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<h3>Key Learnings</h3><ul><li>Rapid testing is necessary when beginning a venture.</li><li>When something isn’t working, reiterate and pivot.</li><li>User testing is crucial to finding your venture’s direction.</li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Dell_bae8f30afe.jpg" alt="Dell.jpg"><figcaption>Dell dela Torre, co-founder of Inna Circle</figcaption></figure>Moon Venture Inna Circle is an online child care matching service created by Grace Aldas and Dell dela Torre, two women who faced struggles as new mothers in the Philippines. Looking for a community to help address common struggles that come up when raising a child, Grace and Dell created Inna Circle to help themselves and others throughout new parenthood in the Philippines and across South East Asia.Being a modern mother today can truly be challenging. Balancing a full-time job and managing a household is no easy feat. New mothers Grace and Dell did not want to have to choose between their careers and ensuring their children received proper care. As full-time employees of Mitsui, they found themselves in this predicament during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attending regular work meetings, juggling daily tasks, and having to homeschool kids – all while trying to find time to work on Inna Circle – was an overwhelming daily routine for both of them. To help Grace and Dell achieve their vision for Inna Circle during this challenging time, I joined their team when they started incubation at Moon.&nbsp; Their original idea was to develop a product or service that could support working mothers, providing them with some peace of mind while reducing the stress of juggling child care and work. Our initial focus was to address the most pressing issues many mothers face: finding a peaceful balance between focusing on work and the duty of taking care of their kids.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Inna_Circle_group_c6bf31d65d.jpg" alt="Inna Circle group.jpg"><figcaption>The Inna Circle team</figcaption></figure><h3>Adapting to Challenges</h3>Both joining Moon Creative Lab and building a product from the ground up were unique and challenging experiences for Grace and Dell. They had to quickly adapt to changes in mindset, working style, and business environment that were quite different from their regular day jobs. We also felt the challenge of managing our time wisely as we stretched across different time zones, putting pressure on when we could meet on Zoom calls and work together as a team.Another challenge the team faced was during the product-definition phase. We initially had a concept to provide child care sessions to help mothers gain more personal free-time. We tested this by running a three-day child care pop-up in Manila and followed these sessions with user interviews to help us better understand expectations. We soon learned that this concept would be difficult to scale because building a space takes a lot of time and resources, especially when compared to building something digitallyThis led the team to reevaluate our approach and focus on the core problem mothers faced: the desire to work on their personal endeavors while ensuring their children were well taken care of. &nbsp;<h3>Becoming Our Own Customers</h3>With these results, the team regrouped and came up with a new product idea: a digital platform for booking caretakers, or “childminders,” whenever needed. However, this idea presented its own challenge of differentiating itself from existing child care services in the Philippines. Through interviews, we discovered that many interviewees had already hired caregivers at home but were dissatisfied with their quality, leading to trust issues. Mothers felt that many caregivers lacked proper education and qualifications, and were given the position out of necessity.This revelation provided valuable insight on how to position Inna Circle services and win the market: by offering high-quality childminders who could benefit both mothers and children.Before committing fully to this new product direction, Grace and Dell tested the service by becoming their own customers and also acting as childminders for other mothers. The results were highly positive, with mothers expressing satisfaction and the ability to focus on other important tasks. &nbsp;<h3>International Growth Challenges</h3>Another significant challenge, perhaps the most substantial one, was that Inna Circle marked Moon's first venture outside of Japan with real customers ready to pay for the service. However, the team ran into some complex legal barriers regarding international payment business models when they officially launched.After extensive effort and communication, Grace and Dell managed to navigate these financial barriers and were finally ready to launch Inna Circle in Manila. The entire process was arduous, but it provided valuable lessons in dealing with business licenses internationally and how to support global ventures in the future.<figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Dell_and_Grace_ffee39ac55.jpg" alt="Dell and Grace.jpg"><figcaption>Grace Aldas and Dell dela Torre, founders of Inna Circle</figcaption></figure><h3>Lessons Learned</h3>The experience of rapid testing, quick decision-making, and agile pivoting became valuable lessons for Grace, Dell, and the entire team. As a designer, I learned the significance of user testing and encouraged the team to change direction when necessary.Grace and Dell also learned the importance of directly engaging with users, adopting a human-centered approach, and embracing the concept of rapid iteration and pivoting when something isn’t working. They pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones to connect with the startup industry in the Philippines and engage with potential business partners – experiences that were entirely new to them.On a personal level, building a business alongside Grace and Dell has been an incredibly valuable learning experience. From directly interacting with customers (mothers and childminders) and experimenting scrappily with limited resources, we truly ran like a startup. And it all resulted in us achieving our goals and learning the most from our users. Our process involved continuous learning, testing, pivoting, building quickly, and validating our market. It was crucial to remain honest about what is working, what isn't, identifying obstacles, and not being afraid to ask for help.Inna Circle serves as an ideal role venture model that others can learn from. The service already boasts at least 120 bookings per month, a number that is still increasing to this day. The team launched a new landing page at the end of August with improved access to the booking platform, resulting in an increase in the number of users and childminders in the service pool. &nbsp;What’s NextInna Circle is still in the process of growing its business in the Philippines. The next big step is pursuing B2B collaborations with large companies (over 2,000 employees) in the Philippines.Learn more about Inna Circle at <a href="https://www.theinnacircle.com/">theinnacircle.com</a> and stay connected through their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/InnaCircle.ph">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/innacircle.ph/">Instagram</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yo Yeh, Senior Designer<img class="image_resized" style="width:25%;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moon_Creative_Lab_Yo_2_1_1_e61332b6a9.jpg" alt="Moon Creative Lab_Yo_2 (1) 1.jpg">

