Madison Ruggieri is on a mission to close the purchasing gap in skincare.
After learning that there was a cap on pricing within men’s luxury skincare (but not women’s), she teamed up with her brother, Matthew Ruggieri, to start Onekind, an under-$50 skincare line comprised of clean products that are as affordable as they are effective. And this isn’t the brother-sister duo’s first rodeo. The serial entrepreneurs are also the founders behind the curated men’s skincare e-commerce platform The Motley. And to our surprise, they have bootstrapped everything.
Here, Ruggieri shares the hardest professional decisions she’s had to make over the course of launching several successful businesses, the valuable lessons she’s learned along the way, and how she stays motivated and inspired even on her most challenging days.
CREATE & CULTIVATE: After working in men’s grooming for the past decade, you decided to launch your own line for women called Onekind. What was the driving force/brand story behind the launch? Why did you decide to enter the women's skincare category after a successful stint in men’s?
MADISON RUGGIERI: When we started our men's line, we were consistently told that there's a cap on pricing within men's luxury skincare because men would not spend more than $40-50 on skincare, but when I would shop for myself across the aisle, there was clearly no price cap on women's with product well above $100. With a decade of product development experience, I knew that highly effective, clean products didn't need that much, and it basically came down to the pink tax. Women's products were exorbitantly expensive because someone will pay it, not because of the formulations or efficacy. I saw an opportunity to create a skincare line that would be every bit as luxurious, effective and clean as the top brands, but at an actually fair price point.
Skincare is such a saturated space. It feels as though a new line is popping up every week. What makes Onekind different? How have you differentiated the brand so it stands out above the competition and in a crowded beauty aisle?
Most skincare brands have a top-down approach meaning they tell their customers what they need. Onekind is built with the input of our community, so before developing a product we ask what our community what kind of product they want, how they want it to perform, etc and create a product based on their asks. We also want to be really transparent and fair about pricing and have that conversation with our customers. I think that's a completely new concept in beauty.
“Not having the confidence to admit when you don’t know something only holds you back from learning and moving forward.”
You joined forces with your brother, Matt, to launch the luxury men’s grooming e-tailer called TheMotley.com, a dedicated men’s skincare line, Port Products, and now with Onekind. What is your working relationship like? Do you recommend partnering up with someone to launch a business? Why/why not? What are the pros and cons?
I highly recommend having a partner because running a business on your own is incredibly challenging and lonely, so having someone to share the vision, strategy, and workload with is hugely helpful. It's best to partner with someone whose strengths are not the same as yours but complement yours well. The downside is you're not always going to see eye to eye, but a lot of times something even better comes out of those moments.
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?
When I'm personally stumped as to which direction to take next, I try to go to my network for ideas or advice. Depending on the issue at hand, that could mean asking other entrepreneur friends what's working for them or surveying our community to find out how to better serve them. Getting outside perspective can completely shift how you're looking at an issue.
You've learned so much during the process, but what do you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you were first starting out? Why?
I wish I could tell myself that it's okay to not have all the answers. Not having the confidence to admit when you don't know something only holds you back from learning and moving forward.
Given that you have extensive experience in launching businesses, where do you think is the most important area for a business owner to focus their financial energy? Why? What money advice would you give new entrepreneurs? Why?
I would focus your financial energy on marketing and advertising. If no one knows about you, everything else is moot. In general, though, know your budget and stick to it. Opportunities will always come, so don't stress about passing on some if they're not feasible with your budget the moment.
What are some of the tools you use to stay on top of your business financials?
We use Quickbooks and Xero which are both great platforms for managing finances.
Success is such a broad term and it means something different to everyone. How do you define success? Why?
Success to me is conceptualizing something, putting it out into the world and seeing other people fall in love with it.
Starting a new business is never easy. What have been some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way and what have they taught you?
The biggest lessons have been personal—learning to trust in myself and my own expertise. I've realized that I am capable of more than I initially thought and that's something that no matter where my path ends up leading, I'll take with me.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out to the people who you admire and ask them to share how they got to where they have. Most people genuinely want to help.”
What is the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make professionally? And how did you get through it/what did you learn from it?
The hardest decision for me has been to end a working relationship because I'm so worried about ending on bad terms or hurting feelings. I've learned that even if I really like the people involved if their work is not benefiting the business, it's not a sustainable relationship.
With success comes opportunity but that also means you have your hands full. What keeps you inspired and motivated to keep going even on your most challenging days?
During those challenging moments, I always stop and ask myself "Is this what you want to be doing?" and since the answer is still yes, I push through and figure it out. A vacation every now and then doesn't hurt to help reset though!
What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs who have an idea but don’t know where to start to execute it? What key traits do you need to succeed as an entrepreneur today? Why?
Be ready to work harder than you ever have and accept that there's a lot you'll need to learn. Also, don't be afraid to reach out to the people who you admire and ask them to share how they got to where they have. Most people genuinely want to help, but be respectful of their time and generosity and remember to say thank you.
Photographer: Jenna Peffley
Hair: Styled by OGXpert & Celebrity Hairstylist Jillian Halouska
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