'It's kind of like your first impression': Marquette freshman turns passion for fragrance into business venture

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Jenna Wells meets a Marquette University undergraduate diving nose-first into the business world with a fragrance startup called Urbane Aromatics.

"Everyone's got, like, a unique fragrance, right. It's kind of like your first impression," said Drew Goetz, a Milwaukee college student that's capitalizing on one of the most important five senses: smell.

"I wanted to create something that kind of gives you an impression on somebody," said Goetz, a freshman at Marquette University, majoring in Business Administration.

His first year of college has been a busy one: taking classes, adjusting to the city, and working on the side, but his job isn't one that many college freshmen have.

"School is obviously the number one priority, so that's kind of cool that I was able to start this in high school, and now I'm at the point where it kind of runs itself," Goetz said.

He is the owner of Urbane Aromatics, creating and selling professional fragrances.

"I think it's cool that I can match somebody with a fragrance and that's their signature, that's their impression," Goetz explained.

Like many good ideas, this one started in a garage: his parent's garage in Rochester, Minnesota.

"Me and my friend wanted to start a friendly competition," Goetz said. "He wanted to do candles, and I was just not into candles, so I was like, let's make a competition out of this, and I started fragrances."

It was certainly not your typical competition, but starting a business is Drew's kind of fun.

"I would say entrepreneurship kind of runs in my blood," Goetz said. "My uncles, they're all businessmen, and it's just kind of fun to grow up around that." 

He has always been a fan of colognes. Though other teenagers might be wearing Axe body spray or Old Spice, Drew wanted to create something more sophisticated.

"The biggest push for me was kind of having something that isn't harmful for my body," said Goetz. "I wanted something that was vegan, cruelty free, and I'm not allergic to."

There's not really a playbook for fragrance-making. Goetz said it's mostly trial and error.

"There's a lot of oils involved, and creating the right balance between them, that's the art," he explained. "Whether you want to use jasmine with neroli oil or orange with citrus, just seeing what they can create together."

His first fragrance, called UA1, is inspired by his dad, with notes of citrus, grapefruit, and sandalwood.

 "He always wears his own signature scent every single day, and I wanted to make something kind of similar to it, Goetz said. "It kind of opens up fresh, but it kind of sits nicely and it's not overpowering."

Drew first started selling bottles last year, at pop-up craft shows and makers markets in Minnesota.

His second fragrance is called UA2, a more feminine, fresh, floral scent.

"That's got bergamot, jasmine, and neroli oil, which is like an orange extract," Goetz explained.

A third scent is on the way called UA Sailor, inspired by his brother.

"It's got lemon, lime, and sea notes, so it kind of gives you the fresh and musky smell, kind of like an ocean breeze," Goetz said.

Now in Milwaukee, Drew has an even stronger support system for his brand through his school's resources.

"Business is a lot of ups and downs, and some people, when they hit the bottom, they have no motivation, and I think that's what was so beneficial about Marquette," he explained. "They didn't let me hit the bottom; they just kept me going."

His bottles are on display in the university's Innovation Space, part of the entrepreneurship center.

They're also being sold at a men's store in Milwaukee's third ward, called MilWorks.

 "I just walked in, and I found the owner, very nice guy, and I basically just told him my story, and that's what he bought. He bought the story, and the product came after," Goetz explained.

Drew hopes to keep growing his product line and expanding into other stores in the city, but his true passion is to inspire others.

"Young entrepreneurs out there, I want to give back to them and maybe help them get where I'm at, because I started from scratch and it's a process," he said.