Today, we have the privilege of having an interaction with Entrepreneur and CEO of Perfumery House based in London. Please welcome Mr Huib Maat. Let’s hear his story
1. Please tell us something about yourself.
This always appears to be a very simple question and, at the same time, is very difficult to answer.
If you ask me a question about my Love of Perfume or its creation, I will be able to answer you without a moment’s pause. Ask me something about myself, and I immediately think, what would you like to know? Something about my family? My nationality? Where I live or have lived? What books I read, sports I enjoy, my favorite food & drink, … is this what people find interesting then?
Then here I go:
I am Dutch by birth and moved at a very young age with my parents to Belgium and then on to Germany, as my Father’s job in Marketing for a major American company required us to do so. My mother, an architect, used this opportunity to design, create, and build wonderful homes for us wherever we went.
I love sports especially Windsurfing, Football (Soccer), Cycling and Golf, particularly when they are followed by a beautiful meal, a glass (or two) of good wine and wonderful company.
I love to read, travel, gardening, and enjoy learning languages (which is always much easier when you had a headstart at an early age).
2. How did you get into what you do right now? Please tell us more about your journey?
I always feel that my journey into the world of Perfumery was serendipitous. Shortly after I left University, I was delighted to be invited to a European Forum that was held in Brussels, for multi-lingual graduates with excellent degrees. At this recruitment fair, I was offered two opportunities that were in nature, quite diverse and unusual. One of these opportunities was to work & train with one of the leading Perfume Houses in the world. I felt very lucky and jumped at the chance of joining them. The rest is history, as they say.
3. Who are your role models?
There are a number of people who I would consider role models.
- In the Perfumery World, one of them would have to be Alberto Morillas.
- In business, it would be people like: Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and for his sheer ingenuity Elon Musk.
- In everyday life, it would be my Mother & Father.
4. What inspires you?
The simple answer to this is: Everything!
Where do I start? Nature, color, music, travel, people, spice markets, gardens, fashion, architecture, shopping, dining, wine, … an on goes the list.
In general, my life.
5. Please tell us about your company
I am both an entrepreneur and a CEO. Still, I feel that my natural predisposition is to be an entrepreneur. This is because I love inventing, creating, selling, and marketing to see the product I brought to life being bought. I really enjoy hearing from our customers when they tell us about their wonderful experiences with our products.
My company is a Perfumery House based in London, and we are one of the very few independent Niche Perfume Houses that still exist in our market.
6. What’s your most memorable experience?
I have been very lucky and blessed to have had the opportunity to travel the world with my job, sports, work, and family. This has provided me with a myriad of wonderful experiences. However, the most memorable experience I have ever had was when I met my best friend, who later became my wife.
7. How are you using different social media channels/online marketing to market your work?
Social media channels and online/digital marketing are a fantastic form of staying in touch with our customers and keeping a wide audience updated about our brand: www.pairfum.com.
I am amazed on a daily basis how we can communicate directly with people in the most distant places.
8. What’s your greatest fear?
Injections with long needles!
I think I would have less of a problem facing a Lion.
9. Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood better before you ever got started?
Just two things:
- “Simplify, Simplify and Simplify,” and
- Whatever you think that you “Can Do” or you “Can’t Do”, you are right. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
10. What are the success strategies/secrets that helped you in your journey?
My aim was always to create beautifully natural products & perfumes that our customers could fall in love with.
We have kept to this strategy, and once people have discovered us, they return again and again.
I feel our most important success factor is the passion with which we create our products and introduce them to our customers. It may sound simple, and it is not really a strategy one can create, but it adds inherent meaning and drive to everything we do.
11. What keeps you going when things get tough?
I love what I am doing, and I know Who I am doing it for and Why.
I also remember how lucky and blessed my life is.
12. How can people connect with you?
Through social media channels:
Alternatively, I can be contacted via the contact form of our website:
https://www.pairfum.com/contact/
13. Any message for our readers…
You are capable of achieving a lot more than you think. Dream big and visualize it.
Just follow your Heart or Nose, as it was in my case.
P.S. If you felt inspired after reading this Interview, request you to please share with your friends on social media because your friends might get inspired too!