Left to Right: Mili and Maya, Founders of Moom Health
A conversation and idea for Moom Health started years ago when Mili, 29, and Maya, 27, went to college in the US and realised they often forgot to take the supplements their Mom prepared for them. The pair of sisters both started using monthly supplement boxes to make it easier, but would sometimes forget to replenish their supply. Eventually, over the holidays, they started making individual, daily bags with small jewelry plastic bags that would last them for the next three months. That idea really helped and soon after, their friends in college started doing the same. After continuing to do that for the last several years, Mili and Maya finally decided it was time to make this an official business.
What is Moom?
Moom – A Personalised Supplement Subscription Service
Moom is a personalised supplement platform that aims to transform women’s health from one-size-fits-all to tailor-made. Their customer journey begins with users taking an expert-backed questionnaire to discover how to uniquely support their mind and body with supplements. After that, the customer gets personalised recommendations packed into daily sachets and delivered monthly to their doorstep.
Moom’s target consumer is any and all women who want to embark on a journey of self-care and wellness. This includes anyone from a 20-year old college student who realises that instant noodles and too much cheap vodka are not providing the necessary nutrients for them to support their body from within, to the 32-year old overworked, slightly stressed, working mom who just needs an additional wellness element to their life, to the 50-year old woman dealing with sudden hot flashes.
“Our ethos lie in the fact that each woman’s journey is unique and their care needs to be targeted and personalised – but that everyone deserves a little TLC (and it can start as simply as in the form of a daily supplement sachet),” the pair of sisters shared.
Moom’s target consumer is any and all women who want to embark on a journey of self-care and wellness. This includes anyone from a 20-year old college student who realises that instant noodles and too much cheap vodka are not providing the necessary nutrients for them to support their body from within, to the 32-year old overworked, slightly stressed, working mom who just needs an additional wellness element to their life, to the 50-year old woman dealing with sudden hot flashes.
“Our ethos lie in the fact that each woman’s journey is unique and their care needs to be targeted and personalised – but that everyone deserves a little TLC (and it can start as simply as in the form of a daily supplement sachet),” the pair of sisters shared.
Which is Moom’s most popular product?
A Closeup of Moom’s Sachet
“Since everyone’s packs are different, we don’t really have a ‘most popular product’. That being said, we currently offer three “SUPER” supplements (all natural) that are patented products and have been very popular (and manually added to packs):
- Amla (AmVigour TM): A standardised extract and has undergone rigorous clinical trials. Amla is a cornerstone of Ayurvedic medicine and a very rich source of Vitamin C. It is one of the most nourishing herbs for your hair and skin. It helps strengthen hair follicles and increases blood circulation in the scalp, stimulating hair growth. Amla is also Ayurveda’s best anti-ageing secret, given its collagen building properties.
- Ashwagandha (KSM-66): KSM-66 is USDA Organic, has over 14 years of R&D, and is grown primarily in the Indian State of Rajasthan. Ashwagandha is an ancient adaptogen that helps the body adapt to stress, fatigue, and anxiety, and promotes a ‘balancing’ effect on the body’s metabolic processes. Rooted in Ayurveda, the herb has been used to promote physical and mental health for millenia.
- Curcumin (Curcuboost TM): Considered to be the gold standard of curcumin extracts. Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant known for its anti-inflammatory (glowy, acne-free skin) and pain-reduction properties (bye bye, cramps). We have formulated our Curcumin with piperine , the active ingredient in black pepper, which has been shown to increase Curcumin’s bioavailability by 2000%!
Also our B-Complex is definitely one of those products that people can benefit from within a week to 10 days of consistently taking it (which is rare in the supplement world)!”
Creating their own healthcare advisory board
Founders of Moom Health
Before starting Moom, Maya came from a background in International Relations and Women’s health. She has worked in Business Development at a startup in New York, after which she joined the founding team at WeWork in Singapore and was part of the Community Development team and Marketing Team. Currently, she is the Global Education Manager with Smile Makers, a wellbeing brand that supports sexual empowerment.
Mili has a background in Education Policy and was a fellow with Teach for India (TFI), working in a low-income school in New Delhi, after which she attended graduate school. Most recently she was the Head of Junior Counselling at Essai Education, a boutique education consultancy and still serves as a consultant for the company.
“Besides our own experience and personal research (which over 15 years has been extensive), we are not trained health practitioners. We have created a (permanent) Advisory board, composed of naturopaths, nutritionists, and ayurvedic specialists, but we believe in synergy and therefore work closely with multiple experts in the field of women’s health – from dermatology and gynaecology to naturopathy and Ayurveda – for our formulation process, quiz development, and recommendation logic. We have consulted these experts throughout our process to ensure the best possible experience, product, and recommendations!”
Mili has a background in Education Policy and was a fellow with Teach for India (TFI), working in a low-income school in New Delhi, after which she attended graduate school. Most recently she was the Head of Junior Counselling at Essai Education, a boutique education consultancy and still serves as a consultant for the company.
