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Most people think you need time, stability, and the ‘right moment’ to build something real. But sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of it – already deep in a project you didn’t fully plan, not entirely sure how you got there, and with no clear idea what comes next. And somehow, that’s exactly how you learn! Hi, everyone, I am Maria and I hope you enjoy my article about launching a product from abroad while simultaneously preparing for my exams in Germany.
While most of my friends were focused on exams, I was also trying to build and promote a product from another country. And honestly, it wasn’t as ‘productive and balanced’ as it might sound. It was messy, stressful, sometimes overwhelming – but also one of the most important things I’ve done so far. I was working on ‘SkinBeam’ together with my mother, who was technically my partner in the process. But she did something very intentional – she stepped back. She believed in me, but she also wanted to see if I could handle it on my own. So even though she was there, she relied on me a lot. Decisions, communications, coordination-most of it was in my hands.
I would go to lectures like everyone else, sit in class, take notes ... and then in between, I would be replying to messages, scheduling calls, or thinking about product decisions. There were days where I had calls squeezed in between lectures- not because it was convenient, but because that was the only time I had. I had to figure out packaging concepts, how the product should look and feel, how we were going to present it. And honestly, the design part was one of the most difficult. You spent hours looking at something, adjusting small details, changing directions, starting over...and still, something feels off. You can’t always explain what exactly is wrong, but you know it’s not quite right yet. That part was exhausting. There were moments when I just wanted to stop and put it aside and focus only on university, but I couldn’t because I knew someone else was relying on me. At the same time, exams were getting closer. So, my brain was constantly switching between completely different worlds.
Doing all this remotely made everything harder. I study in Germany, the project is based in my home country, the production is in an entirely different county. You can’t just ‘fix things quickly’ when you are not there. Everything takes longer: messages instead of conversations, calls instead of quick decisions, waiting instead of acting immediately. Even small things can turn into long processes.
One thing I didn’t expect to be so difficult was promoting the product. I didn’t have a team –I had my friends and family. I was constantly on video calls with some of them, talking about ideas for promotional videos, asking what looks good, what feels natural, what people would respond to. We were trying to create something real, not forced. There were no spontaneous shoots, no ‘let’s just try this now’ moments. Everything had to be planned, discussed, adjusted-all through a screen.
I didn’t come out of this with some perfect system or secret formula. But I did learn a few things that stayed with me.
If I’m being honest, I didn’t feel ‘ready’ to manage something like this. I was in the middle of my semester, trying to figure things out. Bust still I did it. Not perfectly, not smoothly-but I stayed consistent enough to make it real. And maybe that’s the point. You don’t wait until life gets easier. Because in the end, building something while everything else is happening around you doesn’t just test your ability to manage time. It tests whether you’re willing to take responsibility - and follow through.
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