BEHIND-THE-SCENES: #Unfiltered and Raw as a New Business

If only people were more open and #unfiltered WHILE preparing for and building their business.

Oftentimes, people only open up about the struggles and unglamorous moments AFTER they become successful. It’s only when they have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram does it become cool to air their “old dirty laundry”.

Not many want to share those vulnerable moments while they are going through them. I get it, it puts you in a vulnerable position, especially when you have yet to show any success. You open yourself up to criticisms that make you feel that you are less than:

“why don’t you pay more attention to Instagram ads”,

“no your feed is not aesthetic enough”,

“your pictures are too boring”,

“why did you make this product without fragrance”…

and the list goes on and on…

Yet, in this over-curated digital world, raw truth and realness is so inspiring. It makes you feel less alone. You realize that everyone starts somewhere. You learn that it is really normal to not know what you are doing and to make mistakes.

SO WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. We want to share this with you when we still have so few followers, have not yet launched or sold a single product, and therefore still not successful by any measurement.

We want to be open and transparent about how inexperienced we might seem compared to established brands.

Does this make us look less “legit” in front of certain groups of people? Maybe. But what is important is to stay true to our values, to make the best of what we have, and to celebrate baby steps.

We always talk about enjoying the little things in life. Therefore, even though there may be mistakes or a sense of amateurism, we are enjoying the process and would love to share this process with you.

So, let’s just get right into it!

Here’s a little behind-the-scenes look at Fig & Olive’s launch preparation…

PART 1: Creating the Stain Remover Spray formula

This was by far the most challenging part of our first launch. We were very specific with what we wanted in our stain remover spray:

• On-the-go and therefore can be applied in a convenient manner

• Non-toxic (contains only ingredients rated 3 and below on Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Database)

• Gentle yet effective, therefore suitable for children and mothers (whose lives are prone to many fresh stains)

• Cost effective

Many times, we just could not get the right formulation:

• Either the formulation turned out cloudy (imagine how we felt when we received this sample), or too viscous and could not be applied via a spray applicator

• We need to use an expensive ingredient that would make the product too pricey

• An ingredient is not available in Indonesia (and global supply chain problems make it extra difficult to obtain them)

• Delays in formulating and testing because of the pandemic-related restrictions

Then… when the look and consistency seemed right, it lacked efficacy when we tested it on common types of stains. Here’s a look at our testing (yes, it seems amateur, but we figured it is the best way to test real-life applications).

We have a list of common stain-causing ingredients: coffee, tea, soy sauce, sambal, oil, mustard, makeup, milk and the list goes on…

And FINALLY, after months of testing and optimizing the combination of ingredients in terms of efficacy and cost, WE GOT IT!

We are so proud to finally share this with you as we think it would change your life!

PART 2: Finding the right bottle packaging

Even with packaging, we ordered a bunch of different types of bottles and spray applicators to find the best version. We analyzed the spray patterns and rated the ease of use. We even made sure the bottle caps are easy to remove with one hand! (Moms always only have one free hand while the other is holding on to their baby…)

With the box, we also went through a couple iterations to make sure they look neat and contain useful educational information on the product.

PART 3: Designing Oversized shirts

From the start, we already knew we wanted to design 2 types of oversized shirts, one of which is definitely the classic button-up.

However, the devil is in the details.

We wanted to choose a material that is easy to wash and maintain, cooling and comfortable on the skin, and is long-lasting. Therefore, even though we know that cotton poplin can crease and might require some ironing, we accepted this drawback and still stuck with it because of how comfortable it is.

Next, we wanted the silhouette to be just right. Anyone can make an oversized shirt, but sometimes when you buy one online, it just falls kind of weird…? Here’s a snapshot of our back-and-forth on shortening the sleeves, adding the right curvature to the side profile, removing certain aspects that make the shirt look “stiff”.

And finally, the finishing touches are in the details that elevate the whole look. This includes the pleat at the back, double-button cuffs, stand-collar neck, puffy sleeves etc.

We also want colors that are super versatile and can be kept in your wardrobe eternally. That’s why we are starting with off-white and dark khaki- colors that you will never grow out of.

Again, with global supply chain challenges, the price of textile has been going up steadily, and even if you are willing to pay more, supply can be limited.

PART 4: Semi-DIY Product Photoshoot

The fun part! For many people, this may be the fun part of any new product launch. But for us, we are much more experienced in developing products behind-the-scenes, and less so on social media and product photography.

With a limited budget, we just could not justify getting a professional photographer when the money could be better used to serve customers in other ways. After asking around, we are fortunate enough to have a few friends with photography experience to help us with our first product shoot.

Turns out, it was so much fun! We learned a lot more about the process of planning your mood board, photo list, props, model poses etc. Guys, it’s really not as simple as finding a model to wear your product and just start snapping away. The behind-the-scenes preparation leading up to it is much more tedious that you would think. We can’t wait to improve in our next product launch shoot.

Note: For those who want to start an online business, you do not need the fanciest equipment. Smartphones these days have amazing camera function. That, along with many free editing apps you can download online, is more than enough to create great pictures! What is important is finding the right angles, keeping the mood consistent and on-brand. So do not let this become an excuse for you to not start selling your product online!

There were many days when we doubted if we should just stop developing the products, but we just kept reminding ourselves to take baby steps in the right direction. Glad that we did so that we can share these new creations with you :)

To those thinking about starting a business, feel free to contact us! We are by no means the most experienced, but we would love to share our perspective from a new business who is still learning as we go.