Scentsy and the Sweet Smell of SuccessA couple's last-ditch entrepreneurial effort fends off bankruptcy in favor of a balmy future.

Orville Thompson admits that, at one time, he was "a hack entrepreneur." He sold a variety of wares at fairs and trade shows, but he wasn't prepared for the post-9/11 recession. Bills mounted. He told his wife, Heidi, that he was thinking of declaring bankruptcy.

Anxious to prevent this--and unwilling to leave their creditors high and dry--Heidi urged Orville to keep trying. He found his next great hope,Scentsy, at a home and garden show in March 2004 in Salt Lake City. The ceramic warmers scent rooms like a candle but without the risks of an open flame; instead they heat wax with a light bulb.