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It’s completely unladylike to talk about something like your period (…), it’s unbecoming, you don’t need to talk about this stuff. But it’s holding women back, and if it’s causing real problems for women then yes, we need to talk about it.” Miki Agrawal is a co-founder of Thinx, a revolutionary women’s underwear company that solves a problem for women in the developed world and women in the developing world during “their time of the month.” She was a recipient of the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival’s Disruptive Innovation Award and named 2013’s Forbes’s Top 20 Millienials On a Mission. She is also the founder of the acclaimed farm-to-table, alternative pizza concept called WILD in NYC. You can connect with Miki here: http://www.mikiagrawal.com https://twitter.com/twinmiki
IN TOR 091 YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:
- Miki’s jumping-off points that gave her the focus to start and keep going.
- Crowdfunding, and the differences of emphasis between Kickstarter (product) and Indiegogo (business identity).
- The many similarities about social and general entrepreneurship.
- Miki’s partnerships and impact on children nutrition, sanitation and health, in the US and Africa.
- Miki’s personal advice on:
- The role of knowledge and curiosity in a passionate career
- Money versus purpose
- Attracting great partners
- Her 3-step process for success in social entrepreneurship
OUR CONVERSATION INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
Organizations
- Thinx
- Tribeca Film Festival
- Forbes
- Deutsche Bank
- Aon
- Victoria’s Secret
- The New York Times
- 2010 FIFA World Cup
- Kickstarter
- Indiegogo
- Buzzfeed
- Vice
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Boston INBOUND Marketing Conference
Topics
- Menstruation & Feminine Hygiene around the world
- Marketing, design and creativity
- Childhood obesity and nutrition disorders
Places
- Williamsburg, Brooklyn
- World Trade Center
- Johannesburg, South Africa
EPISODE CRIB NOTES
In Williamsburg, Brooklyn (“Hipster Haven”) Sept 11, 2015 This date 2001 Miki was a Deutsche Bank trainee It was the first time she slept in Miki and colleagues lost a lot of friends “Kind of what let me to pursue my dreams” Stints in media, film and tv Out of a stomach ache, she realized the size of the “allergy” (food manufacturing) industry She starts her farm-to-table pizza service She documents it in the book Do Cool Sh*! His partner was the real star, hero, expert. He doubled his business “Operations is not my strength” Marketing, ideas, business development, web design “The creative piece” Super Sprowtz Idea with her and her twin sister. “Kids don’t eat green stuff” Turns out there is a pandemic of kids not eating vegetables There is a huge need of making kids eat veggies Her sister developed the “veggies as super powers” concept, it received good traction among the toddler demo It evolved into a media concept, with web video, books, after school (lunchtime really) program Measurable impact on dietary improvement A subscription model Thinx Necessity is the mother of invention Running from restaurant to restaurant was not pleasant during her menstrual cramps At a family three-legged race, her sister had to rush to the bathroom, so they both had to They come up with the idea with a “period-perfect” underwear, sealed and absorbent On Johannesburg and Swaziland during the World Cup, girls were not at school because it was “her week of shame” They do not have the means to protect themselves during menstruation, resorted to pieces of cloth from all mattresses “Could not believe it”. Period management in the developing world had not crossed her mind Girls miss schools, then there is a larger propensity to drop out entirely “How to make a sustainable business model” Realizations about women’s sexual health innovation are male-centered, beleaguered, “crazy” Uganda’s AFRIpads creates low-cost, reusable pads Thinx has prevented hundred of African girls from dropping out Manufactured in Sri Lanka by Asia’s best company to work for 10 years in It pays 2.5 competitive wages, hi-tech, 6-sigma “Exciting working with these partners” The challenge: imagining growth Coming from a large reorganization, there were a lot of cultural issues Logistics, backorder improvements 100% online sale. Inventory partner maintains Funding Kickstarter “can really let you prove a concept” Made $65K in Kickstarter + some from a prize + some from Indiegogo “because KS is product driven not story driven” Over $110K worth of product within 45 days It followed a series of funding “I’ve never felt luckier than with the talent that we have” Young, hungry, creative, brilliant young minds, “everyone is an expert” They work all day with Miki, then go to night school “Thirsty to learn. Sponges” “They love learning. You can’t teach that” “It’s just cool. It’s humbling. There’s so much work to be done” Struggles She’s been through every issue and failure known to man This year tax forms have been sent in time, for the first time “All our employees have the best health insurance ever” 17 women and 1 man There were some “wrong fits” When the company is 5 people, everyone does everything and does so stressfully With 18+, people can focus on their strength They went from packaging and wastefulness, to key partners for fulfillment Looking bright Full time in her businesses; thinking about two new more Interested in health and sanitation There is a global sanitation crisis, that’s fully solvable Gender equality is there Commitments Miki intends to follow to the end of her life “No one talks about taking a shit”. This is holding women back Everyone is uncomfortable Critical advice for the reproducibility of Miki’s success “Follow and undying thirst for knowledge” Keep in mind the mission attached to any work or activity Broke it down: ―Solve what sucks in your world ―Solve what sucks for other people ―Solve what you’ll be passionate solving for a really long time in your life “It takes years for overnight success”Please share, participate and leave feedback below!
If you have any feedback you’d like to share for me or Miki, please leave your thoughts in the comment section below! I read all of them and will definitely take part in the conversation. If you have any questions you’d like to ask me directly, head on over to the Ask Stephen section. Don’t be shy! Every question is important and I answer every single one. And, if you truly enjoyed this episode and want to make sure others know about it, please share it now:[feather_share show=”facebook, twitter, linkedin, google_plus” hide=”reddit, pinterest, tumblr, mail”]
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