“Besides our own experience and personal research (which over 15 years has been extensive), we are not trained health practitioners. We have created a (permanent) Advisory board, composed of naturopaths, nutritionists, and ayurvedic specialists, but we believe in synergy and therefore work closely with multiple experts in the field of women’s health – from dermatology and gynaecology to naturopathy and Ayurveda – for our formulation process, quiz development, and recommendation logic. We have consulted these experts throughout our process to ensure the best possible experience, product, and recommendations!”
How has the response been since launching Moom?
“It’s been great – better than we expected to begin with and we are so excited to keep growing and sharing! There are lots of interesting things to share from dealing with lost packages to understanding how to appropriately respond to questions and concerns, but I think what we have loved the most is getting to speak to customers and hear real-time feedback. It’s so rewarding when someone says this is exactly what they are looking for or that they can’t wait to start taking supplements for the first time, that makes us smile!”
A typical work day at Moom
“It varies! But there seems to always be some combination of: social media scrolling and drawing inspiration, packaging and managing orders, usually a question or two for our developer (hahah), a couple calls with brands and organisations in Singapore (we are really hoping to create a greater wellness community within Singapore), responding to emails, DM-ing customers back, speaking with our advisory board, eating, usually ordering bubble tea, and we try to incorporate some kind of movement (a walk, a pilates session, a short HIIT workout)!”
Resolving challenges with patience and support
Mili and Maya faced new challenges everyday throughout starting this business. “We had delays with our supply due to COVID, we had to deal with government officials to ensure regulations; our operations are complex. But I think having each other (both as sisters and co-founders) is so important and being patient. It sounds cliche, but believing that it will work out has been our biggest lesson. As new business owners, you are eager to do everything on the first day – that just doesn’t happen. Being patient, taking things one day at a time, and leaning on each other is the best way out of any tricky situation!”
While every entrepreneur faces difficulties juggling all their responsibilities when starting a business, Mili and Maya make sure Moom is something they prioritise. In their free time, they both consult for companies to make rent and enjoy their part-time gigs.
“We are super lucky that our family is so supportive and a lot of Sunday night conversations, when we are all together, are about Moom and plans, etc…We also try our best to make time (away from discussing Moom) for our partners, our friends, and our family, but they all understand that right now Moom is our priority and are there to support us through the whole process!”
For Maya, a good yoga flow (she is also a certified teacher) and cooking an interesting meal often helps her to wind down and take time away from the screen.
For Mili, a solid sweat (be it from a long walk outdoors, a tough pilates flow, or an intense HIIT class), some mindless TV (she still watches Grey’s Anatomy and is proud of it), and window shopping is a great way for her to take her mind off Moom and recharge!
“Overall, we just do our best to balance as much as we can and are so fortunate to have a support system that understands where we are at this point!”
While every entrepreneur faces difficulties juggling all their responsibilities when starting a business, Mili and Maya make sure Moom is something they prioritise. In their free time, they both consult for companies to make rent and enjoy their part-time gigs.
“We are super lucky that our family is so supportive and a lot of Sunday night conversations, when we are all together, are about Moom and plans, etc…We also try our best to make time (away from discussing Moom) for our partners, our friends, and our family, but they all understand that right now Moom is our priority and are there to support us through the whole process!”
For Maya, a good yoga flow (she is also a certified teacher) and cooking an interesting meal often helps her to wind down and take time away from the screen.
For Mili, a solid sweat (be it from a long walk outdoors, a tough pilates flow, or an intense HIIT class), some mindless TV (she still watches Grey’s Anatomy and is proud of it), and window shopping is a great way for her to take her mind off Moom and recharge!
“Overall, we just do our best to balance as much as we can and are so fortunate to have a support system that understands where we are at this point!”
Becoming the go-to brand for national remedies in women’s health
When asked what their long-term vision for Moom was, Mili and Maya said they ultimately hope to make holistic and clean solutions for women’s health more personalised and more accessible. “We want to be the go-to brand for natural remedies for women’s health across the region. We believe there is a huge gap in wellness – and products are either made by brands our parents told us to take or ones with an exorbitant price point, or they aren’t available to us – and we’re here to fill that gap. We’re excited about this and we’re going to continue to create products that speak to our generation that are accessible, fun, and high quality.”
Tips for other entrepreneurs from Mili and Maya
- Take time for yourself – “your business will always be your priority but you can have more than one priority!”
- Be patient and persistent – things take time and a lot of work. “We spent so much time on social media and every brand seems to blow up overnight, but 99% of the time that’s not the case! It’s tough to remember but eventually it can happen (just not overnight).”
- Ask for help – “we aren’t and can’t be experts in everything and it’s important to rely on your network and community and ask for help! Everyone around you is (mostly) kind. Work together, reach out, and have conversations; it’s amazing what you can learn!”
Finally, just do it!
“Nike truly coined this for a reason. It’s something that our dad repeatedly has told us and something that we now believe in. You can try to prepare for every situation but until you actually do it, you are never going to truly know what will happen! It’s definitely a leap of faith, but if you are working towards something you believe in, trust yourself and go for it (9 times out of 10 it will be the right decision)!”
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