Dear Me — Self-care & Fragrance Brand
Monochrome pink flatlay of makeup and skincare products symbolizing beauty brand startup expectations.

Expectation vs Reality: What I Really Learned Launching a Beauty Brand

A real, unfiltered behind-the-scenes look at building a beauty brand from scratch. Founder stories, small business struggles, chaos, vulnerability, and the truth behind the pretty feed.

Minimalist cup of limonade with lemons slices on a pink background, illustrating the simplicity behind beauty product creation

Expectation vs Reality: What I REALLY Learned Launching a Beauty Brand

Let’s be honest: launching a beauty brand looks cute on Instagram — soft lighting, perfect labels, ecstatic unboxings, that whole “boss era” vibe. But behind the scenes? Yeah
 no. It’s giving “founder having a minor meltdown at 2 AM while refreshing tracking numbers”. And I’m saying that with love.

This is the truth no glossy startup article tells you — the real, chaotic, hilarious, slightly-unhinged-but-deeply-rewarding journey of building Dear Me from scratch. If you’re here for corporate buzzwords, exit now. This is a bestie-to-bestie conversation about the chaos we never post.

The Day I Thought It Wouldn’t Work

You know those movie scenes where the founder has a moment of doubt but then suddenly everything works out? Yeah, real life doesn’t have background music. It has spreadsheets. And suppliers who disappear for three days. And bottles that arrive in the wrong color — twice.

There was a day (okay, maybe more than one) where I genuinely thought: “Maybe I’m delusional. Maybe I should just sell lemonade.”

But here’s the part I didn’t expect: those moments are where the brand actually takes shape. Not the perfect days — the ones where everything goes wrong, and you still choose to keep going.

Amber glass bottles lined up on a pink surface, representing product formulation and fragrance testing in beauty brand development

Choosing the Perfect Scent Is NOT Like the Movies

Expectation: You smell one fragrance, your eyes widen, and suddenly angels sing.

Reality: After 40 scent samples, all you can smell is regret.

Finding Dear Me’s fragrances was a whole journey. You don’t just pick something that smells good — you pick something that feels like you. Something that tells a story. Something that holds meaning. But the process? Whew. Chaos.

You think you love lavender until you smell lavender #13 and realize it was just trauma all along. But then one scent hits you
 and you know. It becomes part of your brand’s heartbeat.

Why I Insist on Vegan & Cruelty-Free

(Spoiler: Because We Actually Care)

This part wasn’t complicated — it was instinct. I didn’t want to build a brand that looked pretty but lacked purpose. I wanted ingredients that respected people and animals. I wanted skincare that felt like a value, not a compromise.

Being cruelty-free isn’t a marketing decision. It’s a moral one. Same with vegan formulas. Same with clean ingredients. And trust me — choosing the ethical path is harder. More expensive. More time-consuming. But when someone texts me “I love how gentle this feels,” it’s worth every second.

The Founder Aesthetic vs The Founder Reality

  • Expectation: A founder journal, matcha latte, cute workstation.
  • Reality: Crying in the car because USPS lost your samples
 again.

  • Expectation: Organized Notion dashboard.
  • Reality: 87 tabs open and one of them is Googled “what does Net 30 mean.”

  • Expectation: Slick launch photoshoot.
  • Reality: You, holding the product against your wall at 11 PM praying for good lighting.

But here’s the thing: every chaotic moment teaches you something. You grow. You adapt. You laugh. You panic. You try again. It’s messy — and it’s beautiful.

What I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started

  • You’re not behind — you’re building.
  • Being overwhelmed doesn’t mean you’re failing.
  • The “perfect” brands you see online? They’re tired too.
  • Your brand will grow as you grow.

Entrepreneurship is not aesthetic. It’s not linear. It’s not glamorous. It’s real, raw, and full of plot twists. But building Dear Me taught me this: dreams don’t come pre-assembled — you build them piece by piece.

If you’re creating something from zero right now, know this — I’m rooting for you. And I hope sharing my behind-the-scenes chaos helps you feel a little less alone in yours.

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