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On June 30, 2023, Yukari Tago, founder of <a href="https://www.lullabysleepbaby.com/">Lullaby</a>, a personalized sleep training service and platform for parents and their newborns, and Dr. Mariko Morita, the platform's supervising physician, spoke at an event held by the Work-X Office, an organization dedicated to improving the office environment at Mitsui &amp; Co. More than 40 Mitsui employees from different departments gathered for the event and participated in roundtable discussions.Yukari and Dr. Morita discussed Lullaby’s success and shared personal stories and challenges experienced when balancing childcare, work, and homelife. They answered questions and offered several tips and solutions for common problems that parents face.Key Learnings<ul><li>Sleep training significantly improves sleep for infants and parents</li><li>Tips on balancing childcare, work, and homelife</li></ul><hr><h3><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image2_615f8a855f.jpg" alt="image2.jpg"> The Effectiveness of Sleep Training</h3>Yukari Tago: What I am most proud of is Lullaby's performance of a 99% improvement rate in children’s overall sleep. Our app has a feature that allows users to rate the service, and of the 2,300+ paid napping consultations we provide, 99% of those who have used the service have rated it as good: meaning they have found it to be very successful! Users have shared their success stories and we are very proud of the results.&nbsp; &nbsp;Dr. Morita: The problems related to proper bedtime routines are big and are the number one concern for parents in Japan. Those who are troubled feel very strongly about it because they cannot get proper sleep with a newborn. On the other hand, what about children's sleep in Japan? Comparing the total sleep time of children aged 0-3 years old in 17 major countries, Japan ranks last. Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that Japan also ranks last among the 38 OECD member countries in terms of sleep for adult males and females. I feel this is a good indicator showcasing Japan's low awareness of sleep. Marital discord, divorce, postpartum distress, and postpartum depression are some of the effects people face due to their lack of sleep and frustration with their children’s sleeping habits. In Japan, there is currently no common methodology on how to improve a child’s consistent nighttime crying.The reason I am confident in the 99% improvement rate is because I have evidence. In a survey that analyzed 52 articles on sleep training, 94% of the articles concluded that sleep training was effective in improving nighttime crying, and the results showed that on average, it improved nighttime crying in more than 80% of children. Although the results are solid evidence that sleep training does in fact improve sleep, it is still not widely used in Japan. Even if you go to medical institutions or midwifery centers, they do not provide guidance or proper sleep training techniques. I think that is a problem.Factors that affect sleep deprivation in adults include the fact that children do not sleep, but also the fact that they will wait for their entire family to return home and eat dinner together instead of utilizing that time for rest. However, the impact of sleep problems on children during infancy, the most difficult time of child-rearing, is still quite significant.It often takes on average 1-2 hours to put a child fully to sleep. Children often wake up every 1-2 hours to feed throughout the night or wake up between 4:00 to 5:00 a.m. Parents often find themselves stressed with these new circumstances and often experience difficulties to increase their own sleep time.Studies have shown that the rate of postpartum depression, estimated to be around 10%, has increased to 25% since the coronavirus pandemic. The lack of sleep has had a significant impact on mental health and it’s no surprise that if people can't sleep, they will be irritable and their mental health will suffer.I want Lullaby to improve nighttime sleep deprivation and help create a society where people are not limited in their choices when it comes to parenting.<h3> Dr. Morita on Weaning, Napping, and Work-Life Balance</h3>Dr. Morita: In the preliminary questionnaire for the Q&amp;A during the event, many participants were concerned about their own sleep, including naps and power naps. We also had many questions about children's sleep and balancing home and work.To answer how I do it myself, first of all, I use Lullaby to put my own children to sleep. This is the punchline – haha!However, I think that putting children to bed and getting a good night's sleep is very important for balancing work and family life. What to do if a child is obsessed with breastfeeding?We received a question from a person who has a 2 1/2-year-old and said that her child is attached to breastfeeding. Regarding this, I think it is possible to stop breastfeeding at night. If you want to sleep at night, there is no problem to breastfeed only during the day with