“Working from home alongside homeschooling… I mean, there aren’t enough words to even start this conversation.”
Julia Yule and Christina Moss,
Founder of Bloom and Blossom
Bloom and Blossom, the skincare brand founded by Julia Yule and Christina Moss, is based on a brand ethos that has been born from their needs as mums to be, built on our passion as parents, and nurtured by their experiences as women. It presents everything that women do as it is where they are in their lives. “Being authentic is at the heart of all our decision making”, says Julia. In our interview we not only learn about how the brand became a live vision, we also get an insight into what it means to run a business as sisters-in-laws.
What did you do before you founded Bloom and Blossom?
Julia – I had a 10 year career in fashion and beauty PR and then worked as an editor at Conde Nast’s Glamour magazine.
Christina – I worked in the City within finance and marketing
What´s behind your concept and who is your customer?
Bloom and Blossom has been born from our needs as mums to be, it has been built on our passion as parents, it has been nurtured by our experiences as women and in turn is a true family business. We have a real purpose to exit. We are here to help families thrive and help provide that moment of joy in the day. We target families of all shapes and sizes.
Getting into this business, how much did you know about actual producing products like this? And what part did you need to learn before you started?
We certainly had a lot to learn, but fundamentally we knew what we wanted from our skincare and we were knowledgeable regards what we didn´t want in our products. We wanted natural and performance products and then we worked with the experts to achieve the very best formulations. We are learning every step of the way, and continue to learn. We are not scared of asking for help, knowing our shortfalls and we make sure we hire well.
Julia and Christina, you two are sisters-in-law. Who had the initial idea and how did the other one got convinced to join the business?
It was such an easy conversation. We had both always wanted our own business, we knew we could work well together, and we knew which area of business we would launch in. We wanted it to be relevant to our daily lives and be a part of our world and have an all-inclusive family ethos. – it was so important to us that our brand was authentic. At the beginning we would meet once a week, after work, and plan out the structure for starting up our business. We were a true kitchen table start up and we are so proud of where we have come from.
Often times founders are being told to give it a good thought before doing business with family members. What gave you the confidence that you would succeed in this constellation and how did your family react to your decision?
That is a very good question and it would be correct to say that some family members did show some concern that it may be a bit too close to home, but they had no reason at all to worry because we have utter respect for each other. We understand what each other brings to the business and in turn we let each other flourish. We are an incredible support for each other, a sounding block, a crutch when necessary and to be honest we couldn´t have got the business this far without each other.
Who taught you how to be and think like an entrepreneur?
We are both really hungry for business, we have always believed we can do this. We love to innovate; we are creative in different ways and I don´t think you can be taught these characteristics.
Talking about a good working Work-Life-Balance: We found entrepreneurs with children, especially female founders who are working from home, are having blurred boundaries between family and business. Now, that you are calling yourself a family brand, where do you (want to) draw the lines here? When is your time purely dedicated to business and when is it purely dedicated to family?
Now that really is the question of the moment, isn’t it? If we are talking about the time before Covid, then we would always say what balance are you looking for. Balance for one mother, is completely different for another. For us both we stated early on that having an office near to our respective homes and in turn our children’s schools, gave us the flexibility to not miss some of the important moments. School drop off is the positive start to our day that we really need. We might not be there for pick up but to have seen them run into school first thing and have navigated the conundrum that is the PE kit, lunch box and book bag, is something we cherish and fuels us for the day ahead. The current Covid juggle is quite another conversation, and we are just continuously learning on the job. Working from home alongside home schooling……. I mean there aren’t enough words to even start this conversation.
When are you defining your day as successful where you achieved something great?
A day for us can often feel like a true rollercoaster, ups and downs of business are a reality. Success is measured for us on how something makes you feel – that could be feeling accomplished, proud, joyful or determined to do better next time.We always try to remember to celebrate the small stuff, as well as the big wins and we have an incredible team with us along this journey.
www.bloomandblossom.com
@bloomandblossom
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