Neither of us knew what business meant. We didn't know how to run a warehouse, we had no idea how to create an advertising campaign. We didn't start out with the idea of starting a business, and perhaps that's precisely why we've gotten this far .
The idea to open an e-commerce site was my husband Sava's . I remember him very well when he said to me, "Who knows, maybe we'll get a hundred orders a month." And yet, in just three years , we got hundreds of orders a day. Who would have ever thought? Certainly not us. Also because we knew the market was super crowded with nail brands.
And today we're here to tell you about this momentous milestone . But why are we changing the packaging only after three years?
Nowadays, when you think of Cactus, the square white bottle with the black cap immediately comes to mind. You should know, however, that initially choosing an existing bottle was a forced decision. Simply put, when we launched the brand, we couldn't afford to create packaging from scratch . And not because the packaging itself is enormously expensive... the problem is quantity.
We set out from the very beginning to create something of our own, but we were told the minimum order was 50,000 pieces, the only way to get a fixed price from the factory. And when you're just starting out, 50,000 pieces is a lot . Especially for us, who dreamed of 300 orders a month.
Sure, we could have looked for an investor or taken out a loan. But there's a beautiful saying that kept ringing in our heads: don't bite off more than you can chew. And we truly believed it. Also because the best growth is the one you experience one step at a time. You can't always have everything at once. Or at least, that wasn't the case for us.
We started working on the new packaging in February 2024 , almost two years ago. Not because creating packaging is so complicated, but because we wanted to ensure our growth. And we continued with even greater consistency last year, when we finally started ordering samples based on our requests .
When you take a step like this— giving a true identity to a brand that previously lacked one—you have to choose everything carefully: the shape, the color, every detail. We were torn between dark green, which is our main color, and cream , which is elegant and looks good everywhere. It wasn't an easy choice, but now we're in love with the result .
And I'm sure that if we'd had the money three years ago, it wouldn't have turned out so well. We probably would have worked with a graphic designer, yes, but our ideas wouldn't have been so mature yet. Today we know that having an in-house team means exchanging ideas, growing, finding the best solutions together. And that when you take the time… something truly unique is born. Being able to finally share it with you is our greatest joy. We hope you'll fall in love with it, just like we did .
New packaging for a new experience. Aesthetics matter, too. And as always, we want your workstation to be as meticulously designed as your work. That's why we've also designed new packaging: elegant, unique, and in true Cactus style.
