Any woman who has broken a bottle of perfume knows the headache: glass everywhere and, worse, a supercharged dose of scent that’s hard to shake. Rosalie Giesel, 26, took this “why me” experience and used it as motivation for scented cell phone accessories sold by 346 Stanley LLC, a company she launched with a trio of classmates from the University of Cincinnati.
The company’s signature product,
Akscentz, is a line of scented cell phone cases targeted to teen girls and young women. Akscentz is the outgrowth of a class project; when tasked with inventing a product and a business plan to sell it, the women wowed their professors, who encouraged them to make the product a reality.
Giesel’s partners include Stephanie Albers, Breeana Dixon, and Krista Streckfuss. Streckfuss, a biology major, graduated late last year. The others are on the cusp of completing the College of Business’ entrepreneurship program, but plan to stay in Cincinnati and collaborate on the launch. Giesel is unfazed by the possibility that her co-founders may move, pointing out that any relocation is just a chance to focus on a new market.
While Giesel admits that the company’s youthful leadership is a challenge – she describes the business’ manufacturing side as “pretty terrifying.” Still, she says the group is well-aware of competing products marketed by well-established competitors. And, she explains, “We’re starting out, we’re motivated, and we really want it, and our drive makes up for expertise. In the areas that we lack, we’ll learn or we’ll consult. I think being young, fresh, and motivated is one of our main advantages.”
It doesn’t hurt that Giesel, Albers, Dixon and Streckfuss are part of the demographic they’ll target with Akscentz, either. Right now, Giesel says they’re focused on graduating so they can devote more time to the company.
By Robin Donovan
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