https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-643&utm_medium=podcast To Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup pilothouse.co In 2020, Amazon’s fees ran about 26% of your product cost. Today they run 34 to 40%, and once you add advertising most brands are at 50 to 60% before they reinvest a dollar. For the first time in years, the number of sellers on Amazon…
Please enjoy this repeat of a popular episode aired in August 2024. Mike Tecku first appeared on this podcast in 2019 as an Amazon marketplace seller. He then sold that business, a maker of floor mats, shortly afterward. He retired, became bored, and in 2022 launched Momentum, a direct-to-consumer nutritional shake producer. He and I…
What happens when you’ve spent years helping build some of the world’s biggest beauty brands—and decide it’s time to create one that’s completely different?
On this episode of The Kara Goldin Show, I’m joined by Daniel Kiyoi, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Nocturnal Skincare. Before launching Nocturnal, Daniel built his career at iconic companies including Estée Lauder, Smashbox Cosmetics, Tarte Cosmetics, TULA, and L’Oréal. After years of helping shape global beauty brands, he set out to build one rooted in something much deeper: intentional design, cultural authenticity, and products that truly perform.
Daniel shares the story behind Nocturnal, a luxury skincare brand inspired by Japandi—the fusion of Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian functionality. We discuss why he and his co-founder spent four years developing the brand before launching, why they chose to begin with a single hero product, and why they believe the future of skincare is about creating fewer, smarter products that work with the skin rather than against it.
We also dive into the unexpected success of the brand’s now cult-favorite Japandi Knot Bag, how Daniel’s Japanese heritage influences everything from product design to storytelling, and what he’s learned about entrepreneurship after years working inside some of the biggest companies in beauty.
Whether you’re a founder, marketer, product builder, or simply fascinated by how meaningful brands are created, this conversation is packed with practical insights on patience, creativity, authenticity, and building a company with a clear point of view.
Now on The Kara Goldin Show.
Are you interested in sponsoring and advertising on The Kara Goldin Show, which is now in the Top 1% of Entrepreneur podcasts in the world? Let me know by contacting me at karagoldin@gmail.com. You can also find me @KaraGoldin on all networks.
To learn more about Daniel Kiyoi and Nocturnal Skincare, visit:
https://www.nocturnalskin.com
https://www.instagram.com/nocturnalskincare/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-kiyoi-7020a724/
https://www.instagram.com/copaceticwanderer/
Sponsored By:
Pendulum – get an exclusive 20% off their first order at PendulumLife.com/KARAGOLDIN
Thrive Causemetics – Go to ThriveCausemetics.com/KARAGOLDIN for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order.
LinkedIn Jobs – Head to LinkedIn.com/KaraGoldin to post your job for free.
CashApp – For a limited time, new customers can get $10 added to their balance. Just use code BITCOIN10 when you sign up, and—don’t forget this part—send at least $5 to a friend in the first two weeks. Terms apply. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Bitcoin services provided by Block, Inc. brand. For additional information, see the Bitcoin disclosures at cash.app/legal/podcast.
IM8 – Get a free Welcome Kit and 5 free Travel sachets plus 10% off with code KARAGOLDIN at IM8HEALTH.com/karagoldin
Check out our website to view this episode’s show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/887
What does it take to keep a brand alive when you’re just weeks away from running out of cash? In this episode, Tal Moore, co-founder of Popsmith, shares the lessons he’s learned from more than 25 years in eCommerce. You’ll learn why he and his co-founder decided to sell their other businesses to go all-in…
In this episode, Toni and I get into a deep discussion over much of our businesses we’ve actually handed over to AI. We talk about what’s working, the tasks we’re still not ready to trust it with, and one moment in particular where AI completely missed something a human caught in minutes. You’ll learn exactly…
September 3, 2026LeeUncategorizedComments Off on Meta says Muse Spark 1.3 has frontier performance — but its best results come from a model developers can’t broadly use yet
Meta’s newest AI model Muse Spark 1.3, unveiled yesterday, is faster and more performant on third-party benchmarks than its predecessor — with a caveat. “Muse Spark 1.3 is rolling out today with frontier performance almost too cheap to meter,” Meta co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on X, calling it Meta’s “biggest jump” yet in…
In this episode, Dave talks about what finally changed in his Facebook Ad Performance after years of frustration and dull performance. He explains what specifically flipped the switch in his thinking, why winning Amazon products don’t necessarily translate to Facebook Ads, and what kind of products do work. Dave also lists out a few tips…
Presented by Contentful Most marketing teams still measure visibility the same way they always have: rankings, click-through rates, and organic traffic. But buyers have moved on. Search tools and AI engines now synthesize answers directly on the screen, creating a world of zero-click searches where your website is entirely bypassed. The “old days” are not…
September 3, 2026LeeUncategorizedComments Off on Microsoft AI’s MAI-Transcribe-2 undercuts OpenAI, Google and ElevenLabs on price and speed
Microsoft AI on Thursday released MAI-Transcribe-2, a speech-recognition model the company says is faster, more accurate, and cheaper than anything OpenAI, Google, or ElevenLabs currently sells. Then it priced the thing at 10 cents per hour of audio. That figure deserves a pause. When Microsoft AI shipped the first model in this line just five…
To Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup Once Upon a Farm did $85.4 million in Q2, up 42% year over year, and reached 6.2% of US households against 5.0% a year earlier. Some of that growth traces back to a campaign that was never supposed to produce it. They were running lower-funnel media to their…
