Finding a part-time job as a student can be a difficult process. But the work experience gained is also vital in building transferable skills that help in later life. Alexander Florio and his sister Stephanie, founders of Swob, set out to make finding part-time work as a student easier.
‘’I always wanted to start my own business; I just never knew what I was going to start.’’
When Alexander told Stephanie about the idea for Swob, Stephanie knew immediately that this was something very interesting and unique. Stephanie was really inspired to start the business after the feedback they got from both employers and students – They found a problem and created a solution.
The idea for Swob came from Stephanie’s brother, Alexander, who was in the process of applying for jobs, and thought there should be an easier way. He was on Tinder at the time, and he put two and two together.
It was a unique idea, but they were still not sure who they would build it for. Before launching in November 2017, Stephanie and Alexander spent time with students and job seekers to learn about how they have applied to jobs. To their surprise, many of these individuals would print out stacks of resumes and walk around malls or go from store-to-store.
Once Stephanie and Alexander noticed this trend, they knew they wanted to create a tool that would disrupt the way people apply to jobs. Employers no longer have to go through stacks of resumes; they can post jobs, screen applicants, and call them in for interviews right on their website. And that’s where the idea for Swob came from. Stephanie and Alexander developed it in conjunction with students and employers to make both sides of the hiring process more efficient.
‘’We’ve now worked with companies such as McDonald’s, Virgin Mobile Canada, Tim Hortons and The Source to help them find suitable employees for their part-time roles. Through doing so, we’ve helped hundreds of students find meaningful employment and build their skills.’’
Share two advice for female entrepreneurs.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
- If you never try, you’ll never know.
What is the one advice that has impacted you the most?
Being an entrepreneur is tough and at times you feel as if you should just give up. It was Richard Branson who told me to “keep going” that has inspired me to work harder. Having someone so important and inspiring in our world like Richard Branson believe in what you are doing is an incredible feeling.
How is it like to start a business with your brother? Anyone who wants to start a business with a family member, what would you advise?
Go for it! We often joke around and tell people, yes we still talk and yes we get along. Working with a sibling is so rewarding because you can be as honest as you want and you get to share all the highs and lows together. Alex and I never hold back on how we feel about something and our goals are the same, we want to make Swob successful.
What has been your key (or keys) to success?
Alexander and I believe there are many factors that have been key in Swob’s success. Before we launched, we met with multiple employers to gain their feedback and to learn about the struggles they face when recruiting in high turnover industries.
Trust for the employers is a big factor. We realize how important trust is in our business and realize that if an employer is paying us to use our service, it needs to work.
We are always communicating with our clients to ensure that they are getting the best experience and to offer up any support we can.
On the job seeker side, we know how frustrating it can be for these students who struggle to find meaningful employment.
With Swob, we wanted to create a tool that is not only relevant to the audience, but simple to use as well.
What is the most rewarding aspect of Swob?
The most rewarding aspect of Swob for us is knowing we have helped place students in jobs. Aside from that, it is when an employer thinks Swob first when they are looking to post a role, to us, that is success.
What popular entrepreneurial advice do you agree or disagree with? Why?
“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” – Richard Branson. I could not agree more with this statement. If you have a fun working environment and great culture, your employees will want to work harder. Culture is a huge aspect of Swob and we ensure we give each one of our employees a great experience.
Tell us about your proudest achievement?
Some of our key milestones include winning the “Pitch to Rich” contest. In May of 2018, out of thousands of applicants across Canada, Sir Richard Branson personally selected Swob to be the first ever Canadian company to win the “Pitch to Rich” contest.
In December 2018, Swob won the Ignite Spark Competition and was awarded $25,000.00. Most recently Swob has reached over 13,000 downloads and hired 5 Business and Marketing Development Coordinators.
What is your favorite aspect of becoming an entrepreneur?
What’s most rewarding about Swob and what we are doing is the fact that we are changing the way individuals can apply to jobs. I love what we are doing, and can’t imagine doing anything else but grow Swob!
Despite living in such a digital world, students continue to go malls to hand out their resumes – without even knowing if these stores are hiring. Swob is changing this approach, and now provides the job seeker with a variety of options and allows you to select the types of roles you are seeking.
What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
One of our biggest mistakes was doing a radio advertisement targeted toward students. Although this was a mistake, it was a great lesson learned that really helped us reach our audience in the right place.
The biggest challenge is ensuring that job seekers have an adequate amount of job opportunities available to them when downloading Swob. We want to create a strong user experience, and in order to do so there needs to be multiple opportunities in various industries.
![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)
Join the discussion!