Meet Madison Batman | Owner & Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison Batman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madison, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I knew I wanted to start a business before I knew what I wanted to sell.

It was May of 2020, I had just graduated college with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a focus in Applied Behavior Analysis, and landed my first office job working as a temp. I would pass the days by listening to various podcasts while I worked, jotting down notes of the many things I learned. I listened to mostly mindset, personal growth, and entrepreneurship podcasts until one day I stumbled across Dave Kern’s The American Perfumer on Spotify and took a more serious interest in the fragrance industry. It was upon further research into the field, and a recollection of my poor grades in my college chemistry classes, that I solemnly determined I would NOT be creating perfume anytime soon. But one thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to start a business, so I promptly began researching the next best thing I could think of: How to make a candle.

I started my candle business in October of 2020 and things went well but my branding wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be, so I rebranded to Scent & Spill Studios in July of 2022 and it really started to take off from there.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I try to incorporate many of the principles I learned while pursuing my undergraduate degree into my business whenever possible. Scent & Spill’s mission is to make handmade homeware and fragrance products that make “home” a fun place to be. So in the literal sense, I’m relying on those behavior analysis principles of enriching the environment through appealing colors and comforting aromas, but my branding is also heavily focused on mindfulness and gratitude to enrich your mind and make it a nice place to be as well.

I got where I am today by following my intuition and passion to pursue creative endeavors with the faith that my hard work and discipline will pay off. I want other people to know that just because you go to college for one thing, that doesn’t mean you can’t pivot and carve your own path if that’s what you feel you want to do. While it isn’t always easy, it’s definitely rewarding. I have this sticky note that I wrote down at the beginning of my journey when I would listen to podcasts all day at work, and it says simply: “Leap, and the net will appear.” We won’t have everything figured out, but as long as we stay true to ourselves, take care of the people in our support system, and learn from our mistakes, then there’s really nothing we can’t do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a bit of a homebody, but I love a good time! I would take them to Denton first to stop by Recycled Books and spend a couple of hours looking for some good reads, then we would get sushi from Sushi Cafe and end the day with some fun cocktails at Paschall’s. Next, I’d take them to Bishop Arts to shop small with so many of the amazing local boutiques. Some of my personal favorites are Autumn Moon, Go Easy, Talking Out of Turn, and the Oasis Plant Shop. We would end the week by booking out Funky Fun Studios for an hour to take some really cool photos to document how much fun we had!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Starting a business prompted me to lean into my creative nature and pursue a career that provided me with an outlet for creativity. So by the end of 2020 I began working as a supervisor at Buff City Soap where I made plant-based soaps and other handmade products. It was here that I met Julia Evans, the Director of Marketing and Brand Awareness for the company, who happened to also be an avid candle-lover! She started as a customer of mine, but quickly became an influential motivator to me and my business by encouraging me to attend my first pop-up event in January of 2021, and later that year becoming my first wholesale customer. Sometimes we just need someone to hold our hand a bit as we explore new avenues, and that’s definitely what she did for me for which I am so grateful!

In October of 2021, a year after I began my candle-making journey, I landed a job at Purveyors of Fragrance, a candle manufacturer owned by a dauntless duo: Courtney and Troy Radloff. They have since become mentors to me and have taught me a lot about perseverance, fostering creativity, and not sweating the small stuff.

Thinking back, I can say that this endeavor has been heavily influenced by so many strong women in my life, whether they were entrepreneurs themselves, or they simply helped lift me up and guide me along the way. My family and friends have been an integral part of the progression of my business by testing out my products, offering words of encouragement when I’m faced with a challenging situation, and showing up to support me at local pop-up events. I am fortunate to have a very supportive group of family, friends, and other creatives to lean on and would not be where I am today without them.

Website: www.scentandspill.com

Instagram: @scentandspill

Other: TikTok: @scentandspill