On April 9th, AWNY hosted entrepreneur, Nicole Eckels, Founder and CEO of Glasshouse Fragrances.
A native New Yorker, Nicole lit up the room with her warmth, candor, and entrepreneurial energy.
Attendees were captivated with Nicole’s story, which started with her lifelong fascination with scent, to blending ingredients and hand-pouring candles in her Sydney kitchen, to building the Southern Hemisphere’s leading fragrance brand, and now, having her products stocked across Australia, the United States, Europe and Asia.
Nicole shared some fascinating insights, such as how she secured her first and only ever investor, the first Sydney retailers who stocked Glasshouse Fragrance products, the retail partnerships that helped fuel her growth, and of course, what’s on the horizon for both Nicole and her business.
Now living between Sydney and New York, Nicole spoke about the fact that she refers to both cities as ‘home’ – a feeling that many of us in the room can relate to.
One of the key takeaways from Nicole’s talk was the reminder that “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” and this set the tone for the networking hour that followed. AWNY members, many from within the beauty industry, connected with each other and with Nicole, exchanged ideas and ultimately, sparked new relationships.
As a thoughtful final touch, Nicole generously gifted each attendee a beautiful Kyoto in Bloom candle from the Glasshouse Fragrance range.
Many thanks to Nicole for her time and generosity, to Alexia Crawford for moderating the session, and to the wonderful American Australian Association team for hosting the event.