Nothing prepares you for the feeling of seeing your products on a real market table, watching strangers pick them up, smell them, and respond. For Scented Pages Workshop, our first market event in Vancouver was both exciting and nerve-wracking.

We prepared three signature literary perfumes, carefully labeling each with a short storycard explaining their connection to the books. We arranged the table with trial strips and QR codes linking to our Instagram. The first sale came from a teenage girl who loved the Pride and Prejudice scent and said it made her feel like she was “walking into Jane Austen’s world.”

Throughout the day, I learned how important it is to observe customers. Some preferred floral notes, others wanted deeper, woody scents. We noted their preferences and asked them to complete short feedback forms, collecting over 50 responses to guide our next product decisions.

I also learned the reality of pricing. Some people would smile, smell, but hesitate at the price point. We discussed in real-time how to explain our story better to communicate the value of handcrafted literary perfumes.

At the end of the day, we donated part of our earnings to support children with autism, reflecting our commitment to social impact alongside business.

This marketplace experience taught me more about entrepreneurship in one day than any book could. It taught me that creativity needs validation in the real world and that feedback is not criticism but a pathway to building something that truly matters.