There’s something slightly terrifying about launching a new product.
From the outside, it probably looks quite simple.
Lovely photograph.
New product on the website.
“TA-DA! Look what we made.”
If only.
Behind almost every new JoJo Co. product is a ridiculous amount of thinking, changing my mind, asking everyone within a five-mile radius what they think, deciding I absolutely love something, deciding 24 hours later that I absolutely don't, doing the sums, doing the sums again... and eventually getting to the point where I have to stop fiddling and actually put the thing out into the world.
And this week, we're doing exactly that.
An idea is the easy bit
I have ideas ALL the time.
Some are good. Some are probably best never spoken of again.
But occasionally there's one that sticks.
I've wanted to create another way of enjoying our fragrances for a while - something beautiful, useful and a little bit different from a candle or diffuser.
And that's where our new Scented Stars began.
Two handmade ceramic stars, made especially for us by our lovely ceramic artist Katie, paired with a bottle of JoJo Co. fragrance so you can add a few drops whenever they need refreshing.
Simple.
Except, of course, making something look simple is usually anything but.
Then comes all the stuff nobody sees
What size should the stars be?
What should the cord look like?
How much fragrance?
Which bottle?
Which label?
Which box?
How much packaging is too much packaging?
How do we make the instructions clear without making them look like the manual for a washing machine?
And, rather importantly...
What on earth do we charge for it?
When you're a small handmade business, these decisions matter.
We aren't ordering 20,000 identical things from a factory. The ceramic stars themselves have been handmade. We're filling the fragrance bottles, labelling them, packing the boxes and putting the whole thing together here.
That handmade element is exactly what I love about them.
It's also why sometimes you have to ignore what everyone else is doing and work out what feels right for your business.
Then you have to hope people actually like it
This is the funny part.
You can spend weeks looking at something. You can love it. Your team can love it. Your photographer can make it look absolutely gorgeous.
And ultimately none of that answers the question:
Will anyone buy it?
I think people imagine that after running a business for years you stop worrying about that.
You absolutely do not.
Every new product still comes with that tiny moment of what if nobody wants it?
Maybe that's actually a good thing.
Because I never want to become so comfortable that I assume our customers will buy something simply because we've made it.
It has to be good.
The photograph is the very last bit
And then, finally, Jodie arrives with her camera.
Jodie has been photographing JoJo Co. from the beginning and, quite simply, she just gets us. She has an incredible ability to take whatever is in my head and somehow capture exactly how I want JoJo Co. to feel.
I get lots of emails about photography, but when you find someone as genuinely talented as Jodie - and build the kind of working relationship we have over the years -you hold onto them. She’s a very special part of JoJo Co. and I feel incredibly lucky to have her.
Then she works her magic, and suddenly this thing we’ve been planning, making and talking about for weeks looks like a real JoJo Co. product.
That moment never gets old.
Tomorrow we find out
Our first ever batch of Scented Stars launches tomorrow.
And because the ceramic pieces are handmade, the first release is genuinely tiny - just 50 sets.
I've deliberately chosen four of our most-loved JoJo Co. fragrances for the first collection: Pink Spice, Sandalwood & Peppercorn, Rocks & Roses and Coast.
After that?
We'll see.
Maybe they'll fly.
Maybe one fragrance will completely surprise me.
That's one of the lovely - and slightly terrifying - things about running a small business.
You don't always know what's going to work.
Sometimes you just have to make something you really believe in...and put it out there.
And now we wait…
By the time you’re reading this, our Scented Stars will be out in the world - and if our first little batch has already gone, I’m taking that as a very good sign that you liked them. We gave our VIPs 24 hours’ first access before telling anyone else, so if you fancy being first in line next time, join our VIP list here.
And don’t worry if you’ve missed them - Katie will already be busy making us more. Handmade takes a little longer, but the good stuff usually does.
Jo x
