A few years ago, Mai Mowrey was about to sign a distribution deal with a cosmetics company located in Eastern Canada. Mowrey was about to pay a $50,000 deposit for the distribution rights.
Then her brother fell gravely ill with cancer. As he went through treatment, Mowrey began learning more about chemicals that could cause cancer.
She started researching ingredients in different personal care products.
“At the cancer clinic, they have pamphlets that say, ‘Don’t use this, don’t use that, even everyday-use [products can contain] toxins,’” Mowrey said. “When somebody that you love has cancer you start … really taking it seriously and look into everything that you do.”
Mowrey began to reconsider the contract with the cosmetics company, which used conventional ingredients in its products. When the company wouldn’t let her tour its factory before she paid the deposit, she decided not to go through with the deal.
“I really felt like I didn’t want to do anything or sell anything without feeling good about it,” she said.
Mowrey began researching natural cosmetics and personal care products, thinking that class of goods would also do well in Vietnam, where Mowrey is from and had experience doing business in. In 2006, while taking her son to a hockey game, she happened to see a small company that was for sale.
“I was lucky. I phoned them right away; they let me visit their facility with no questions,” she said.
She was impressed with what she saw and bought the Coquitlam-based company, which at the time did private-label manufacturing for spas.
“We got the formula and training and we did more research and took another two years to develop Scentuals,” she said.
The company now has 10 full-time employees and sells its products in grocery stores and drugstores across Canada. Mowrey is also working on developing an export market to Vietnam.
On the importance of passion | “I couldn’t imagine owning that brand and promoting that brand that I’m not passionate about, because [running] a business is very difficult. If you run a business that you’re not passionate about, you can go downhill pretty quick.”
Has a work or life challenge taught you a key career lesson? Contact Jen St. Denis at [email protected]
