Innovative fragrance company embraces the spirit of Nevada
Outlaw is the Sparks-based fragrance business that probably never should have existed. Not because it’s not wonderful, but because, according to owner Danielle Vincent and her husband Russ, there were simply too many strikes against them.
Living in Los Angeles, participating in super commutes and giving in to the grind, the then-newlyweds cashed in on a new way of life, abandoning their steady careers in pursuit of an entrepreneurial experience they probably weren’t yet well-equipped to handle.
Oh well. Fake it ‘til you make it, we say.
What started as an online soap company has expanded to include cologne, body lotion, air fresheners, body wash, beard grooming products, shampoo and conditioner.
“My dad literally started laughing when I told him I was leaving my six-figure-per-year job at Oprah and starting a soap company to make campfire-scented soap,” Vincent said.
To fund the dream, they asked for soap-making supplies on their wedding gift registry and even received 10 pounds of castor oil as a gift.
With next-to-zero business knowledge—Vincent admittedly had never seen a profit and loss statement before starting Outlaw—she quit her job (something she calls an absurd choice, in retrospect) and cashed out her 401k plan (another action she doesn’t condone) to move from Los Angeles to Oakland and start Outlaw.
“From that point on, it was a do-or-die situation,” Vincent recalled. “We had no savings, no parents to bail us out, no nothing. We didn’t have good enough credit to get a bank loan, which is probably for the best.”
Despite the challenges, the company Danielle and Russ started in 2013 on a prayer, and a dream is thriving today as a full-fledged fragrance experience business. The niche is that they sell scents tied to memories, and they have embraced the essence of the Silver State with a line of Nevada-inspired scents as part of a From Nevada, With Love collection.
“It’s that emotional connection with the scent that we’re hoping for,” Vincent said. “We want people to be transported emotionally, not just in their imagination. We want to make a real connection. When it happens, it’s profound.”
More than twice, Vincent said customers have started crying after sniffing their Hair of the Dog scent, which smells like a combination of whiskey, coffee and tobacco, because it reminded them vividly of their grandfather.
“It seems unlikely that a mostly online business would have such a strong relationship with our customers,” said Vincent, “but when something is as intensely personal as a memory, it’s a different type of connection.”
Today, the company fills approximately 3,500 orders out of its Sparks warehouse each month and sells regionally in a handful of brick-and-mortar stores.
About 80% of online orders are from repeat customers.
“For our scents, my philosophy is that if we can’t be the only, we better be the best. The thing we have really gotten truly great at, if I do say so myself, is creating unexpected and remarkably emotionally resonant scents,” Vincent said.
While Outlaw is turning a profit in 2023, that wasn’t always the case. In 2013, online shopping was a different world, and buying something “scent un-sniffed,” according to Vincent, was hard.
The scent descriptions were a bit odd compared to the traditional market at the time, opting for smells such as campfire or leather for personal care products.
Despite all the reasons not to pursue Outlaw, the Vincents did just that, and they did it fervently.
“My friend found that smelling a certain scent during her studies had helped her in the exams… If we could craft scents that triggered recall of really great memories, that could create a pretty profound benefit to people,” Vincent said. “And having the vehicle for that scent be something that people used every day… it seemed like a good idea despite all the reasons it definitely wasn’t a good idea.”
The first several years, Vincent describes it as a disaster. It got worse before it got better.
“We moved from a warehouse in Oakland to a house in Antioch and then to a converted garage in Grass Valley, then to a rental house in Grass Valley,” Vincent recalled. “Russ and I got second jobs at various points during the business just to make ends meet.”
In Grass Valley, after the Paradise fire, evacuation notices were commonplace and turning off the electricity to prevent fires happened routinely.
This is problematic since running an online company and making soap require electricity.
It reached a point where, during one evacuation, the Vincents rented a room at a Motel 6 to run the business out of. “They do indeed keep the lights on,” Vincent joked. “I was still not great at running a business. Russ was barely getting the hang of managing a production team. And we were operating on generators and a motel room… not great.”
In 2020, Reno became the unsung hero of the story. A visit over the hill and a stay at Whitney Peak Hotel convinced the couple they should relocate. It was here they rented a warehouse and hired a team.
“We have a lot of long-timers at Outlaw,” Vincent said, mentioning Ian, the warehouse manager, who has been with Outlaw since August of 2020; Shantel, the customer service manager, who started in January 2021; and Jake, the COO, who has also been with outlaw since January of 2021. In total, there are ten employees.
“Outlaw isn’t the same company it was in 2013, and we are not the same people,” Vincent said. “My heart has broken a lot of times since 2013. And yet, I am so grateful for everyone and [gestures broadly] God’s assistance with all this. I feel like every day is a miracle.”
While the story is an emotional rollercoaster, the products are what matters.
Vincent calls Lust in the Dust her favorite scent, describing it as not sage-scented but a product that mimics the smell of Nevada sagebrush, plus sandalwood. For colognes, she’s recently become a fan of Rugged Rider. “It smells like leather, musk and sandalwood,” she explained. “It’s both common and distinctive, sexy and adventurous. I think it’s what people would consider a more masculine scent, but I don’t think our scents are gendered.”
“Since we’re making scents with the express purpose of reminding people of real-life things, someone who has a strong connection with leather could find that Blazing Saddles really sings to them,” Vincent added.
While most products are purchased through the website liveoutlaw.com, they are also available in person at Northern California and Northern Nevada Whole Foods Stores, Flag Store Sign & Banner at 155 Glendale Ave. in Sparks, Home Means Nevada Co. at 135 North Sierra St. in Reno, Evergreen Genes at 3060 US 50 East in Carson City and the Nevada Legislative Gift Shop at 401 S. Carson St., also in Carson City.
And while the focus is on the scents, it’s also on social and environmental practices, at least for Vincent. In addition to creating scent experiences, Danielle and Russ are committed to ethical production, ingredients, and sustainable packaging.
“In closing,” Vincent says, “Do cash out your 401k and quit your fancy job to start a company that everyone thinks is stupid. It’s about the journey, not the destination.”
