How has the pandemic and door-to-door orders affected your business? How have your priorities evolved over the past year?
ALG: I’m based in California and Marie lives in New York so being on the other side of the country, not being able to travel, was a challenge. On top of that, we both gave birth during the pandemic, which in itself was a difficult experience.
Being a small business, we were able to adapt quickly and learned to be a little more nimble. Marie and I are perfectionists (a blessing and a curse, really), and this experience forced us to prioritize the things that matter most to us, both professionally and personally.
What was your proudest moment as a business owner?
MKA: When you take a big leap of faith to start your own business and COVID happens, you really wonder if you’re going to get there. It’s not easy to leave behind a comfortable job and a stable source of income, so when we won the Glossier grant and was selected for Sephora Accelerate – all in three months and without having yet launched a single product – it felt like we were right from the start.
ALG: Marie and I decided to create a product for people like us and to bring together different cultures. Our editorial platform gives women of color a voice to share stories from their cultures that are universally relatable. The word eadem means “all and the same” in Latin, and the brand is truly rooted in the connections we have with each other. Comments like “I wish I had this when I was growing up” or “Thank you for creating this space” really motivate us to continue our work.