nocturnal weaning.However, at that age, I think the child will resist a lot. Be prepared for that, but I think they will get used to it in a week or two. It would be better to first tell the child that he or she will not drink at night, rather than stop during the day as well. How can someone take an effective nap or power nap?It is very important that naps for adults are only 20 minutes maximum. If you sleep longer than that, you will go into a deep sleep and have difficulty waking up, or you will feel foggy when you wake up. I recommend setting an alarm or having some caffeine before napping. It takes about 30 minutes after you drink it to take effect, which is said to be just right. If it is too bright for you to sleep, try using an eye mask. How do you maintain work-life balance?I recognize that work-life balance may be a matter of priorities. By far, the lowest priority is housework. I think it is important not to do the housework itself. I have three children of my own, so I hardly cook meals anymore. I outsource the preparation of meals.When I was pregnant with my third child, I physically couldn't cook anymore due to the morning sickness I was experiencing, so I asked someone to come every week and prepare a week's worth of meals for me and my family. To be honest, it doesn't last the full seven days, but on the one or two days that remain, I would cook dried fish, vegetables, rice, and so on.We also vacuum only once a week. Sorry if it seems dirty! We hire an outside cleaning service to do the cleaning once a week. This alone is a huge relief.This is a small detail, but serving food from containers is also a hassle in itself, so we put storage containers on the table and make it buffet style. The kids are happy when I tell them they can take whatever they would like. I think it's okay to make it a single-plate meal. It might be another small detail, but I tend to be very sloppy too, like not using chopstick rests.As for work, I really wanted to do both work and provide childcare, so I chose this line of work partly because I wanted to make child-rearing time useful while I was able to work.<h3> Yukari Tago on Balance and Mental Wellness</h3>How do you ensure proper sleep for your children and for yourself in the midst of balancing work and family?Yukari: Let me first give you some basic information about me. My son is 6-years-old now. My parents live in Tokyo, 15 minutes by bicycle from our home. My husband's parents live in Shizuoka [over 100 miles from Tokyo].Typically, I drop my child off at around 8:30 a.m. and pick him up at 6:30 p.m., while my working hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. I have free time at night two-and-half days a week. My husband and I take turns doing this schedule, and we both make sure to have two-and-a-half days of free time each week at night. During that time, I try to spend my free time doing the work I want to finish, meeting people, getting massages, physical therapy, saunas, etc. to refresh myself and take care of my health. By doing this, I maintain my mental health and consciously try to keep myself in a state where I can be happy. How do you maintain your mental health?Mental control is the biggest thing I have learned since I was transferred from Mitsui &amp; Co. to Moon Creative Lab and started working on Lullaby. I always feel like someone is evaluating my work, but that is why I try to maintain my mental health. Of course, there are times when things don't go well, but I think that if my mental health breaks down, my work efficiency will drop very badly.As for work, most of the people working for Lullaby are outsourced, except for me, so the content and volume of outsourcing are clearly defined, and I feel that makes it easy to work efficiently. How do you make time for yourself?I thought it might not be very helpful to know how to generate time, as there are many external factors, but I feel that Moon's flexible working style (core hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.) makes it very easy to work.The scale of the business is still small and I have authority to make most of the decisions. I make decisions on what to do, which I think is one of the main reasons why I can work quickly. Also, since it is a domestic business, there are no overseas business trips.Also, many mothers have a lot of spare time. In order to make the best use of our spare time as mothers, we are gradually preparing useful tools on our app all while consulting with our members. Almost all of our staff members are mothers, and since we are all sleep consultants, our children are all asleep around 9 p.m., allowing us time to catch up and discuss Lullaby. We all have a shared love for the business, so we think about it all the time, 24 hours a day, and I think that is one aspect that allows us to make a lot of decisions quickly.At home, my son is fast asleep by 9:00 p.m., which is a big advantage. Perhaps the most important thing for me is that he’s in good health because of his sleeping pattern. He has attended various preschools, kindergartens, and