Have you ever made a packaging decision that you regretted? Taken advantage of a promise or a price that was too good to be true?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joanne Klauber is the founder of Makes Scents, a wildly successful start-up company that has seen significant growth over the last twenty-four months. In her own words she describes what its like to run a start-up business and making tough decisions when it comes to packaging equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I never thought that purchasing a fragrance lamp would change my life and become my career, but there is no other way to describe my entry into the fragrance lamp oil and reed diffuser oil business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After doing extensive research on my own into how to develop the oil\u2014and with my husband’s encouragement\u2014I decided to make my own fragrance oil to sell under the Make Scents brand. The success was immediate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“After only four months, Make Scents became a power seller on eBay and in ten months I quit my full-time job to devote all my energies to it. We produce over 300 different oil fragrances and have outgrown two commercial locations. In the process, I have needed to learn to make smart choices when it comes to packaging equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“As an emerging entrepreneur I recognized the need to get up to speed quickly on the best way to package our products. I attended PMMI’s PACK EXPO and found numerous suppliers with the equipment and expertise I needed. One of my first purchases was a Compak\u2122 Jr. induction cap sealer from Enercon. The sealer creates a hermetic seal to economically prevent leaks and provide tamper evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were thrilled with the Compak Jr. And, Enercon’s free sample testing in their laboratory helped prove the system was ideal for our application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The induction sealer was vital to our packaging operation. With orders flying in as fast as we could fulfill them, we recognized we should have a back-up induction sealer. Instead of going with what I knew in the quality and consistency of the Enercon, I found a price I couldn’t resist for an induction sealer manufactured overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The result was less than spectacular. The machine was a piece of junk. It was actually horrifying; as in addition to poor performance: there was no support available for the product either. I hate to admit it but Makes Scents had been a victim of a price that was too good to be true, coupled with, you get what you pay for. Cutting corners on an induction sealer just didn’t make smart business sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n