Launching my business during the first lockdown, three months after giving birth to first child

Deciding to launch a business three months postpartum, during a pandemic and a national lockdown, is not something I would have imagined doing one year ago. But looking back over the past six months I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Some may perhaps see this as having two babies during possibly the worst time, and in a sense I agree. However, I see managing my business as a form of escapism from my motherly duties that we all need from time to time — and to be managing a business alongside looking after my son, I find to be a blessing in itself. It is not an easy task some days but I have really enjoyed my recent motherhood and entrepreneurial journey.

I’ve always dreamed about building a brand; and coming from a Pharmacy background I knew I wanted to delve into something completely different, to bring out more of my creative side. Doing this and looking after a newborn was challenging, it involved many tears (both from baby and me!)  as well as countless late nights, but I am grateful to have had my husband by me every step of the way, with a helping hand.

I am a firm believer that any mood can be uplifted with the presence of a pleasant smell. Candles create a relaxing ambiance and are the perfect addition to any self-care routine. I found the art of candle making incredibly therapeutic for two reasons: 1. Because of the current climate and constant bad news that we seemed to be getting during 2020 and 2. Because having become a first-time mum during the first lockdown meant a little bit of anxiety crept in with questions about what the future would hold for my son and family. But it was always the elated feeling achieved with the smell of a beautiful unique scent that helped put my mind at ease and in-fact, it is this exact same feeling that I wanted to give to people who experienced any one of our products.

At Anahtè Scents we create home and car scents with the aim of providing a nostalgic feeling of time spent away on holiday. Our first collection features holiday-inspired scents, which have been intricately crafted and blended to reflect time spent abroad.

With current fears of travelling abroad, and being an avid traveller myself, our aim has been to create beautiful unique scents but also to provide an authentic feel, by including key ingredients from each location. I have personally been to all the destinations of the holiday-inspired scents that we currently offer and they each hold a special place in my heart for various reasons.

I am inspired daily by all things around me and my son plays such a huge role in this. I now face the challenge of trying to grow Anahtè Scents into something much bigger and better, with hopes of it becoming a well recognised home fragrance brand.

I have so many new and exciting things happening this year and I know that as I consistently learn and improve upon my business daily, I am already in a better position than I was in yesterday.