In Bed With... Julianna of Deco.Miami Nail Polish

Moonlit's In Bed With... Series is a collection of intimate interviews with tastemakers, core-shakers, and the people we love. We explore what keeps them up at night, in addition to their sleep secrets.

Name: Julianna
Location: Washington, D.C. (no longer in Florida!)
Current gig: CEO and Co-founder of Deco Miami… plus Souki, which just kicked off like, yesterday.
What apps/software/tools can't you live without? Adobe Creative Suite and Planoly.
Favorite podcast: Ties! Recode Decode, My Favorite Murder, Pod Save America.

Nail Polish from Deco.Miami Nail Polish

One word that best describes how you work: WAR*

* I once read a marketing book that compared business to war, and the phrase “see the whole battlefield” stuck out to me.

The idea of smaller goals/tasks being battles to win in the overall “war” of gaining market share resonated with me.

What's your best time-saving hack?

If you can do the task in less than 2 minutes (like respond to an email), do it immediately.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Work, work, work, work, work. - Rihanna

Also, when something bad happens (in life, or business) you can bitch about for five minutes, but then you have to get over it and keep going.

Complaining is a huge waste of time, and does it really make you feel better to even do it?

Can you take us through a typical day?

Coffee #1 (9-10AM): Wander out of bed and make coffee. Check social to make sure nothing is on fire, then browse news and email while waking up.

Coffee #2 (10ish): Make a to-do list, then start chipping away at it.

Lunch: (12-1): Make food (probably dumplings from Trader Joe’s), then walk my dog to the dog park and watch him play for a bit.

Afternoon: Tackle whatever needs to be done that day.

6-8PM: Make dinner with my boyfriend, make another dog park trip, and then watch a Netflix show or two.

8PM+: Make a cup of herbal tea and work for the rest of the night until it’s time for bed, ideally around 1AM.

What's your sleep routine like?

I always get 8 hours, but I’m currently struggling with going to bed at a more “normal” time. (AKA, before 1:30AM) I’m so much more focused after 9PM, so it’s easy to get wrapped up in something and look at the clock and it’s 2AM.

My brain feels like it’s going at 200% at night, versus 40% in the morning.

What was your upbringing like and how did it affect your point of view, career path, etc?

Older photo of young girl sitting at a stand with cardboard sign which says 'artwork for sale'

I’ve always been very entrepreneurial (see above photo of me selling “artwork” as a 7-year-old) and playing business has always been fun for me. My favorite story is in 2nd grade, my older brother (4th grader) started selling Pokemon cards on the playground and asked me to help him, so naturally, I got on the computer and typed up an inventory sheet to distribute it to my classmates. (I had found some cool bright green paper in the home office and used that.) We got called into the principal’s office a day later and were told to cease operations immediately. My brother jokes that it was my bright green marketing sheet that did us in.

I had no idea what I wanted to do in college, had a better idea in grad school, but still not much direction other than “business”. I had already started working on Deco in school as a pipe dream kind of thing, and it wasn’t until after graduation when I was struggling to find a job when I realized that it was now or never to move forward with it. My original plan was to find a job and work on Deco on the side, but my dad said “no, you can’t start a business with one hand tied behind your back” I’m glad I took his advice.

What do you wish you knew before embarking on this journey?

Having a plan and clear goals is vital to being an entrepreneur. Pandering will kill your business, you always have to be deliberately moving in some direction.

What does your support system look like?

My family! But also other entrepreneurs I’ve met along the way (like you guys at Moonlit!) that just understand and can relate to whatever is happening that week.

woman setting up sales and display stall for nail polish

In terms of trends, what do you forecast will be “in” and what will be “out”?

Short nails are trendy, and that traditional nude nails are being replaced by non-pink neutral tones. Glitter and bling are also going to be big in 2019, as well as nail art.

Your top 3 favorite Deco.Miami colors?

This is an evil question because I legit love all of the colors. But, I find myself reaching for Nip Slip, Cafe Con Leche, and I’m Spiritual most often because I love neutral tones.

Nail polishes from Miami.Deco Polish

What are some basic rules you wish that every influencer/creator knew?

Influencers aren’t part of every brand’s marketing mix, and it’s not an insult to you if that’s the case.

What’s a big misconception about the beauty industry?

That every indie brand is trying to get into Sephora.

What’s a big misconception about the nail industry?

Yes, I have long nails. Yes, I can type. No, it is not impossible for me to take my contacts in and out without stabbing myself in the eye.

🔥 QUICKFIRE 🔥

My ideal # of hours of sleep is: 8
Sleep season for me is: Fall
How many pillows: One really fluffy one
AM or PM?: PM
Nightcap?: Decaf herbal tea with milk and honey
Bad sleep habit: Going to bed too late
Good sleep habit: No in-bed phone scrolling
Can't sleep with: Noise
Side/back/stomach sleeper: Fall asleep on stomach, wake up on back
Mantra: Live fast pet dogs 🐶