We were lucky to catch up with Brooke Dunlap recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brooke, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

When I launched my fragrances, my first customer was a woman whose business I have supported more than once. She makes purses, clutches and wallets. She also knits. I have made posts about her products a few times. She was my first customer and left me a review. It genuinely made me happy.

Brooke, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

For my business, Closer Fragrance LLC, it came about because of my love for smelling things. I call my nose my melanated bell pepper. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Easter Caribbean and there was a volunteer that would make her own oil blends. I liked the smell of it and thought that I should try it. I wrote down the idea in 2019, but didn’t act on it til 2020.

I spent two years learning about fragrance notes, blends, testing and gathering tons of feedback before I got my four fragrances. They are Up Close, Come Close, Citrus Me Please and Day Party. They are roll on fragrances made with skin safe fragrances and diluted with grape seed oil. I sell them in 10ml roller bottles for $10. My goal in 5 years is to sell perfume in stores.

Up Close is a blend of rose, sandalwood vanilla and vetiver. You smell the rose first, followed by the sandalwood which makes it a really attractive blend.

Day Party is a balance between sweet and musk. It is a mix of Kentucky Bourbon, sandalwood vanilla and a dark musk. This is one of my best sellers.

Come Close is another best seller. It’s a blend of Oudh, cedar and Amber wood, vanilla and lavender. The lavender isn’t overpowering and blends well together with the woods to make it a scent that turns heads. My dad said he wore it and couldn’t keep a woman away from him.

Citrus Me Please is a blend between three different orange scents. It’s very bright and refreshing.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I got stuck at my last job because I thought I wasn’t qualified for anything else. It was my first “grown up.” I worked there for 2 years before I became a Peace Corps Volunteer. My service was cut short due to the pandemic and I didn’t know what to do at that point, so I went back to that job. I was unhappy because I felt stuck and didn’t know what I wanted to do in life. It took for a disagreement with my supervisor for me to really start searching for something better and I’m currently happy at the job I’m at. Had I not pushed myself to look for better and negotiate the salary, I’d still be unhappy at my previous job.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I want kids in the future and started putting $5-20 away per check back in 2020. There were things I needed to start the business and didn’t have the money at the time and though about the account but didn’t want to touch it because of my “future kids.” My dad told me that a business is like a baby when it first starts. I used majority of the money to build my inventory and purchase things like a label printer and labels for fragrance bottles. I’m going to apply to grants to grow my business further.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/brooklyndun?fbclid=PAAabhjdNFRasfnw3Hndvm-GVp2Su5a4e15eIsrvEICtp1K1G90o14nvXh-xQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closerfragrance/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecloserfragrance/