My career as an office manager started five years ago I had one year of experience as a scheduling coordinator before I became an office manager. When I started in the dental field six years ago I right away knew this is exactly what I was missing in my life. I had graduated from cosmetology school, and had also gone to school to be a preschool teacher; it didn’t take long for me to know those careers were not for me.
”You know how everyone says when you know, you just know. That’s exactly the feeling I had when I started my first day as a scheduling coordinator and all it took was one office manager to give me the opportunity and here I am 6 years later.” Tatiana Sousa
As an office manager, no two days are ever the same and I feel that’s exactly the reason I enjoy this profession so much, I lead a team all day but also make sure the financial part of the office is handled properly. My job description is honestly impossible because as a manager you wear many hats. These skills have helped me as I have applied them to my business, the customer service and the financial experience have helped me tremendously along with my multitasking skills. See the photography and what I do as a manager are not as different as you might think they are, they both revolve around making sure the patient/ client are satisfied with their services and experience. Obviously, the job itself is very different but both careers, both help people in different ways, one helps them have a healthy and happy smile the other, helps capture that smile.
What are you most proud of as an entrepreneur?
There are way too many but my number one is keeping women empowered. From a young age, I felt I was born to be an entrepreneur, when I was in high school I started my own YouTube channel to empower other young women and teach them about the beauty industry, the rest was history for me. I am a mom of two young children and the biggest misconception is that you can’t do it all, the truth is that you can do anything you want to do and be anyone you want to be. When I became a mom is when I became more empowered to want better to do better and to make sure other women knew they could do the same thing. There are no instructions on how to be successful and being successful means different things to different people. The biggest thing I’ve had to learn as young entrepreneur is that you don’t have to be good at just one thing, as long as you stay motivated and work hard.
What inspired you to start working for yourself?
I was very motivated by my employer and his upper management’s work ethic that’s what made me want to do it for myself. If you’re going to put in eight to ten-hour days and give it all you got to be the best employee for someone else why can’t you do that for yourself? There are twenty-four hours in a day to apply that same work ethic to your business when you get home! My children of course always keep me motivated, I want to make them proud but I also want them to see how hard I work and understand that hard work has its rewards but it does not come easy.
Share with us some tips on how to become a happier and healthier person.
For me it’s always about self-love, setting boundaries, having goals and understanding that life is not a competition because being happy has different meanings to everyone. I think finding things your truly passionate about can help you find happiness and most importantly peace. When I had my son, I was faced with a life and death situation that for me was a huge eye-opener and made it a lot easier to understand what happiness meant to me. I enjoy working out and preparing healthy meals for my family this not only helps me be a healthier person on the inside but also for my own mental health, this is the kind of healthy I think we need to focus on without mental health we cannot be the best versions of ourselves.
What is your next big goal? How do you think you can achieve this one?
I actually have a few goals; one of them is to continue to grow within my company: I have amazing upper management who inspires me every day, I take a lot of mental notes and empowered women, empower women! My next goal within my dental company is to become a regional manager, I currently learn a lot from my regional manager and she is the definition of you can do it all. I know that with a lot of hard work and dedication that goal is easily reachable in the future. I’ve always been a leader and this is something that comes easy to me. With my photography business, it is to find my dream studio, I currently work out of my home studio and can’t wait to find a place to welcome my new and existing clients. I think this will be a huge milestone in my photography career. This is something I plan on working on in the next six to nine months.
What is the one piece of advice that has impacted you the most?
Someone once told me, “learn to balance life.” This advice was given to me at the beginning of my management career by my boss himself. I was taking on a big role at the age of twenty-one, but all it took was one person to believe in me and then I learned to believe in myself. I think learning work-life balance is important. Keep your home life at home and your work life at work, and I think this had helped me with both my careers.
How do you think modern women can be more fulfilled in their lives?
Hold yourself accountable, stop making excuses for why you can’t do it, and start putting that energy into how you’re going to do it. I think we need to stop labeling women, we need to stop assuming hard-working moms are bad moms because they spend their day providing for their families, and we need to stop judging stay-at-home moms for not helping their families financially. The truth is there is no correct way how to be fulfilled modern woman because my definition might be different to yours however it is up to you to choose your definition of what makes you fulfilled.
Do you have any tips for mothers on work-life balance?
It is not going to be easy, but it’s possible. I think setting a schedule is important. For example Tuesday – Friday I spend my day at the office, when I get home I try to incorporate my children into my mom’s duties. I make sure to give them all the attention they did not get from me while I was at work. Saturday thru Monday my schedule varies, usually, I am photographing most of the day on Saturday and Sunday I schedule light and around my family plans, on Monday is my day off I don’t schedule any bookings, I spend that day with my husband and children we do morning breakfast and usually plan something fun for the kids. I usually put my children down for bed and that is the time I use to edit my client’s sessions. I try doing those Tuesday- Friday. If I didn’t have a schedule I would not be able to manage it all, having structure is my biggest piece of advice.
If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before beginning your career what would it be?
Stop doubting yourself, In the beginning, I used to doubt myself all the time, now I laugh at the taught! Imagine if I started when I wanted to instead of doubting myself? The thing is I was so afraid of failure now I understand that failure is sometimes needed for growth! I have learned so much from my mistakes in both careers, one of the biggest things I’ve learned is to take advice and don’t be afraid when someone corrects you, it’s called growth and you can’t do any growth without being told what you’re doing wrong, it’s only going to help set you up for success.
What was the hardest part about working for yourself?
The hardest part was to understand that I was my own boss and all the decisions I made would either cause my business to float or sink, the way I controlled that was to not let sink be an option. Learning from other women in the photography business has been crucial for me, understand that there is plenty of business for everyone and also that you can compare yourself to other people, especially those who have been doing this for years and you started only six months ago. There are a lot of things to learn and they can’t be learned overnight that’s the beauty of life, you will keep learning forever
![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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