From the moment I mixed my first batch of cologne on the kitchen counter, I realized that passion alone wouldn’t keep the lights on—smart financial decisions would. I’d always been drawn to fragrances, but launching my own line forced me to track every bottle, label, and shipping cost, and to figure out how much cash I needed today to reorder ingredients tomorrow. In those first six months I cleared more than $30,000 in sales—an exciting surprise, but also a crash course in budgeting, pricing, and reinvesting profits. Handling inventory spreadsheets after midnight, negotiating bulk discounts with suppliers, and deciding whether to pour earnings back into marketing or product development taught me that finance isn’t just numbers on a page; it’s the discipline that turns creativity into a sustainable business. Growing up, I dreamed of earning my own money and standing on my own feet, and this venture proved that financial independence is possible when you marry a genuine passion with a clear-eyed grasp of the dollars behind it.

-Aryan Bajwala