capable hands of my leadership team and spread my wings. I’m proud of the professional journey that took me from a 19-year-old receptionist at a marketing company to the CEO of a multi-million-dollar agency, and I knew it was time to start asking myself important questions about my future.
Like any smart businessperson, I sought advice from those who had exited companies and started over. My peer group of C-level executives was, as you might guess, mostly men. Many had gone on to build even bigger businesses after their first exit by asking themselves questions like: What industry do I want to be in? What product/service do I want to build? What company should I buy? Some even gave the old standby advice of: “What are you passionate about?” Do what you love and success will follow, they said. But after a few months of soul-searching, these questions weren’t bringing clarity.
After some introspection, I landed upon two questions that drove my decision process and ultimately created the opportunity and honor for me to be leading the charge at Scentered. Those questions were:
1) What evidence do I want to create for the next 10 years of my career?
2) How do I want to FEEL about the time I dedicate to my career?
Gaining clarity on these questions proved instrumental as a dove deep within myself and made important decisions for myself and my family.
As for “evidence”, I came to realize that I wanted to scale a significant business. I had done it before and knew I could do it again. And I wanted to build a company where overall wellness for our team and our customers was at the core of our culture. How I wanted to “feel” about my efforts led me to focus on businesses with products or services that helped people live better, happier lives. In my past, success often looked like convincing people that they needed more lipstick and eye cream to feel good about themselves. I wanted to help people achieve their goals, be healthier and feel more in control of their thoughts and actions to drive purpose in their lives. With a lot of hard work, our mission at Scentered will allow me to achieve both of these lofty goals, with the support of an amazing team, a passionate founder and a little luck.
At Scentered, we think of ourselves as a “disruptor” brand in the exciting and growing essential oil and aromatherapy categories. Every day more people are discovering the benefits of natural products and learning secrets that have been practiced in eastern cultures for thousands of years. But we realize that people are also busier than ever, so we don’t always have our diffuser handy and carrying messy liquid oils frequently leads to messes at the bottom of our favorite bags. At Scentered we are keenly focused on creating portable products that support a personalized daily Wellbeing Ritual. Equally important to us is the environment, as we continue to look at ways to use recycled materials and create functional yet beautiful packaging that people want to keep and repurpose for years to come, like the metal tins we use for our Mini Balm set, and the beautiful etched glass we use for our Candles. And we have more surprises to share in the coming months.
I am proud to be the new voice of Scentered and look forward to hearing from and meeting many of you as we continue to provide 100% natural products that support overall wellbeing for you and your families.
Be Well,
Sherry