奢侈品香皂品牌You Smell

創(chuàng)始人：梅根?卡明斯

年齡：27歲

學(xué)校：薩瓦納藝術(shù)設(shè)計(jì)學(xué)院

畢業(yè)時(shí)間：2008年

????2007年卡明斯大四，正在薩瓦納藝術(shù)設(shè)計(jì)學(xué)院（Savannah College of Art and Design）準(zhǔn)備畢業(yè)論文。她的想法？創(chuàng)造一種包裝設(shè)計(jì)。她決定將手工香皂用復(fù)古設(shè)計(jì)的材料包裹起來(lái)——從此便一發(fā)不可收拾?？魉箤⑵涿麨椤癥ou Smell”?，F(xiàn)年27歲的她表示，經(jīng)常有客戶(hù)寫(xiě)信給她，說(shuō)甚至在打開(kāi)信箱的時(shí)候就聞到了香皂味。與Wild Squirrel創(chuàng)始人一樣，卡明斯今年也上了Shark Tank節(jié)目；羅伯特?赫雅維克表示，愿意出105,000美元收購(gòu)該公司20%的股份。拍攝完成后，交易沒(méi)有落實(shí)，但投資者們開(kāi)始打電話給卡明斯——電話來(lái)得正是時(shí)候。她說(shuō)：“我起步時(shí)非常艱難，（我和未婚夫）一度身無(wú)分文，只能動(dòng)用自己的儲(chǔ)蓄和訂婚戒指錢(qián)來(lái)維持生計(jì)?！币晃煌顿Y者給了卡明斯超過(guò)14萬(wàn)美元，而她給了這位投資者30%的You Smell股份。

????下一步？這家奢侈品香皂初創(chuàng)公司正在打造客戶(hù)群，拓展產(chǎn)品線（正在考慮身體磨砂膏和液體香皂），接著計(jì)劃與高端連鎖店洽談分銷(xiāo)事宜?？魉拐f(shuō)：“最難的是拒絕一些天大的機(jī)會(huì)。這些機(jī)會(huì)能讓我們賺到快錢(qián)，但它們要么最終會(huì)毀滅我們精心打造的品牌，要么會(huì)在快速成長(zhǎng)中榨干我們。”

????譯者：早稻米

You Smell

Founder(s): Megan Cummins

Age: 27

School: Savannah College of Art and Design

Graduation: 2008

????In 2007, Cummins was working on her thesis as a senior at Savannah. Her prompt? Create a package design. She decided to bundle handmade soap in vintage-inspired wrapping—and hasn't stopped since. She titled it You Smell and Cummins, now 27-years-old, says that customers frequently email her saying that they can even smell the soap when they open their mailbox. Like the Wild Squirrel founders, Cummins also appeared on Shark Tank this year; Robert Harjavec offered her $105,000 for a 20% stake in the company. The deal fell through once filming ended, but investors began calling Cummins—just in the knick of time. "I started a very difficult journey where [me and my fiancé] went broke and had to use our savings and engagement ring money to stay afloat," she says. An investor paid Cummins upwards of $140,000, and she gave him 30% of You Smell.

????Up next? The luxury soap startup is building its customer base and expanding its product line (think body scrubs and liquid soap), then plans to start distribution conversations high-end chains. "The hardest part has been saying no to big opportunities that would make us fast money but would ultimately ruin the brand we've crafted—or crushed us from rapid growth," Cummins says.