afterschool programs, and he has received perfect attendance awards to all of them. It may not all be due to sleep, but I still believe it is related to the fact that lack of sleep often relates to getting sick more often.You might be familiar with the book, The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, and I feel that book is the root of my way of thinking. Life is long, so it is a question of what to prioritize now. I'm not able to save much now, but I've decided that it's one stage in the long run, and I'm outsourcing as much housework as possible, and even if I have to live in a smaller house, my first priority is to generate time for travel distance, work, and family.I can relate to Dr. Morita as I also use a make-and-prepare service and have found it to be very helpful.<hr><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_7b2395e541.jpg" alt="image1.jpg">Yukari Tago, founder of Lullaby, is a mother to her son and experienced child rearing years in the United States. While raising her son, she struggled with his frequent nighttime crying and, after practicing a sleep training program she learned while in the U.S., she experienced a dramatic improvement. Using her experience in startup investment in the EdTech industry, she commercialized her idea to improve nighttime crying. She joined Moon Creative Lab from a career at Mitsui to start Lullaby.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image3_a6318fc14a.jpg" alt="image3.jpg">Dr. Mariko Morita is a mother of three and supervising physician for Lullaby. She worked as an anesthesiologist, but started researching pediatric sleep after facing nighttime crying with her first child. She currently provides counseling as a sleep medicine doctor, trains sleep consultants, and publishes books on pediatric sleep.Lullaby’s founder and doctor share stories and challenges of balancing childcare, work, and homelife, and offer several tips and solutions for common problems that parents face.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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<a href="https://www.lullabysleepbaby.com/">Lullaby</a>, a personalized sleep training service and platform for parents and their newborns, has collaborated with industry leader Pigeon Corporation launching a new service together that provides individual online consultations for breastfeeding, diet, and childcare.&nbsp;<h3>Key Learnings</h3><ul><li>Lullaby enhances their app with new consultation service</li><li>Meet the consultants&nbsp;</li><li>Research reveals mothers’ top 3 concerns&nbsp;</li><li>Hearing from the consultants</li></ul><hr><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image3_c4541eac51.png" alt="lullaby_pigeon_image3.png"></figure><h3>Lullaby enhances their app with new consultation service &nbsp;</h3>As Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultants1 and under the supervision of doctors, Lullaby provides the latest research on baby sleep health and information tailored to parents in Japan. In addition to its existing infant sleep training service, Lullaby has recently launched a new range of consultation services for parents, including breastfeeding, weaning, and childcare.Through a partnership with Pigeon Corporation, which focuses on creating a more baby-friendly world through its products and services, Lullaby is able to offer more consultation services than ever before. By having access to industry experts such as midwives, nutritionists, weaning/infant food advisors, childcare professionals, speech therapists, physical therapists, teachers, and many others, new parents are able to get the guidance and resources they need throughout their parenthood journey.&nbsp; &nbsp;<h4>&nbsp;</h4><h3>Meet the consultants&nbsp; &nbsp;</h3>Fujiko: nursery teacher Childcare consultation services for mothers and caregivers by a childcare professional, including advice on how to interact with and talk to children to promote their physical and mental development.Momo Mommy: nutrition Consultation on baby and toddler food, including how to prepare easy and healthy food for your child.&nbsp;Hana: midwife from Kaneko Midwifery Clinic Provides help with breastfeeding and weaning.Kaori: Montessori educator and nursery teacher Offers guidance on childcare for children up to 3 years old.