When Juwan first started tinkering with the idea of a startup, it wasn’t fragrance that filled her head — it was photography. Here’s her story.
Her first project, using augmented reality to help people visualize wall art in their homes, didn’t take off, but the name she chose for the business stuck: Rumind — a blend of ‘remind’ and ‘ruminate’ — a nod to memory, reflection, and emotion.
That name would take on new meaning in her next venture: a platform for fragrance lovers to discover new scents, share reviews, and connect with emerging brands.
“Fragrance evokes memory — that’s why the name still works,” Juwan says.
If you’ve ever been transported by the smell of your grandmother’s kitchen or the cologne your dad wore in the ’90s, you already understand the power behind the Rumind concept.
A Founder’s Approach to Growth: Slow, But Steady
Juwan wears every hat in the business — product designer, marketer, deal-closer, customer support, all of it. And like many solo founders, she’s learned to pace herself.
“Growth is definitely the hardest part. But I don’t want to grow faster than we can support,” she says. “We want to make sure we’re adding value at the right time.”
Instead of chasing vanity metrics, she’s building trust: working with smaller fragrance brands, writing blog content for mutual visibility, and forming early partnerships rooted in collaboration rather than cash.
In fact, she recently turned down paid sponsorships from two interested brands.
“We told them, ‘We don’t want your money right now. We want your input.’ That feedback is worth more to us than a one-time payment.”
Reviving Email Without Overthinking It
Earlier this year, Juwan reactivated her email list after a long hiatus. She was inspired by a friend in real estate who reminded her that email doesn’t always need to be transactional — it just needs to be useful.
“I was overthinking it. Then I realized I could just say, ‘Hey, we’re still here.’ Let people know about new features, brand requests that got fulfilled, or blog updates. That’s enough.”
That one shift — from performance-driven to presence-driven — helped her rebuild confidence in email as a low-pressure, high-value channel. Now, her newsletter feels more like a conversation than a campaign.
And she's considering adding sections like “What I’m Loving” or “Smells of the Month” to help readers connect with the culture of fragrance beyond products.
She’s also started experimenting with email as a storytelling format — giving subscribers a peek into the creative process, upcoming brand partnerships, and even her favorite scent discoveries of the week.
Using POWR to Stay Nimble (and Visible)
Juwan is currently using two POWR tools:
- Instagram Feed: to showcase Instagram content directly on her site
- Email Blast: to send monthly updates without friction
Source: POWR Social Feed app
Next, she’s planning to add a free discount popup to promote affiliate discounts and limited-time offers. As a former UX designer at POWR, she knows exactly where the platform shines — and where it doesn’t.
“I love how easy the tools are to get started with — especially for solo founders. But there are still moments where I find myself adding custom code to fix things, and that shouldn’t be the case for a no-code platform.”
Even with her deep technical familiarity, she still runs into usability snags — a reality check that speaks volumes about the gap between intention and implementation in no-code tools.
She represents the kind of user POWR was built for: resourceful, solo, and wearing multiple hats. But that also makes her pain points doubly important to fix.
Her wishlist? Built-in analytics for Social Feed, mobile-first layout controls, and skipping unnecessary modal steps when clicking on social content.
She’s also identified opportunities for a smoother UI — such as improved labeling in the editor and more intuitive design feedback when customizing layouts. And while she’s more than capable of using workarounds, she’s quick to note:
“The end user shouldn’t have to.”
Honest Feedback From Both Sides of the Table
Having worked at POWR years ago, Juwan brings a unique lens — half insider, half customer. And her biggest critique is something many product teams struggle with:
“Some features just aren’t intuitive. There should be tooltips, walkthroughs, and something to guide you. It’s been six years — some of these UX rough spots should be fixed by now.”
It’s not that she expects perfection — but she does expect progress. As someone who understands how design systems evolve, she knows that even small improvements in clarity and flow can massively reduce user frustration.
When things feel clunky or unlabeled, it creates unnecessary friction — especially for the no-code audience POWR serves.
Still, she’s bullish on the platform’s potential — especially for other indie founders. She sees POWR as a valuable toolkit that needs sharper edges — less “learn as you go,” more “learn by design.”
Her Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs? Just Start.
And don’t be afraid to take a chance on yourself. She’s building Rumind by embracing imperfect action — launching fast, listening closely, and refining in real time.
“You become a founder the moment you decide to be one,” Juwan says. “Even if your first version is buggy and ugly, someone will still try it. You only need a signup page.”
She credits low-code and AI tools for giving her superpowers she didn’t have as a designer.
“I’ve learned to lean on AI and automation to fill in gaps. There’s no excuse anymore. You don’t need a technical cofounder — you just need to start.”
What matters more than polish is momentum: getting real users into the product and letting their feedback shape the roadmap. That's what makes a small business owner successful over time.
Even in the earliest versions of Rumind, people were still signing up, using the product, and leaving honest reviews. That’s all the proof she needs to keep building, iterating, and improving.
What’s Next for Rumind?
Juwan is continuing to grow her email list, build content partnerships, and test new features — all while keeping things lean.
And with four early brand partners already in motion and a user base that’s steadily growing, Rumind’s story is just beginning. And if you ever catch a whiff of something that takes you back, you’ll know exactly what she means.
