‘Starting a business is scary, but what’s scarier is one day realising you never tried’
The name is inspired by the Irish word meaning ‘comfort’.
And that’s precisely the feeling Cork marketing whiz Margaret Urbanowicz was determined to bottle when she launched her home fragrance business Sómas at the beginning of the year.
Made with high quality natural soy wax and cotton wicks for a cleaner burn, Margaret’s luxurious, hand-poured candles are inspired by the Irish landscape.
Vegan, cruelty-free and available in bursts of uplifting Velvet Peony and Oud and Raspberry and Peppercorn, it’s no wonder they’re popping up on the desks and in the offices and homes of scent-obsessed fans all over Ireland.
Still, turning a hobby into a fully fledged business required a journey outside this creative’s comfort zone.
Here, Margaret tells us how she’s working it…
“I was always passionate about scents. I love how they can transform a space, make you feel happy, calm or relaxed. I could never walk past a candle section without smelling every single one of them so about four years ago I picked up chandlery as a casual hobby so that I could create my own scents and make gifts for friends and family.
My biggest inspiration was the Irish landscape, there is literally no place in the world like the Irish countryside, so blissful and comforting. It’s that feeling that inspired me to start Sómas, I wanted to ’bottle’ it and always have it with me. One day these two great passions of mine just clicked together and Sómas was born.
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All our products are handcrafted in Co. Cork. There are many fantastic Irish brands out there at the moment. I admire their commitment to promoting Irish products on an international scale. It’s something I strive for – I would love to see Sómas partner with some of these brands one day.
I started putting savings aside until the time was right to start my business. I then got in touch with my financial advisor and we put a plan together, which was a huge help. Finance really isn’t my forte so having that helping hand was honestly a life saver.
My background is in marketing and advertising with a focus on concept creations and content. Prior to this, I worked as a freelance content creator for various brands, it was a really great experience and definitely helped me in creating my own brand.
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There is no blueprint on how to do this. I don’t think you’re doing it right if you’ve made no mistakes, it’s a learning curve; both the good and the not so good experiences shape you and the brand. There is so many elements to a business I felt like I didn’t even know what I didn’t know. When I finally found the courage to start this journey I was very eager to put all the elements together as soon as possible but once I finished one thing, 10 more cropped up. It was a process, it took months and a lot of patience, research, development and testing but when all the elements finally fell into place it was the best feeling!
Scents are personal to everyone so promoting a product such as candles can be challenging. I feel like it’s still very much something people would like to experience in real life before purchasing. I put a lot of time and effort into creating content that appeals to the audience’s senses.
The best piece of career advice came to me inadvertently – I once heard about SAP CEO Bill McDermott speaking at an event and saying that “winning is the process not the destination”. I think it’s such a great approach to have to life and business alike. I treasure every experience and celebrate all the little ‘wins’ – they are what makes it all so great.
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There is this quote by Jeniffer Lee I love, it reads ‘Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire’. I think if you are lucky enough to find something you are truly passionate about you should absolutely pursue it! Starting a business is scary, but what’s scarier is one day realising you never tried.
Social media is everything. It’s such an amazing tool that can allow a brand to truly connect with the audience. I love how it gives us the opportunity to talk to our customers, engage, get instant feedback and create a brand they love.
I don’t believe in perfectly curated feeds and scheduled content, I just want the brand to be fun and social. I listen to what the audience is saying, I look at what kind of content they like and what they engage with and adapt the strategy constantly.
Once or twice a week I write down my goals and priorities for the next couple of days. I find that having a to-do-list helps me stay focused and motivated.
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I love having the opportunity to network with other businesses and entrepreneurs. I think we all work towards the same goal so having that support group there is so amazing. Having the ability to bounce ideas off other like-minded people and get honest advice is priceless.
The danger of doing what you love is that you never switch off. I always catch myself creating mental lists of everything I need to do and could do and should do. To recharge I love escaping to Rossbeigh for a long walk on the beach or grabbing a coffee at Priory on North Main Street for people (and dog 😍) watching.
It’s been a whirlwind but I’m loving every minute. I have a lot of ideas for new products and creative campaigns so there will be definitely lots happening in 2019. I honestly can’t wait.”
Sómas candles are available online here from €12.95 for a travel-size fragrance.
