It’s probably too late for me to say “Compliments of the season” but I will say it anyway. I promised myself that my first article for 2018 about making money in Zimbabwe had to be a simple idea giving crazy profits. I then remembered a conversation I heard around June 2017 about how to make perfumes in Zimbabwe for profit. The numbers were crazy enough to allow me to write this article. But before we get to the manufacturing lets understand the business.

Perfume making can be traced back to ancient Egyptian cultures. The art was then later developed by other cultures but with Arabs and Asians and Romans on the forefront. Nowadays, perfumes can be safely manufactured in homes with no side effects. The quality of home-made perfumes is maintained by making sure that the ingredients are of high quality and that they are bought from reputable suppliers. But why make your own perfumes when there are other proven perfumes business models? I call it fast money in slow times. Let’s explore the alternatives.

Buying perfumes for resale in Zimbabwe

I talked to a few people who import perfumes for resale in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare. Some of the perfumes were being imported from as far as Europe. The average profit margins were 30%. A few people disclosed to me that they would sometimes make profits above 70%. Thus if you are buying perfumes for resale, your profit margins will average 50%. However, depending on one’s clientele, profit margins can be as high as 100%. Stretching the profit margins above 100% was possible but not sustainable. A conservative figure for planning purposes was a profit margin of 50%.

Perfumes and Network Marketing in Zimbabwe

There are a number of direct marketing companies in Zimbabwe involved in the perfumes business. I will not mention any names but from the research I did, the profit margins range from 30% to 70%. However, to make higher profit margins with network marketing companies, you have to make orders of above a certain threshold. The additional profits from network marketing business will come from the downline model of introducing people to the business. If you are sceptical of a network marketing business model, introducing others to the business might not be exciting enough to want to venture into this business.

Making Perfumes in Zimbabwe – The fast lane

When my friend told me that making perfumes is the real deal, I couldn’t believe her. I asked to be trained first before putting my name on the line by writing about an unproven fly by night business opportunity. I couldn’t believe what I saw. The numbers were crazy. We did the maths together and no matter how much conservative I was with my projections; the profit margins were above 500%. I had to put as much assumptions to my revenue projections models but no matter how conservative, they remained amazingly high. The training was a one-day crush course and which ended with me holding 2 different fragrances made by yours truly… The required ingredients are easily available from neighbouring countries. The quality of the perfume can be maintained by sourcing ingredients from reputable suppliers and sticking to the recommended ratios when mixing the chemicals.

The other advantage is if you are making your own perfumes, you can have your own brand. You can use price as your entry marketing strategy as you introduce your brand. With profit potentials of above 500%, one can decide to take a 400% haircut on profits and still smile all the way to the bank with 100% profitability. In short, there is more flexibility when you are making your own fragrance than the other two business models above.

How to make Perfumes in Zimbabwe?

To start your own perfume making business, one needs training. I managed to tie down my friend to do a few trainings this year and she agreed. All participants will walk away with a manual and two bottles of perfumes they would have manufactured. My friend also advised that she will give the list of suppliers she recommends when ordering your own perfumes ingredients. Because she is usually busy making her own perfumes or promoting her brand, she will need a minimum of 10 people to form a class. As always…to your continued success!!!