Stories behind the brand SOPHIA MAE

SOPHIA MAE’s founder, Monica Geuze, and brand manager, Manon Willemsen, have been with SOPHIA MAE since the very beginning. Together with the SOPHIA MAE team, they create self-care products designed to inspire and motivate others to take more time for themselves—products that, above all, come straight from the heart.

In this interview, they offer a glimpse into their collaboration, share what SOPHIA MAE means to them, and reveal how they ensure they remain a strong team. Read an exclusive excerpt below.

Can you share your earliest moments together at SOPHIA MAE?

MANON:

"I think that in the early stages, we simply had no idea what we were doing. We learned as we went along, which, of course, meant encountering some unexpected bumps along the way. For example, we forgot to barcode our Gratitude Journal, which resulted in Monica, a few friends, and me manually labeling 10,000 Gratitude Journals over two weekends. And during the development of our first product (fun fact: it was the Goddess Glow), we thought we could go live just a week after giving our approval. However, we were informed that the product still needed to undergo three rounds of testing, each lasting sixteen weeks. As beginners, these were things we obviously had no idea about.

A memorable moment was the day of the launch. I think I speak for both of us when I say there have been few times when we’ve experienced as much stress as we did that day. Monica was so overwhelmed that she isolated herself, feeling both nervous and eager to see the reactions. After the launch, she even called a few customers personally to thank them for their purchases."

MONICA:

"What I remember well from the early days is that we started in a small office in Amsterdam. It had room for six desks, which was actually optimistic since there were only three of us. Very quickly, the other three desks were filled, and we had to start looking for a larger office.

Now that we have a bigger team, I look back on that initial phase with great pride. Knowing now how much effort it takes to build something like this, I find it even more impressive that we started so small and managed to set everything up from scratch. In hindsight, it’s probably a good thing we didn’t know how much blood, sweat, and tears it would take, as that might have been discouraging. I believe our naivety and ambition are what got us to where we are today."

What pitfalls did you encounter during development?

MONICA:

"That mainly had to do with delivery times. For example, sometimes new hair care products are ready, but the cap has to come from another factory—or even another country—which suddenly takes a few months longer. Then we’re back to the drawing board with questions like: should we redesign it with a different cap? How much time will that save or cost us? Can other planned actions still move forward? If the product isn’t delivered by a specific date, will we still be able to meet our targets and keep the company healthy?"

Can you tell us what SOPHIA MAE means to you?

MANON:

"I think, to both of us, it feels a bit like our baby."

MONICA:

"To me, it truly means everything—it really is my second child. That’s also why I named it SOPHIA MAE, as it was on my list of baby names. I think it’s amazing to be able to work on this every single day. I tend to get bored of things quite quickly, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of working on SOPHIA MAE. I also believe the message we convey with SOPHIA MAE is incredibly important, and I’m proud that what we stand for is reflected in every product and every expression."

How do you complement each other?

MANON:

"I think Monica is very good at expressing what she wants, sharing her vision, and describing how she envisions something. I understand her well, so I can bring that vision to life. We often only need a few words to know exactly what the other means."

MONICA:

"What we both have in common is a love for luxurious self-care products and a shared focus on mental health, which is an important foundation for our collaboration. In our private lives, we know each other so well that we can read each other perfectly. We know exactly when we can give something our full attention and when there simply isn’t time.

I also think we share a lot of enthusiasm for the self-care products we’re developing. I have a certain vision, and Manon understands it completely—her input and additions are always on point."

What do you most value about each other?

MANON:

"In her professional life, I value her determination the most. If she wants something—or sometimes doesn’t want something—or if she’s convinced about something, she goes for it completely. And she’s often right. She’s the kind of person who will go right if her gut feeling tells her to, even when everyone else is telling her to go left. I think that’s incredible. She never overthinks things and can make decisions very quickly, which I really enjoy when working with her. Another thing I admire is how good she is at separating work from private life. And I absolutely envy her self-confidence sometimes—I really admire that about her.

In her personal life, she is someone you can always count on, and she’s always honest. I know that if I call her at two in the morning with a problem, she’ll be there for me. Well, maybe that’s a bad example because she never actually answers her phone, haha! But you know what I mean. Honestly, we rarely call each other—maybe ten times in the past few years—and when we do, we know it’s serious.

Her most annoying trait is that she can sometimes be a bit fickle. I call it her ‘thousand personalities.’ One day she loves something, and the next she suddenly hates it—it just depends on her mood. Thankfully, I’m well-trained by now and know the right moments to ask her questions!"

MONICA:

"Manon’s greatest strength is her deep connection with the brand and the products we create. Manon goes out of her way to make everything better, more beautiful, and more luxurious. She totally understands the brand, she lives and breathes SOPHIA MAE.

A while back, she went to a packaging fair with Stanley. That kind of thing? Definitely not for me. I’d think, 'Our packaging is beautiful, isn’t it?' But then they come back with these incredible suppliers and ideas for next-level packaging that immediately elevate the entire product’s look and feel. I’m so proud of her initiative to keep improving, even when a product is considered ‘finished’—because in her eyes, a product is never really finished."