Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bernard Law, co-founder of Kind Laundry, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Kind Laundry is a purpose-driven company whose mission is to eliminate single-use plastic polluting our oceans and landfills while providing people with a more eco-friendly laundry cleaning solution. They keep sustainability at the centre of every single step of their business operations by offering innovative, greener, and safer ways to do laundry that will keep your clothes clean and the planet happy. To date, in less than one year, they have eliminated over 100,000 single-use plastic jugs. Our customers are Millennials with young children, and they are looking for sustainable and safer ingredients for their families. It is also great for seniors who struggle to handle heavy plastic detergent jugs.
Tell us about yourself
Bernard Law and Angie Tran are co-founders of Kind Laundry with a mission to eliminate single-use plastic laundry detergent jugs and provide consumers with a much safer laundry cleaning detergent. They have ten years of marketing and digital marketing experience, which helped them successfully launch Kind Laundry as a DTC brand.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is finding a business that I am truly passionate about. Waking up each morning and knowing my work makes an impact on this world is such an accomplished feeling that not any prize or award can replace.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things is constantly making personal sacrifices to ensure the business takes priority. It is financially, emotionally, and physically draining to dedicate so much effort and resources into something. This is why being truly passionate about what you do is crucial. Otherwise, it gets tiring really quickly, and that's when most people will give up or dabble into the next shiny new opportunity.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Avoid another "me too" product or service. Find something that makes what you're offering unique, even if it is just a slight tweak in something that's already working well in the market.
- Pay attention to your numbers, whether that is understanding your cost-per-acquisition, the LTV of your customer, to what's happening in your P&L on a monthly basis. Often businesses don't survive past the first few years because the operator is not aware of their financial situation.
- Be humble. Don't think because you're the business owner that you know everything. Everyone is stronger in one area than another. Leverage the knowledge of people around you and always be curious and ask a lot of questions.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I think the pandemic has taught us a lesson on how vulnerable we all are. The planet is no different. As business owners, we all have responsibilities and a choice to make. Governments around the world are making changes such as reducing carbon emissions, eliminating plastic, or conservation efforts. As businesses, it is also our responsibility to be cognizant of the choices we make, which determine the type of planet we're leaving behind. I truly believe if you put effort into taking care of your customers and mother nature, they will, in return, take care of you.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.kindlaundry.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindlaundry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kindlaundry?
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.