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Entrepreneur Spotlight: Victoria Campbell Osborne of Stay Scented

  • Writer: Casey Ariel Dike'
    Casey Ariel Dike'
  • Aug 12
  • 4 min read
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Victoria Campbell Osborne | Founder of Stay Scented

"Roots and wings."


Luxury scent can be more than an indulgence — it can be a pathway to connection, creativity, and care. That’s the ethos behind Stay Scented, a fragrance and wellness boutique specializing in luxury and niche perfumes, handcrafted body products, and immersive scent experiences such as date nights and private events.


Founded by Victoria Campbell Osborne, Stay Scented is as intentional about what it offers as it is about how it sources. While much of the beauty industry focuses on the glamour of products, Victoria is deeply aware of the forces shaping what ends up on shelves — and in consumers’ hands.



The Industry Conversations We’re Not Having Enough


Victoria points out that while beauty industry chatter often loops around tariffs and pricing, the real levers shaping the market lie deeper — and too often go unexamined. She’s not content to simply follow the headlines; she’s actively mapping the underlying forces that will influence her business years from now:

  • Global sourcing practices — tracing how raw materials and finished products make their way into the beauty supply chain, and the ethical, economic, and logistical implications of each step.

  • The persistent pink tax — a structural bias that inflates prices on goods perceived as “for women,” subtly shaping both pricing strategies and customer trust.

  • The lipstick effect — consumers’ enduring tendency to indulge in luxury purchases during economic downturns, signaling resilience in certain product categories even when broader markets tighten.


By surveying these headwinds and tailwinds, Victoria is practicing an offensive strategy. This is the kind of forward-looking posture that positions a founder for financial leadership.  She treats external forces not just as risks to manage, but as opportunities to leverage. This is how a founder positions their company to thrive in multiple possible futures.



The Reality of Cash Flow


For Victoria, running a boutique has underscored a truth that many entrepreneurs face:


“The challenges of undercapitalization and how ill prepared we often are to manage economic instability even with planning and conservative strategy. Much like personal finances, so many entrepreneurs (myself included) are one setback away from catastrophic impact.”

After a legal challenge that nearly crippled the business, she learned to respect slow, steady financial growth over the illusion of explosive expansion.


We’re grateful for this level of vulnerability — because so many entrepreneurs live through moments like this. Her story gives us space to process the quiet risks we navigate behind the scenes.



Knowing Your Customers — For Real


While Victoria knew there was a desire for her offerings, she underestimated the depth of the need — and the importance of mastering how to connect with her audience.


It’s a common crossroads for entrepreneurs. Many of us enter business as technicians — masters of our craft — but not yet fluent in the art and science of marketing and sales. The real shift happens when we move from assuming to listening. That’s when our strategies become sharper, our messaging becomes magnetic, and our ability to serve in meaningful ways expands exponentially.



A Business Built to Sell


Victoria is clear-eyed about her exit strategy:


“My family all have dreams and the proceeds from sale can help us all attain our hearts desires. While I am hopeful my family will want to continue in the business, I am committed to making choices that see them tethered to my dream. Roots and wings, right?”

It’s a vision that blends pragmatism with generosity — building a company strong enough to attract buyers, while also creating a financial springboard for her loved ones. Whether her family carries the brand forward or takes their own paths, Victoria is designing for both possibilities.


This is succession planning with heart: anchoring the present in a purpose big enough to fund the futures of many.




The Advice That Stays With You


Her message to fellow founders is both practical and personal:


“There is so much advice about building your business and brand — and not enough about preserving and protecting yourself as an entrepreneur in the process. Eat. Sleep. Laugh. Love. Connect. Dream. The reason most of us started businesses was to enrich or grow a life we desired. Build your business while living that life… not in pursuit of it.”

What a beautiful note to leave us with — a reminder that our businesses should service our lives, not consume them.



Connect with Victoria:




About This Feature


Stay connected to more stories like Victoria's by exploring our Entrepreneur Spotlight Series — where we're celebrating the real financial journeys of business owners in our community, one story at a time.


🤎 This feature is part of Blaze Group’s Black Business Month 'Tell Your (Money) Story' initiative. Additionally, in partnership with our friends at Black Woman Owned, we #DoubleTheExposure by sharing women's stories throughout the month.




Have a story of your own? Let’s share it this Black Business Month!



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