Sofia Petrakov
Sofia Petrakov, CEO of Submissive Perfume, develops captivating fragrances that drive new levels of confidence, empowerment, and self-adornment. As a CEO inspired by her mother and 40+ year perfumer Tatyana Petrakov, she has an extensive background involving the intricacies of perfume compositions and creating remarkable scents that go beyond the just senses and touch the heart. She was born in Lviv, Ukraine and later made America her home at the age of 2 when her family sought a better, more opportune life without communism during the 70s. She learned early on the innate value of perseverance, resilience, and a strong work ethic to transform dreams into realities.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I learned the art of scent creation as a teenager from my mother Tatyana Petrakov who was a thriving perfumer in the fragrance industry. With that as her base, it ultimately inspired me to follow my heart and pursue a degree in fashion merchandising and marketing.
My fine fragrance roots fiercely rekindled over time, ultimately inspiring me to re-join the lab with my mother and launch Submissive Perfume.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!”
My motivation to starting our business was to create seduction into a fragrance. Being in the industry for so many years we were able to have our own vision in creating this line that we know our customers would love. Seeing positive and appreciative reactions from your customers and hearing the joy in our customers voices. Giving our customers the best quality products and services.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
My current role is CEO. Bringing my vision to light, for our customers to wear our fragrance line to feel empowered, happy, sexy, and confident.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
Starting a company from the ground up using our own resources. While being a single mother. trying to launch this fragrance brand during the pandemic, which slowed down our production. We are confident that our fragrance line will be a household name in the near future.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I see there has been a lot of change and I feel we are headed in the right direction with more women owned businesses. I would love to see more of this in the future with more equality and successful women.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
Women’s leader ship shows a different outlook bringing perseverance, empathy and talent to the company. They aren’t afraid to look at an obstacle from all views, They will try to understand the situation solve the problem instead of bending it to their own will.
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
Never stop dreaming. Make your dreams reality, achieve your goals that you set your mind to. Don’t be afraid to take a chance!