Two solopreneurs smelled opportunity; now they’re helping KC craft custom scents together
August 6, 2026 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Co-founders David Roberson and Dazja Taylor, ScentMakers; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Class is already in session for couples and crowds of curious Kansas Citians eager to sniff out new ways to connect memories with first-of-their-kind experiences. It’s all part of a custom fragrance-making workshop crafted by two serial entrepreneurs who already know about creating signature styles.
A couple participates in a fragrance-making workshop with Kansas City’s ScentMakers; courtesy photo
Through expert guidance, premium ingredients and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, ScentMakers — launched in 2024 by co-founders Dazja Taylor and David Roberson — offers public classes and custom events that make the art of perfumery accessible and enjoyable for everyone, they explained.
“It’s a challenge and actually helps to expand your brain,” Taylor told Startland News about the scent-crafting process.
Bringing people together through scents that not only spark curiosity but connect back to memories is a core goal of the ScentMakers’ group format, she added, noting the team also aims to help each individual guest discover the joy of making something that truly reflects who they are.
“People feel like chemists,” said Taylor, who also owns a luxury lash studio. “You come into the class and you get to smell all the scents. You learn about the history of scent making — why scent making is a thing and why people started wearing perfume — and how to build a scent. Then you actually get to do it right there in the class.”
It starts with the basics, she emphasized.
“We want to let people know they’re not gonna remake Dior. This is not that,” Taylor said with a laugh. “But it can give you something that you’re proud of, that you want to wear, and you want to tell your friends about.”
“Ultimately, it’s for people to walk away with a scent that they love,” added Roberson, who previously founded the solopreneur startup marketing firm Azella. “But what we want them to walk away with is an experience.”
Members of a ScentMakers class smell fragrances during a private event; courtesy photo
ScentMakers offers a foundation of more than 50 scents from which to build, including seasonal fragrances.
“You could be a moody person,” Taylor said. “You could like clean-smelling scents, woodsy, floral. We have all those different options for you.”
Taylor and Roberson — along with their partners Alex Taylor and Ashley Wiggins — organize public classes for date nights and holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, popups, and private events like bachelorette parties and teambuilding workshops.
“Most people who come here actually end up shocked,” Roberson said, noting the process turns skepticism or even ignorance about the process into an enjoyable experience.
“We actually had one guy on Valentine’s Day,” he continued, “from the moment he walked in the door, he was super grumpy. ‘My wife dragged me here.’ The guy did not want to be here. But by the time he left, he was like, ‘I must say to you guys, this was amazing. I’m grateful that she dragged me here.’”
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Formulating a plan (and the right team)
ScentMakers also started with a husband and wife date night, scent-making experience, Taylor shared. A few years ago, while visiting Dallas for a wedding, she found a perfume-making class online. She decided they’d give it a try.
“It was the weekend before Valentine’s Day and I wanted to do something cool while we were out of state,” she recalled. “So we went to do the class, and (Alex’s) like, ‘We can do this. We can bring this back to Kansas City. This can’t be that hard.’ And I’m just like, ‘Whatever. I’m just here for a good time. I didn’t come here to think of more businesses to run.’”
A couple samples fragrances during a ScentMakers workshop in Kansas City; courtesy photo
Despite Taylor’s own initial skepticism, her husband — who is an educator for at-risk youth — wouldn’t let the idea go and insisted they run it by Roberson. The startup founder had been helping Taylor with marketing and website design for her lash businesses for about a decade and ultimately confirmed the scent-making business idea as a great one.
“My husband was passionate about bringing something new to Kansas City,” Taylor noted.
Once the couple got the scent-making business up and running, they again reached out to Roberson to help them expand on the business, she continued.
“They got the foundation in place, understood the science of scent-making and the experience that people were looking for,” explained Roberson, who attended the business’ first public class for Mother’s Day two years ago with his mom and sister. “Where I came into play is like, ‘How do we automate this? How do we streamline this, and how do we grow into something bigger?’”
Roberson brought on his girlfriend — who works as an emergency medical technician — to help him teach classes. Taylor and her husband tackle workshops together as well. Tag-teaming as couples is a new experience for both of the solopreneurs.
“What’s really nice about this is I have partners,” said Roberson, comparing ScentMakers to his marketing business. “When you’re in the business by yourself, it’s a lot on you. But having something that you can partner with other people on — we all have different roles and different responsibilities to help push things forward — it makes it a lot less stressful, makes it a lot easier, and makes me a lot more motivated to want to continue to push.”
“It’s a shared experience,” Taylor continued. “That makes it more fun. So it’s a good experience for us and it’s a good experience for other people. Lots of joy and laughter to be shared.”
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An invitation to Kansas City
Now that ScentMakers has established its roots in Kansas City, Taylor and Roberson are hoping to increase their brand awareness across the Kansas City metro area.
“What we’ve realized is that there’s a huge education gap. It’s not a thing in Kansas City,” Roberson explained, drawing a contrast to places like Chicago and New York where the scent-making experience might be more common. “Most people, when they come here, they were like, ‘I had no idea about this.’”
The partners’ bigger vision is to grow the business into mini franchises for couples, added Roberson, who noted they are also looking for more local venues to accommodate ScentMakers’ larger events.
“Right now, (Taylor) and her husband run classes and me and my girlfriend run classes,” he said. “So the idea is for other couples to join us, and run classes for people as a side hustle.”
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