In July of 2003, two sisters from Utah decided they wanted to start a business. When a friend of theirs mentioned that she broke her wax candles into chunks and melted the wax in potpourri warmers, they knew they had found their product. The sisters designed candle warmers that were fun and décor friendly, and created strong, unique wax flavors. Once their product was ready, they began selling the Scentsy warmers at fairs and trade shows.

At one of these trade shows a man named Orville Thompson noticed their product; he could see the potential in the wickless candles. He took a warmer and some wax scents and samples home to his wife, Heidi. She and her friends all loved the products. Orville, believing he could sell Scentsy, bought the company from the original partners in May of 2004. Two months later, in July, he and Heidi launched Scentsy as a direct selling company, where the product would be sold at home parties.

Originally Orville wasn’t sure what business model he was going to follow, but Heidi spent a fair amount of time researching business models, after they bought Scentsy, and came across information for the Direct Selling Association. She was intrigued by the support they offered their members, and by their high standard of ethics. After thoroughly studying the DSA, Orville and Heidi decided direct selling was the best plan for their company. They knew people would have fun sampling Scentsy products in their own homes.

When Orville and Heidi first launched their business, they manufactured the products in a small shipping container located on a family farm in Idaho. Within a few short months the shipping container was too small to handle the demand. They moved to an 1800 square foot building. That pattern continued for the next five years. Every few months to a year, they had to move to a bigger location because they had outgrown the old one. Within five years the demand was so high for Scentsy products that they were able to move the manufacturing to a large plant, where machines now produce the products.

Scentsy is a story of a phenomenal success. For the last five years the company has averaged a yearly increase of 300%. When it first started, there were less than ten consultants. Now, there are over 35,000 and the number continues to grow. Scentsy has become such a huge success for a number of reasons. The first is the product. Scentsy warmers and waxes are high quality, well made, well designed, and safe no matter where you want to use them. The second and most important reason is that the company was founded on values. Authenticity, simplicity, and value are the key points to the business strategy that Orville and Heidi Thompson follow. So far, this strategy seems to be working wonderfully.