A Gloucestershire perfumier has turned his passion into a business with support from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme, with support from its partner SWIG Finance.
Entropy Olfactory was founded by Jonathan O’Connor after years spent developing skillsets and learning the trade. What began as an attempt to recreate high-end candles at home evolved into perfume-making, with Jonathan now producing a range of body scents and developing new products.
A £12,000 Start Up Loan funded equipment, ingredients, packaging, labels, marketing and regulation fees. Jonathan is now selling his fragrances online and at markets including the Tobacco Factory in Bristol and Bath Christmas Market.
A £12k Start Up Loan has been delivered to perfumier Jonathan O’Connor after he spent years developing skillsets and learning the trade.
Start Up Loans, part of the British Business Bank, offers personal loans of up to £25,000 per director alongside free mentoring for new and early-stage businesses. SWIG Finance is the programme’s Business Support Partner in the South West and last year alone delivered £8 million in Start Up Loan funding to over 400 new and early-stage businesses.
Jonathan’s first fragrance, Silversmith, was inspired by winter woodland walks.
“Imagine walking through the woods in winter, with damp, mossy earth beneath your feet and crisp air carrying the scent of pine needles” he said. “That’s what I wanted Silversmith to smell like.”
His interest in fragrance began while working on fashion photography shoots in London, and a love of scented candles.
“They would send me to pick up fragrances for the green room, and I ended up with a very expensive taste I couldn’t afford,” he joked. “So I started making my own versions at home using essential oils and after five or six years I was getting quite good at it.”
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Jonathan later moved beyond essential oils and began working with synthetic ingredients to create more complex scents.
“A lemon essential oil might contain 13 different chemicals,” he explained. “Using individual components means I can build something from the ground up and create something lemony with hints of jasmine or spicy clove.”
Around 40% of the ingredients used in Entropy Olfactory fragrances are natural, with blends mixed in Jonathan’s kitchen and left to macerate for up to six months.
The current range includes Silversmith, Seaside Zephyr and Morningstar, a woody citrus, with an Entropy Night Range in development.
Jonathan believes fragrance is closely connected to memory and emotion.
“People smell a perfume and it takes them back somewhere familiar,” he said. “That emotional connection is what you want.”
A lifelong creative, Jonathan said Entropy Olfactory was the first business idea he felt could become sustainable.
The Start Up Loan funded equipment, ingredients, packaging, labels, marketing and regulation fees.
“I registered the company while waiting for a flight in an airport departure lounge,” he said. “I was in the right headspace and thought, ‘If not now, when?’”
He discovered the Start Up Loans programme through an online search and said the funding helped turn the business into a serious commitment.
“Registering for the loan was the first step towards saying, ‘I’m not giving up this time,’” he said. “The fixed interest rate and business support made it really attractive, and the process was quick.”
Ellie Garbett, Start Up Loans officer at SWIG Finance, supported the application.
“Jonathan demonstrated commitment, industry experience and specialist expertise developed over several years,” she said. “That gave me confidence in his ability to successfully launch and sustain the business.”
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About SWIG Finance
SWIG Finance is a people-based lender that provides loans and support to help smaller businesses in the South and West Country grow. We base our lending decisions on potential rather than collateral, which means that we can often support businesses when others can't.
We’re growing every year. In 2025/26, we lent £18.4m to 506 businesses, helping to create and secure over 1,134 jobs and generate £95.2m in social impact. Download the report here.
If you’d like an informal chat about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to see how we can help: info@swigfinance.co.uk / 01872 227 930