Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aissatou Ndiaye. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aissatou, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

I got my first customer when I opened my brick and mortar store on June 17, 2014. Everybody was curious to check the new store out.

Aissatou, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born in Senegal, West Africa where I got a Master’s degree of Biochemistry before landing a scholarship to Oregon State University where I received a Master’s degree in Soil Science. I worked for years as an analytical chemist and Senior Chemist before getting into entrepreneurship. I have been happily married for 25 years and I am a mother of three daughters. I have always been interested in fragrances and aromatherapy ingredients and uses. The idea to start my own “thing” came to me in 2013, but I realized that dream in June 2014. Growing up I was surrounded by scented products. I have always been interested in things like incense, fragrance oil, perfume…

On June 17, 2014, I opened World Scents and More in Taylors, South Carolina with literally two tables, a display, some small brand colognes, perfumes, and a couple of dead sea products. The store was huge with little merchandise in the middle. I started making a few sales here and there, but the most important thing was that I was learning a lot and listening to customers’ feedback. To be frank, having worked as a chemist for years, customer service was not really my strength.

A couple of months later, I introduced aromatherapy with burning oils, air fresheners, and burners, then diffusers, essential oils, incense, candles, and designer fragrances. About two years later, I started working on my own website. It took me about three months for the site to go live, and to this day, I never settle and am still working to perfect it. Today I sell on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, but I still struggle because of the lack of capital. I did not get a loan to start my business, I began my journey with the few dollars I had.

After years of trial and error, I understand what works, and what doesn’t. I know how to source great quality products from distributors/manufacturers, and deliver great customer service. And as of now, I am working on getting my own private label.

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

When Covid 19 hit, like a lot of businesses, our in-store traffic slowed down tremendously. We closed our brick and mortar store and focused mainly on my online platform: our website, Amazon, Ebay, Facebook, Etsy.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I sell on my website, Amazon, Etsy, Ebay, Facebook. In an ideal world we all want more orders coming from our website but Amazon is by far more popular, we have to pay a lot of fees though.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.worldscentsandmore.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldscents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldscentsandmore/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/world-scents-and-more-taylors
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/worldscents/_shop/