We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jelicia Moss. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jelicia below.

Jelicia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Absolutely. I really can’t see myself doing anything else but that. It’s truly a whole new world working for yourself. However, being happy doesn’t mean there won’t be bad days. It’s definitely not giving unicorns and rainbows everyday. There have been plenty of times where I’ve felt like it would be easier to just quit and go back into working a “regular job”. I can’t even think of just one specific moment. You will never catch me knocking a 9-5. Not just because that’s where I come from but because a 9-5 is steady income. Being a business owner is NOT steady. There are high, highs and low, lows. Times when your business is making money and then times when you don’t make a sale for days. Especially in the beginning when you put out more than you’ll get back. When you’re constantly not profiting from all your hard work comes the moments you question if it’s all worth it. No matter how you put it, each path has its pros and cons. You’re going to have good and bad days regardless of whether you choose to be an entrepreneur or work in corporate.

Jelicia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Wellll where do I even start? My name is Jelicia and I am the Creative Director for Skin by Moss. We are a handcrafted luxury skincare brand based in Baltimore, Maryland. SBM was launched in July of 2020 during the height of COVID. Before launching, I worked in the health care industry as an Accessioning Technician while also working part time in retail and as a freelance makeup artist. I’ve always loved makeup. I started dabbling around very young, in middle school. However, as I grew older, there was a point where I felt like I relied on it and didn’t see the true beauty in myself naturally.

So fast forward to adult me, I was furloughed from my jobs and looked at it as an opportunity to invest in my very own skincare brand, which is now SBM. I wanted my brand to speak to people who may have felt like me and give them the confidence to embrace their skin “flaws” and all. Our mission is to change the narrative of “good” skin. We believe all skin is “good” just as long as it’s clean and moisturized. From luxury soap bars to bomb butters, we got you. Our products are handcrafted to not just look good but also smell and feel good. Our product catalog also consists of exclusive Merch in which for every piece sold, we donate a luxury bar of soap to a person in need. It’s the #MOSSMISSION-Making the world an ASH-FREE place, one body at a time.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

All of our skincare products are 100% handcrafted by myself. I wish I could say that I went to some big school and received a degree and chemistry but truth is I didn’t. I am a self taught product formulator. I never once thought to outsource for a product manufacture at all. I feel like making the products myself is one of the main aspects of my brand that makes me stand out from the others. Our products don’t include harsh, crazy chemicals. A lot of the ingredients are simple, and things you may recognize. I grew up in a black house hold so cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil.. they’re familiar to me.

Now listen here, just because I don’t hold a degree in chemistry, doesn’t mean I didn’t do my homework. I’ve spent the 10,000 hours putting in work and researching how I can incorporate and transform those same familiar ingredients into elevated, luxury products. When I first launched, I started with four (4) products. Now, we’ve grown to over twenty (20) and counting. The learning is nonstop. As we grow, I continue to research and figure out more ways to develop bomb skincare made with ingredients we actually know and can read.

It’s no walk in the park. I am still learning and constantly researching and testing new ways to improve our current line up. I think think the key to any sort of development is patience. Patience with ourselves and the process.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There is no one story for pivoting. I’m pretty sure we all pivot at least once a day but if i had to choose, the “BIG” pivot for me was losing my jobs and starting from scratch. I’m sure a lot of people can relate due to COVID. Entrepreneurship has always been a dream but I never imagined it would happen in such an unconventional way nor did I actually think I’d ever have the guts to see it through. I’ve been employed since the age of 14 so having a steady job has pretty much always been a part of my routine. Honestly speaking, I am grateful for that pivotal moment. If it wasn’t for me losing my job, who knows if I would’ve ever had the courage to step out of my own way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://skinbymoss.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SKINBYMOSS/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skinbymoss
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SKINBYMOSS
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@skinbymoss
• Other: TIK TOK @SKINBYMOSS