Meet Katerina Juskey & Victoria Mierzwa

We recently connected with Katerina Juskey & Victoria Mierzwa and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katerina & Victoria, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
This is a difficult one. The feeling of imposter syndrome is ever-present,, but there are ways we’ve improved our way of thinking, especially in recent years. One key improvement is acknowledging our successes. From the humble beginnings of LOHN, we’ve made significant strides, now featuring our products in over 200 retailers across North America, including major partnerships such as Holt Renfrew and Anthropologie. We’ve also leaned into opportunities that were once ‘scary’ (such as this interview!) to showcase our journey. Running a business demands self-care, and as advocates for slowing down with our elevated scents, we have tried to do the same by putting less pressure on ourselves. It’s definitely a work in progress!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
LOHN is a Canadian women-owned and operated home fragrance company. We sell candles, essential oils and room mists that are handmade in our Toronto studio by women in STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics).

On a mission to enhance your atmosphere, LOHN creates a layered scent experience through our transportive fragrances. Each blend is expertly crafted, our packaging has colourful, eye-catching design and our ingredients are clean. We use sustainable coconut wax, cotton core wicks and recyclable cartons.

It was a combination of our love for product development and our obsession with scent to begin this journey. We went to the same high school and university. After graduating with degrees in chemical engineering, we pursued careers in the beauty industry. Victoria worked in product development for a company that manufactured hotel amenities with brands like Byredo, Le Labo and Nest Fragrances, and I (Katerina) worked in the lab at Estée Lauder in Quality Assurance before graduating with a Master in Science and Technology of Fragrance and Cosmetics at ISIPCA in France and Italy.

We connected in 2016 via LinkedIn. The timing was magical. We both wanted to start something of our own, and candles were on each of our mood boards.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities, skills or areas of knowledge that were most impactful for us on our journey have been product development, our perfumery training and problem solving.

Product development and being expertly trained in fragrance formulation enhanced our understanding of the industry, the ingredients we work with and the suppliers who have shaped our products today. We knew we wanted to create a high quality candle that stood out from the rest of the competition (and there’s a lot of it!). We believe we have achieved this goal through years of rigorous research and development to bring only the best to our customers.

As entrepreneurs, we find ourselves constantly navigating challenges and resolving issues in our daily operations. Drawing from our engineering backgrounds, we are able to think strategically and tackle any obstacle that arises, whether pertains to manufacturing, marketing, operations, finance or human resources.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Victoria and I have been delving into the teachings of Gino Wickman’s “Traction” to implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) into our daily operations, as recommended by several entrepreneurs in our network.

This book has guided us through various exercises aimed at refining our vision, core values, and long-term trajectory as a team over the next 1, 5, and 10 years, while emphasizing the specific milestones we aim to achieve within the next 90 days.

The most important ‘nugget’ has been that each team member should only focus on 3-7 ‘rocks’, or measurable priority at any given time, that will move us forward. This simple rule ensures that each employee can effectively concentrate their efforts on the most critical objectives without becoming overwhelmed or spread too thin.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Patryk Rydz

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,