Digital Convenience, Making an Impact and Starting a Business  

What has stood out most in my memories about my 2015 SXSW panel, “Disruptive Mobile Technologies in Fashion Commerce,” was that all the companies have made it their goal to focus on the mundane tasks in women’s lives, in order to turn them into something much less onerous  — and much more fun and convenient.  It also got me to thinking about how all of the companies are entrepreneurial ventures, and my own insights on that particularly exhausting and very rewarding sphere.

All three companies – my own, ThirdLove; Amy Errett’s Madison Reed; and Manik Singh’s ThreadFlip —    use unique mobile technologies as a part of their business strategy in different, yet impactful ways. Their missions?  Bra-shopping, dyeing your hair and consigning your clothes — probably not your favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon. They’re not the most amusing, appealing activities – but, interestingly,  they all have something in common: pre-digital era, they used to take a substantial amount of time.

Threadflip is the perfect tool for the busy woman who loves to refresh her closet and have fun with fashion.  As an online consignment marketplace where women can list apparel or accessories that they’d like to sell — as well as purchase items from other sellers — it’s the perfect place to find designer deals and reduce your carbon footprint. But it’s truly the convenience of Threadflip that makes it the modern woman’s dream: with its mobile app and concierge service, consigning your clothes has never been easier.

Madison Reed has completely disrupted the hair dye market, providing women with high-quality hair color free of harsh chemicals. Not only do they have an amazing product, but they bring convenience to the hair-coloring process by leveraging technology and offering their customers advice and consultation through their website, over the phone, and on their mobile app. By utilizing technology, Madison Reed is turning the beauty industry on its head, giving women the convenience and quality they deserve.

Bra Shopping Goes Mobile

As for me: two years ago, as I was finishing up a list of weekend errands, I finally got to the one I dreaded most: shopping for a bra. I had been putting off this task for months. As much as I desperately needed new lingerie for my top half,  the thought of finding time to drive to the store, getting fitted by a stranger, and trying on countless bras to (finally) find the one that fit seemed overwhelming, daunting, and quite frankly unpleasant. The worst part? After going through the hassle of finally purchasing a bra, it would start to fall apart after just a few washes. I thought to myself, there has to be a better way.

I knew that if I was experiencing this pain point in my life, then countless other women must be going through this as well. This marked the beginning of ThirdLove. What started as an inconvenient errand turned into a business based on solving a problem that every woman faces. At ThirdLove, our mission is to revolutionize the bra industry: from offering a better way to get fit for a bra through our mobile app, to more size options (half-cups included), to a higher quality product, and much more.

Our mobile app allows women to completely forgo the in-store bra purchasing experience. Instead of spending your time driving to your local mall and trying on bras, our app takes you through our unique sizing technology to find your perfect fit, down to the half cup size. Our entire product selection is available to purchase on our mobile app as well, making the shopping experience seamless, efficient, and most importantly, convenient.

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur with a great idea? Are you ready to make the leap? Here are a few pieces of advice that I’ve learned while launching ThirdLove:

Get comfortable being uncomfortable
I quit my well-paying, stable job at Google to start ThirdLove. Being an entrepreneur is rewarding, exciting and terrifying, all at the same time in the course of a day.  When you start a company, there will be much more that you don’t know, than you actually know. You’ll need to feel okay with this, and understand that this is part of the learning process.

Focus, focus, focus
There is never enough time in the day, so the most important thing is to prioritize and be as efficient as possible — especially if you have children (I have a 1.5 year old).  I live by the saying: there is nothing more efficient than a working mom.

Be Resilient and Keep a Positive Attitude
Working at a startup means you will have good days and bad days.  You have to roll with the punches, learn from your mistakes and keep on moving forward.  It’s not for everyone!

Hire People who are Smarter than You
It’s all about building a strong, passionate and engaged team around you. You should spend your time on parts of the business that are your core strengths.  Then add others to your team  who bring a different perspective and different skills to the table.

Listen to your Customers
That has been the #1 driver of growing our business.  I answer a lot of customer support emails myself, as it helps me have a better understanding of where we should spend our resources.  Their positive feedback encourages us when we’re on the right track. Their negative feedback shows us how we can improve our product offerings and website and app experiences.

Just like they say to draw what you see, and write what you know, I decided to fix a problem I personally had.  So I encourage you to take a step back and take a look at your everyday life.  Sometimes it’s the simplest solutions that have the largest — and even (potentially, for the entrepreneur) the most lucrative — impact.

Written by:  Heidi Zak, CoFounder, ThirdLove
SXSW Presentation:  Disruptive Mobile Technologies in Fashion Commerce