&nbsp; &nbsp;<h4>&nbsp;</h4><h3 style="text-align:justify;">Research reveals mothers’ top 3 concerns &nbsp;</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/image1_851d1bee06.png" alt="image1.png"></figure>After surveying mothers of children who are 0-11 months old, the team learned that the top three concerns for new mothers are breastfeeding, sleep, and baby food.2 Though these things are all normal for new moms, concerns could be about their baby not taking to breastfeeding, not sleeping through the night, having allergies, or being introduced to new foods at the right time.Additionally, interviews with Lullaby app users3 revealed that the ideas about breastfeeding, sleep, and baby food differ from family to family and are difficult to discuss with others, thus creating a need for more individualized consultations with specialists. &nbsp;<h3>Hearing from the consultants &nbsp;</h3>To choose their consultants, Lullaby worked with Pigeon to conduct a series of monitor tests where users were able to consult with area experts. &nbsp;Consultation topic: dealing with the “terrible twos” Consultant: Fujiko, nursery teacherUser feedback: “I was able to talk with her in a very friendly atmosphere and relaxed my shoulders about how to deal with the early stages. It was helpful that she gave me ideas on how to deal with my child and ideas to ease my way of thinking. It was very easy to talk to her! I was impressed with the idea of making food a fun event. I was also impressed by what she said when I told her that my daughter sometimes doesn't eat and I worry about whether she is getting enough nutrition.”&nbsp;Consultation topic: Montessori education Consultant: Kaori, Montessori teacherUser feedback: “I hated myself for getting angry and frustrated when I was working with children, but I was relieved when [Kaori] said that it is difficult unless I know why the child is behaving the way he or she is. She told me why my child was acting the way he was, what he was interested in by age, and not only that, she told me about my son's actual behavior. Just knowing how I should treat my son in these situations and what he is interested in at this time has made me less frustrated than before, and I have learned to be calm with my son and allow him more time for his behavior. As for playing at home, there are many items that can be found at 100-yen stores, and I can quickly incorporate them into my home, so I feel that I am able to spend more time at home on holidays and rainy days, and I feel more fulfilled.”&nbsp;Consultation topic: how to play with children as they grow Consultant: Kanako, physical therapistUser feedback: “First of all, I am surprised and grateful that the process from application to individual consultation went so quickly and that I was able to discuss my concerns right away. In my case, my concern was about my child turning over. In child-rearing books, it is written only that ‘it is time for the child to be able to turn over,’ etc. I did not understand how the child's body works to turn over, and was puzzled as to why the child did not turn over very often. This time, I learned a lot by learning in detail about the causes of not turning over and the mechanism of turning over. First, she praised me for what my child was doing, and then told me what I was not doing or what I was missing, so I could easily accept her advice. Also, Kanako taught us by using her body, so it was easy to visualize what she was doing.” &nbsp;For more information about Lullaby, visit their <a href="https://www.lullabysleepbaby.com/">website</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/lullaby_nenne">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lullabysleepbaby/">Instagram</a>.You can download the Lullaby app via <a href="https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/lullaby-%E4%B9%B3%E5%B9%BC%E5%85%90%E3%81%AE%E5%AF%9D%E3%81%8B%E3%81%97%E3%81%A4%E3%81%91%E3%82%B5%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%82%A2%E3%83%97%E3%83%AA/id1541996755?shortlink=c40c4a7&amp;pid=Official_site&amp;c=Official%20Site_LP&amp;is_retargeting=true&amp;af_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fjp%2Fapp%2Flullaby-%25E4%25B9%25B3%25E5%25B9%25BC%25E5%2585%2590%25E3%2581%25AE%25E5%25AF%259D%25E3%2581%258B%25E3%2581%2597%25E3%2581%25A4%25E3%2581%2591%25E3%2582%25B5%25E3%2583%259D%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2583%2588%25E3%2582%25A2%25E3%2583%2597%25E3%2583%25AA%2Fid1541996755">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lullabysleepbaby.app">Android</a>. &nbsp;Sources 1. Certified by the Consultant of Infant Sleep Association (CISA) 2. Pigeon research (conducted in May 2022, web-based survey, 500 mothers with first child aged 0-11 months) 3. Lullaby app user interviews (conducted from January to February 2023, interviewed about 50 people) &nbsp;

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About Moon

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Transforming Struggle Into Success: Empowering Moms in Business

Lullaby: Helping Parents Find More Balance in Their Busy Lives

Parental Guidance Advised: Lullaby Launches New Services With Pigeon

In The News

Moon Opens Doors to Palo Alto Startup Community

What Does Artificial Life Reveal About Us?

The Optimal Solution Between Remote and Office: Who Chooses Where To Work

Our Programs

About Moon

Our Stories

child care - Moon Stories Blog

Transforming Struggle Into Success: Empowering Moms in Business

Lullaby: Helping Parents Find More Balance in Their Busy Lives

Parental Guidance Advised: Lullaby Launches New Services With Pigeon

In The News

Moon Opens Doors to Palo Alto Startup Community

What Does Artificial Life Reveal About Us?

The Optimal Solution Between Remote and Office: Who Chooses Where To Work