Nicole Eckels (Returns) | Founder & CEO of Glasshouse Fragrances

In episode 162 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to founder and CEO of Glasshouse Fragrances, Nicole Eckels. One of my favourite types of brand founders to speak with are those who quite literally pioneered an entire category. Despite having known Nicole Eckels for several years now and having had her on the show back in 2020, it still fascinates me that prior to Glasshouse Fragrances’ launch in 2005, the home fragrance category didn’t really exist here in Australia. I encourage you to go back to Season 2 to listen to the Glasshouse origin story, but in the 6 years since that recording, an almost incomprehensible amount has taken place within the Glasshouse Fragrances universe- perhaps the most interesting being the fact that Nicole launched the brand into her native United States, with it becoming the number two fragrance brand at Bloomingdale’s within 3 years. What I wanted to chat to Nicole about is how different this launch felt. In Australia, in 2005, Glasshouse was a category pioneer. Launching into the US some 15 years later meant the category not only existed, but was heavily saturated, so the key wasn’t just creating beautiful products- it was creating a brand universe. If you’re launching into a busy market, you need to be connecting with your consumers on an emotional level or risk becoming an object that falls by the wayside. In this conversation, recorded on Nicole’s most recent trip back to Australia, Nicole shares the keys to building a brand universe beyond a product offering, the unexpected ways a global pandemic permanently transformed her company, and how she won the US market nearly 20 years into business. Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Glasshouse Fragrances on Instagram @glasshousefragrancesStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.