Most people want to keep their hobbies pure. They feel that monetizing them will make them impure. Others feel like their hobbies just aren’t monetizable, but where there’s a will there’s a way. People need to stop living for the weekend, dreading going to work in the morning, and constantly watching the clock for the second it becomes time to clock out for the day.
It’s possible to make just about any hobby profitable. For
Ariel Sagat loves being able to combine her therapeutic background with her passion for entertaining. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and daughter. She loves to entertain for her family and friends and to see her clients proud of the events she helps them to host.
In your own words, what do you do?
I am the female founder of Hostesses Helper NYC, an event planning and styling company. While our primary focus is helping our local clients to organize, style, plan, and host their events, we really love to use social media to inspire and encourage our followers to bring out their inner hostesses. Our instagram posts often offer tips and advice for at home hosting.
What inspired you to start Hostesses Helper NYC?
I personally have always loved entertaining guests, but understood that for many it can be a daunting and overwhelming task to host. When my daughter was born, I learned the difficulties of hosting family and friends who wanted to meet the baby. It felt as though I only had time to care for my newborn, let alone take a shower, clean my house, and set up for my guests. It was that moment that I realized I wanted to help others who felt the way I was feeling. Whether it is because they don’t have the time or feel as though they don’t have the vision for styling a party, my goal for my company is to empower others to be proud of their events.
Where do you get your creative inspiration for your events?
I am inspired by literally everyone everywhere! I really love following instagram accounts of bakers, bloggers, party boutiques, and other event stylists in the industry. I also often search for ideas or inspiration on Pinterest, and by browsing in stores. Sometimes I even find myself looking through party supplies from previous events and finding new ways to recycle them for different events.
What have you learned most from entrepreneurship?
To me, being an entrepreneur evokes similar feelings to being a mom, just as I feel as though I have a handle on what I am doing something new comes up and changes everything! It’s overwhelmingly exciting and scary at times and everyday feels like a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It is not for everyone, but I know that it is for me. I am proud of what my company is becoming and so optimistic of what it can become in the future. I truly feel so lucky and am so grateful to those around me for their unconditional love, support, and encouragement because being a boss lady can be really hard. I have learned, even when it is incredibly difficult, you have to always believe in yourself.
What is your background, and how did you decide to get into this business?
I originally worked in NYC as a counselor with my Master’s Degree in therapy. I really loved my job of supporting and guiding others to reach their potential. I would often use my therapeutic background at work and save my creative side for when I was hosting at home. It had always been a hobby and something I enjoyed doing. I was often told that I had a knack or an eye for styling parties. When my daughter was born, I realized how difficult it was for me to host friends and family who wanted to come and meet my new baby. It put into perspective the challenges that others face when wanting to have an instagram-worthy event but feel they are unable to do so. I founded Hostess Helper NYC to support my clients with the process of planning and styling their events. I love being able to combine my therapeutic background with my passion for entertaining. The best part for me is seeing our clients proud of the events they have hosted.
Are there any new trends or ideas in the event planning industry you are loving right now?
There are so many summer party trends I love working on right now- everything from mermaid, to tropical, to just summer vibes. What I really love most is that this summer theme can be tailored to fit any event and can be made kid friendly or for adults only. To make adult only parties extra fun we’ve been doing a lot of alcoholic sorbets, popsicles, and frosé pouches.
Somewhere down the road, you knew you had the potential to start Hostesses Helper NYC. How can women like yourself become more sooner aware of their potential?
A year or two before I had started Hostess Helper NYC I thought I was really happy with where I was in my career. It isn’t until now that I look back and reflect on how I wasn’t following my ambitions and pushing myself to reach a higher potential. For me it took having my daughter to bring me to a crossroad, where I was forced to decide whether or not to return to work or start something new. I believe that if you feel like going to work is a chore, then maybe ask yourself if it is the right work for you. Everyday of being an entrepreneur takes a lot of time and energy; it can be very stressful and you never have a day off. You feel responsible for everything, but it never feels like it is work because I love every second of it.
What is a skill you think all women should learn and why?
I think as women we are too hard on ourselves and often lack the self confidence we deserve. We unfairly compare ourselves to others and as a result feel we aren’t measuring up. I certainly have moments of getting down on myself when I feel I am not doing as well as others in the industry. A skill I’d like to teach my daughter and I wish I had learned earlier in life is self care and confidence in my own abilities. Instead of comparing ourselves to others we should be comparing ourselves to who we were a year or two ago. I am proud of my growth, and sometimes I need to work to remind myself how far I have come. If we believe in ourselves, we won’t let anything or anyone stop us.
Describe Hostesses Helper NYC
Hostess Helper NYC is so much more than just an event planning and styling company in the NYC area. What makes us different is that with each event we work to customize and tailor our services to meet our client’s individual needs. Some clients may request more support with the event planning logistics, while others prefer more assistance with the styling details that bring a theme to life. No matter how large or small the event is, our clients have one-on-on support of a stylist, whose main focus is to guide them through the process. My goal for Hostess Helper NYC has always been to empower our clients to host the events of their dreams. In the future I’d love to expand and have Hostess Helper NYC reach clients nation-wide.
What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
Every time I have had success, there have been multiple trials of failures behind it. There is no manual for becoming an entrepreneur and so I have made many mistakes along the way and expect that I will continue to make many more mistakes. I try not to view them as failures but rather just learning. One challenge I faced
As a result, I had a difficult time setting boundaries and saying no. I would respond to emails, phone calls, or messages at all hours of the day. Because I felt uncomfortable saying, “we don’t offer those services” I would instead take on additional responsibilities that I didn’t want to take on or without compensation. I learned that the more I struggled with this, the more I felt as though I was being taken advantage of. Now I realize I didn’t set boundaries. I have learned that though I am helping my clients, I still owe it to my company to maintain professionalism. I tailored our contracts to specify our services and pricing upfront. With my new confidence, both parties know exactly what to expect from our working relationship at the beginning.
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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