My Sweet-Smelling Journey with Kelan House of Scents
Kelan started from a place of wanting more.
You know that feeling when you’re tired of the same 9–5 routine and your soul is screaming for something more? That was me. I’ve always loved scents, how they change moods and bring back memories. So I thought, “Maryam, why not turn this into something real?”
So one day, I decided to start small. Very small. It was just me in my little space, mixing oils, pouring them into bottles by hand, printing labels on my stubborn home printer, and packaging each order one by one. No fancy machines, no investor, not even a proper logo. It was just passion, prayer, and plenty of late nights.
My First Bride Changed Everything
Then, the day that would change my life forever came. A bride reached out to me, saying she wanted something special for her big day. She wanted customized perfume oils that would make her wedding unforgettable. I was nervous! My hands were shaking as I carefully prepared each bottle. I wanted everything to be perfect because this wasn’t just any order; this was someone’s wedding.
When I delivered those bottles and saw her face light up like NEPA finally brought light after three days of darkness, I nearly cried. She hugged those bottles like they were her first child. The joy on her face was priceless. Money can’t buy that kind of validation.
When she paid me, omoooo! I was feeling like someone who just won a visa lottery. I remember staring at the alert on my phone, reading it over and over again. That money represented more than just payment; it was God telling me, “Yes Maryam, you’re on the right path. Keep going.”
When Wahala Nearly Finished Me
Let me not sugarcoat it, this hustle has tested me. There was a time I had more orders than my little setup could handle. I was mixing, packaging, labeling, and still responding to customer messages like, “Hi, just checking if my order is ready?”
One particular order got delayed, and the customer was not happy at all. The way she called me on that phone ehn, I felt like the ground should just open and swallow me. That night, I sat down in my small space, looked at all my bottles and equipment, and thought, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this. Maybe I should just give up.”
But you know what they say in Naija, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” So I wiped my tears, said a prayer, and kept pushing. Looking back, that was one of the best decisions I ever made.
The Wedding Planner Who Changed the Game
The real shift came when a wedding planner decided to use our home fragrances for an event. Now, I’ve been to Nigerian weddings before. We all have. You know how it is, the hall smells like a mix of expensive perfume, jollof rice, and that one uncle who bathed in his cologne. But this time, our fragrances were creating a different kind of magic.
Guests kept asking, “Where is this scent from? Who made this? I need to order!” Before I knew it, my phone was ringing nonstop. People were calling, texting, sending DMs on Instagram, and even finding me on WhatsApp through their cousin’s friend’s sister’s neighbor. That was the moment I knew—Kelan House of Scents has a real place in people’s hearts and homes.
The Message That Made Me Cry
So there’s this one wedding where our products were used as souvenirs. You know how Nigerian weddings are, guests carry home everything from small chops to the decorative flowers if you’re not watching. So I wasn’t really expecting anyone to remember my little bottles.
Weeks after the wedding, I got a message from one of the guests. She said our room spray had become her “comfort scent” during a really tough time in her life. She would spray it in her room when she was feeling down, and it would remind her that better days were coming.
I swear, I read that message and tears just started falling. That moment reminded me that what I do isn’t just about making things smell nice or having pretty packaging. It’s about making people feel something real. It’s about being part of someone’s healing, someone’s joy, someone’s story.
From that small space where I started to where Kelan is now, it’s been a journey of faith, sweat, and plenty of “God abeg help me” prayers. Every bottle I create carries a piece of that journey, the late nights, the doubts, the small victories, and the big dreams.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: when you start with passion and keep showing up, even small beginnings can turn into something beautiful. ❤️