This as told-to essay is based on a conversation with Carylyne Chanco-founder of Good instincts. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When I joined the crypto company CoinMarketCap in 2018 I was part of a very small management team. Even though we were all working remotely, I immediately built a good relationship with Emily Hurd, then head of business development, and the only other woman on the management team.
At a rare personal retreat in New York City, Emily and I sat in Bryant Parktalking about sun protection.
I’ve been really passionate about it protection from the sun since I was a teenager. Protecting your skin from the sun is one of the best things you can do for your health. For me, talking to friends and family about sun safety – and even slathering on sunscreen – is an act of love.
I didn’t realize during that conversation that my passion was also one business idea.
I knew I wanted to work with Emily in my new venture
I shared my favorite sun protection products with Emily that day, and then we got back to working with CoinMarketCap. Over the next two years we built a robust business and eventually had the opportunity to sell. Due to a non-disclosure agreement I cannot say how much the company was sold before, but it gave us both a financial cushion that made us feel comfortable with the risk of starting something new.
At the same time, I had learned more about the chemicals in sunscreen. I had gone down the rabbit hole and become obsessed with the idea of creating an all-mineral sunscreen that blended well and felt luxurious.
I knew Emily would be a great partner for my new venture. To this day, we’ve probably spent less than a fortnight together in person, but we have a great relationship. That is proof of the power of the internet, but also of our dynamics. We respect each other to make wise decisions.
It took me four years to develop a product that I loved
CoinMarketCap was successful because we focused heavily on the user experience. We built a platform that people wanted to come back to day after day.
That’s what I wanted to do with sunscreen: create a product so good that using it became second nature. It really had to provide a great experience that people would want to come back for. This is also important for safety, because most people don’t reapply their sunscreen often enough.
Having money from the acquisition allowed me to spend time creating an excellent product. That took about four years. I worked in Singapore most of the time; Once I had a product I liked, I sent it to Emily in New York.
We rely on late night and early morning calls
Last year we finally launched Good Instincts sunscreen. It was incredibly valuable to see the customer’s reaction. We believe we have the best product on the market, and so do our customers. One returning customer ordered 24 times. It’s nice to know we have super fans.
The most meaningful feedback comes from people who have not been able to use sunscreen in the past due to sensitive skin, acne or other reasons. Now they have an option to stay safe in the sun.
Emily and I have been able to build this business on two sides of the world. We take advantage of the fact that I’m a night owl and she’s a morning person, so our working hours overlap more than you might expect. We also use Notion to be in constant contact, even when working asynchronously. It’s truly amazing, the rapport we’ve built and what we’ve been able to achieve together.
