Eight years ago, I bet on myself, and on algae. I didn’t come from a beauty conglomerate, or a business background, I didn’t raise a massive round and truthfully I had no idea what I was doing. I built MARA with taste, timing, and an obsession with doing things differently, with a penchant for skincare and an idea that I believed filled a void in both the market and in your skincare routine.
Today, we’re in retailers like Sephora, Credo Beauty and Goop to name just a few, and what I’ve learned is this: longevity in beauty isn’t luck — it’s resilience. Interestingly enough, this is the same principle behind our algae blend made from billions of years of Marine Intelligence, resilient against the harshest of environmental stressors and bottled just for your skin. Kind of like us. From COVID to tariffs to the LA wild fires, eight years in we've weather our fair share of mass extinctions... and we're still here. Resilient, just like the ingredients that power our formulas.
Here are eight lessons I’ve learned as a female founder building MARA.
1. Start before you feel ready.
If I had waited until I felt “qualified,” MARA still wouldn’t exist. Clarity comes from action, not confidence.
2. Obsession beats resources.
We didn’t have a budget. We had vision, grit, and an unreasonable belief in algae.
3. Distribution changes everything.
Getting into retail wasn’t luck — it was years of positioning, proof, and persistence. Build the brand retailers can’t ignore.
4. You will outgrow versions of yourself.
The founder who starts the brand is not the founder who scales it. Evolution isn’t optional, it’s required.
5. Your brand is your taste level.
Formulas matter. Packaging matters. Story matters. Your taste is your superpower!
6. Not everyone will understand your vision.
Algae wasn’t “trending” when we started. Innovation often looks confusing before it looks obvious.
7. Energy is strategy.
Protect your focus, body and your ambition. The founder’s nervous system sets the ceiling of the company. This one gets harder to balance, but important.
8. Longevity is the real flex.
Trends come and go, eight years in beauty takes resilience. Staying relevant — and timeless — is the win.
