Greetings, fellow skin microbiome enthusiasts,

I want to start by saying that all these weekly blogs are more or less a journey — the journey of an entrepreneur, shared honestly with anyone interested in what it really takes to build something from the ground up. No sugar coating.

This week’s post is about something that sounds simple but defines everything that follows: the importance of having a core value.

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Why Core Values Matter from Day One

I’ve been in rooms where “core values” were discussed years after a company was founded — usually once HR got involved. It wasn’t the founders who were driving it; it was HR, trying to codify what already existed.

But my suggestion to anyone starting something new is this: you are the HR.
You’re the one who needs to create and define your core value early — ideally before you even hire your first person.

Your core value should be so close to your heart that you live it without effort. It should shape your decisions, your tone, your relationships, your product — everything.

Start by asking yourself why you’re starting this journey.
Is it for money? Fame? Power? Impact? Confidence? Something else?
You don’t need to tell anyone — but you need to know it clearly for yourself.

Once you know your “why,” link your core value to it. It might not sound perfect at first, but as long as it feels true in your gut, that’s all that matters.
And please — don’t pick a value because it sounds good in a brochure. It can become a marketing tool later, but only if it’s already how you live and work.

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Where My Core Value Came From

For me, it all started with a shirt.

In December 2018, I bought a simple T-shirt that said “Be Kind.” I remember it clearly because I wore it to a conference in January 2019 — a meeting that turned out to be one of the hardest and scariest experiences of my career.

I wore that shirt on purpose. I wanted to make a quiet statement that my leadership style was rooted in kindness. But at that time, especially as a female leader, kindness wasn’t seen as a strength. It was viewed as being soft, naïve, indecisive — even weak.

To me, though, kindness meant something entirely different. It meant remembering that everyone we deal with is human — each person doing their best. It meant approaching people with understanding, not intimidation.

That experience stayed with me. And when I eventually started my own company, that message — Be Kind — came with me, consciously or not. Even my very first company email signature ended with those two words.

Later, when marketing teams asked, “What’s your business voice?” I would say, “Kindness.”
They’d laugh and say, “No, no — that’s not your brand voice.”

But it was.
It still is.

When I was developing my first product, I kept picturing how I wanted people to feel when they used it. When I launched the product, every interaction with a customer became personal. Someone had chosen to spend their hard-earned money on something I created — and that trust deserved more than a transaction. It deserved care.

That’s why every detail — from our colorful packaging to handwritten notes to how I personally follow up with every customer — reflects kindness.

We even partner with Gabi’s PALS, an incredible local organization that assembles our packages with so much care and attention. Every box that leaves our workspace carries love and purpose. I want every customer who opens it to feel that someone cared.

Even if a product doesn’t work for them — and I know skincare isn’t one-size-fits-all — I want them to remember us as a company that treated them with kindness and respect.

Because that’s the point.

I never had to “write down” our core value. It was there from day one, woven into every part of the business — from operations to customer service to how we select our ingredients.

Now, looking back over the past couple of years, I see it even more clearly:
“Treat the customer with kindness” isn’t just a nice phrase. It’s the foundation for every decision we make.

If a raw material isn’t high quality — we don’t use it.
If a product isn’t fresh — we don’t ship it.
If a customer isn’t happy — we reach out, listen, and make it right.

Kindness isn’t our slogan.
It’s how we operate, how we lead, and how we grow.

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A Note to Other Founders

If you’re building something of your own, start with your core value. Define it early — before you’re too busy to think about it. When things get hard (and they always do), that value becomes your compass.

Your core value should be something you don’t need to read on a wall to remember — you live it. You breathe it. You make decisions through it.

For me, that value is kindness.
And every single day, it reminds me why I started in the first place.

Until next blog, Cheers