Sahana Rangnekar

At just 13 years old, Sahana Rangnekar is already leaving her mark on the world of entrepreneurship. The eighth grader from Dublin, California is the creative force behind Botanical Boutique, a customizable, organic perfume business that offers an unforgettable, hands-on experience. Her unique business model and impressive drive earned her one of this year’s Formidable Fellowships, a grant awarded to young founders building bold and impactful ventures.

Sahana’s entrepreneurial journey began when she developed a skin reaction to traditional alcohol-based perfumes. Frustrated by the harsh chemicals and overpowering scents, she decided to create her own alternative—perfumes that were clean, moisturizing, and, most importantly, customizable.

What started as a kitchen experiment with essential oils quickly evolved into a full-blown business. Sahana debuted Botanical Boutique at the Acton Children’s Business Fair, offering customers the chance to craft their own personalized perfume blends on the spot. The booth was an instant hit, with her selling out of inventory—including her samples.

A DIY Perfume Experience Like No Other

What makes Botanical Boutique stand out is its immersive, DIY format. At her pop-up booths and events, customers walk through scent selection, flower additions, and oil blending themselves—leaving with a completely custom fragrance they created from scratch. Think of it like the “Chipotle of perfume,” as podcast host Anand cleverly put it.

Her sleek, elegant booth setups feature a scent-smelling station, dried flowers, and labeled steps that guide guests through the process. This visual appeal and engaging experience not only attract foot traffic but also help create lasting memories for her customers.

Expanding into Events and Parties

In addition to fairs, Sahana now brings Botanical Boutique directly to clients through birthday parties and retirement community events. At parties, she acts as the featured entertainment, guiding groups of kids through perfume creation and even offering party favors or custom keychain crafts as upsells. She’s also working with local retirement homes to provide special experiences for residents.

Each party or event is booked through a simple flyer and form system, but she’s now working on a new website to help streamline these bookings—part of what she’s using her Formidable Fellowship grant for.

Smart Business Sense at Every Step

Sahana runs her business with a sharp sense of costs and margins. By sourcing supplies in bulk, she’s reduced her cost per bottle from $3.50 to just $1.50—while still selling each for $12. That’s an 87% gross margin. Whether she’s at a fair, a private party, or a retirement home, she’s always mindful of pricing structures, booth fees, and customer acquisition channels.

She’s also gathering customer emails at each event and plans to implement a follow-up system to boost retention and rebooking—something she’s investing part of her grant into.

Learning by Doing

Sahana credits her mom for helping her navigate the business side of things, but she’s also learned a tremendous amount by simply doing. From making her first sale to now standing confidently and pitching to strangers, she’s grown not just as a business owner, but as a communicator and leader.

She draws inspiration from other female founders, especially Tara Bosch, the creator of Smart Sweets, and hopes to one day build a product line that can reach that level of scale. Her advice to other young entrepreneurs? “Go into it with a positive mindset. Once you’re more calm, it helps you open up, be genuine with customers—and that boosts your sales a ton.”

What’s Next for Botanical Boutique?

Sahana has big plans for the future. She’s currently working on a revamped website and exploring the idea of a “business-in-a-box” model. This kit would allow other aspiring entrepreneurs to launch their own Botanical Boutique-style booths at local fairs and events, giving them an accessible entry point into business while expanding her brand across the country.

Long-term, she envisions scaling Botanical Boutique into something much bigger—offering kits online, hosting nationwide pop-up events, and empowering other young people to start businesses of their own.

Her Dreams

When asked about where she hopes to be in high school, Sahana confidently says she sees herself as an advanced entrepreneur. Whether she sticks with Botanical Boutique or ventures into new ideas, her goal is to keep learning, growing, and building—while continuing to inspire others to do the same.

With heart, hustle, and high margins, Sahana Rangnekar is proving that age is no barrier to building something beautiful. And we can’t wait to see what she creates next.