From Napkin Sketches to Launch: When to Go For It + The Learning Curves

Hey! As many of you know, we're Kriszta and Stephy 👋🏼💕We're best friends, former roommates at Parsons and Co-Founders of Moonlit Skincare.

We love hearing the questions you send in, and are here to do another round of Q&A: From Napkin Sketches to Live.

Scroll down to read up on our experience starting Moonlit Skincare and what our biggest learning curves were.

Girls in pajamas and silk sleeping eye masks

Q: What was that moment you knew it was time to just go for it and start building Moonlit?

SK: The moment was in Oct 2016 when I knew I would be furious with myself if we didn’t go for it. We launched in May 2017.

KM: Although we had been talking about it for a while, the moment for me was in December 2016 when we first got together had long discussions and brainstorming sessions for the prototypes of The Ultimate Sleep Kit. ☁️I thought to myself, this is such a cool idea and a concept that hasn’t been done before, we absolutely have to do it. ✨

Q: What did your friends and family think when you both decided to take this dream and make it a reality? 

SK: Oh gosh funny enough we actually made enormous strides to keep it under wraps from nearly everyone until the site was shoppable. It made it 10x easier to launch without outside opinions. 🙉🌟K and I sought out feedback after it was live. It was fun to say, “Hey, Kriszta and I launched a skincare brand. Check it out- like, right now!” and see their reactions.

KM: Once the site was live, the feedback and support from friends and family has been nothing short of amazing. Everyone I have ever had a discussion about Moonlit with has been 100% supportive of us pursuing this idea. 

Girl in cardigan and jeans browsing magazine on bed

Q: What was the biggest learning curve when you started Moonlit Skincare?

SK: Recognizing the very limited bandwidth you have running a small business. As you grow, you cannot do everything. You will inevitably wear many hats and you will absolutely stress-test yourself. Obviously, it’s important to not wear yourself out but It’s important to see where your breaking point is and know when to hire help. 👯‍♀️

For example, when working with retail partners, you introduce a completely new set of variables. It’s not just about your e-comm site world anymore.

Your day-to-day now includes helping move your product in all those brick-and-mortar stores. Beauty is emotional; customers want to touch, play, and interact with your product before purchasing which is why working closely with retailers are important.

 

Girl with curly hair wearing silk sleeping eye mask

KM: The biggest learning curve was realizing just how many different aspects are there to running a successful business. When you start a skincare company it’s not just about the product: it’s also about the brand, accounting, e-commerce, retailers, marketing, business development, and I could go on forever here...

When starting out it’s easy to get intimidated by all the details you have to sort out before you have a company that runs smoothly.

Sometimes you will have to power through tasks you would much rather not think about at all and will face situations that are very alien to you and your particular set of skills. The important part is to give yourself some slack and to know when to ask for help. 💁🏼‍♀️

It’s really reassuring to know you have the back of the people closest to you when starting a company. We are really lucky to have a great support system.

 

Silk pillowcases, makeup pouch, facial oil, silk sleeping eye mask

 

Q: How did you create your first products?

KM: Stephy and I were obsessed with researching how to get the best night’s sleep. We found out that we start to get sleepy around 9PM-11PM when our body's natural melatonin is kicking in, enhancing the feeling of tiredness. The lavender scent in Midnight Shift teams up with melatonin's sleepy effect, aiding tension relief and a decrease in heart rate. 🌙❤️
 
Nighttime is when the skin's protective barrier weakens (allowing greater penetration of ingredients) however, it is also subject to severe dehydration. Jojoba coupled with sunflower oil delivers moisture and locks in hydration throughout the night!
 
SK: Ooh! Well, we first began designing the Cloud 9 Pillowcase when we discovered that the benefits silk provides for your skin (and hair!) are endless. 🙌🏼
 
The fibers in silk are smooth so it doesn't snag on your skin or hair. Silk itself is anti-microbial so it keeps bacteria from building up (excellent for acne-prone skin). Also, it’s straight up luxurious! It makes you look forward to bedtime.