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Like all great success stories, Scentsy’s has a humble beginning. True entrepreneurs tend to be cut from the same cloth – often taking risks and running with haphazard opportunities the rest of us would hesitate to try. The founders of Scentsy are no exception and their modest beginning is about as inspiring as it gets. Let’s set the stage…
No, really. That’s the stage, right there! See that big white ocean container on the far left? That is where Scentsy first began its magic. Back in 2004, Orville and Heidi Thompson purchased Scentsy and used this ocean container and small office (the white building hidden behind two trailers) to manufacture and ship Scentsy orders. Not only were Orville (Scentsy CEO) and his wife, Heidi (President), tending to the future of an incredible company that would soon reach a global audience and boast over a billion dollars in revenue in less than ten years, they were also tending livestock on the same land. Those two know how to juggle!
Because Orville and Heidi were also using the land to pasture sheep and other animals, Consultants who visited Scentsy’s first office were sometimes accosted by chickens and other aspects of farm life. The make-shift office was furnished with items incomprehensible to most people – bench seats ripped from an old van and a variety of other discarded furniture. But, like so many diamonds in the rough, Scentsy’s owners were content to bootstrap while they put profits back into their growing company.
By October of 2004, Scentsy had outgrown the farm space and moved the operation to a small office building down the street. Orville continued to use the land for his sheep and the buildings for storage. Today, Consultants visiting Scentsy’s home office can now tour the site and even take pictures in Orville’s office chair!
Nine years later, Scentsy will soon be moving to another new home. Our new headquarters in Meridian, Idaho will be housed in a brand-new, state-of-the-art campus setting - complete with walking paths, a cafeteria, outdoor amphitheater and gym. A far cry from the sweet little ocean container surrounded by sheep, this campus will house all of Scentsy’s Idaho-based employees and operations.
This rags-to-riches story is one that never gets old to hear. It’s inspiring to witness people with such tenacity and faith that they can take the most humble beginning and literally turn it into a piece of history. At Scentsy, we absolutely love hearing about how everyday people turn their lives around with just one opportunity…
Check out some of our other favorite legendary entrepreneurial stories:
- Anyone a fan of Paul Mitchell shampoo? Founder, John Paul DeJoria first sold his shampoo door-to-door while living out of his car before his company took off!
- Who hasn’t heard of Ray-Bans and Oakley sunglasses these days? Bet you didn’t know that the billionaire behind those shades, Leonardo Del Vecchio, is a former auto factory worker who grew up in a European orphanage!
- Ever heard the saying, “Everything Oprah touches turns to gold?” She didn’t have that power until well into her career. Oprah Winfrey actually overcame a childhood of extreme poverty before finding her success.
- Harry Potter is a household name, right? But, not everyone knows that JK Rowling was recently divorced and on welfare with a dependent child while dreaming up those fabulous stories that would eventually change her life.
What about you? What are some of your favorite rags-to-riches stories? What inspires you when deciding to make that leap toward a better life?
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