Wear Less, Benefit More - Daybird

Team Subkit -

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in skincare but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Whitney McElwain, founder and CEO of Daybird, located in Chicago, IL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Daybird is an anti-beauty beauty club creating a new category called skin wear: a makeup and skincare hybrid custom blended into one product to simplify routines. Its mission is to help people show up for their day; however they are in that moment. Daybird launched this past month to a waitlist of over 4,000 customers. The first product, Tinted Skincare, is a hybrid formula combining makeup, skincare, and sunscreen designed with the intention to wear less and benefit more.

The current beauty landscape is all about adding more products and steps to fit unrealistic and idealistic beauty standards. According to research conducted by Vaseline, the average woman spends approximately $225,000 on beauty throughout their lifetime yet doesn’t use 90% of the products. They increasingly desire skinimalism – minimizing the number of products and steps in their routine. Daybird’s first launch is a clean and vegan serum, moisturizer, sunscreen, and foundation in one multitasking product that benefits.

Daybird Tinted Skincare includes clinically proven active skincare ingredients, including:

  • Niacinamide 2%: Vitamin B3 antioxidant increases dermal collagen for smoother skin
  • Bisabolol 0.5%: Chamomile extract reduces inflammation and evens skin tone
  • Zinc Oxide 12%: Non-nano mineral SPF 50 protects against blue light and UVA/UVB rays

Daybird is currently available for purchase on our website.

Tell us about yourself

As a female founder of color, it's important to me to be a strong representation of what a successful entrepreneur looks like for young girls. I started Daybird out of frustration with the beauty industry. So many people have told us they’re redefining beauty on their own terms, and we’re tired of spending time on products and routines that aren’t serving us. Daybird stemmed from our desire to shed traditional beauty standards and redefine what beauty means for the next generation. I don't want my four-month-old daughter to grow up with today's societal expectations.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Launching our brand is an accomplishment I will never forget. There's something magical about putting your business out into the world. It was the culmination of a year of hard work ensuring we were putting the best brand and product into the market, and we're just getting started.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest aspects of being an entrepreneur is dealing with daily imposter syndrome. Being a founder is often glamorized in media, where we receive the highlight reel of startup unicorns, but there are many ups and downs to the journey. Having a strong support system and an ongoing plan for your mental health is key to getting through each day.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Dive in. You can research and ruminate on an idea for a long time, but you won't get anywhere until you start doing it. Start talking to customers, start building a prototype... anything to get going.
  2. Not everyone will believe in you, and that's okay! Believe in yourself and surround yourself with a small and supportive circle that you can lean on. Take care of yourself and remember that every founder is going through or has gone through the same feelings you are having.
  3. Be flexible and be willing to learn. There's so much knowledge out there that you can soak up. When the time comes to adjust, be open to it. Listen to your customer and those smarter than you, and be comfortable enough to change where needed.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://daybird.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daybird.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daybird.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daybirdco/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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