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Inspiration for entrepreneurs is all around, but the deep details about how a brand goes from an idea to a physical product or service are fuzzy. We’re breaking it down this week with one of the founders of LOLA, Jordana Kier. In part 2 of a 4-part series, learn about how she and Alexandra Friedman got the idea for this feminine hygiene product delivery service and how they turned into a full-fledged business.

Be sure to check out the first part to this series on LOLA.

How did you two meet? How did you approach starting a business together?

Jordana Kier: We went to the same college but Alex and I actually didn’t meet until we were introduced years later by mutual friends. We instantly bonded and quickly shared gripes with the feminine care market. Among other things, we wondered why we found ourselves making frantic last-minute trips to the drugstore each month—we knew we needed them, yet somehow we were almost always unprepared. That’s when LOLA was born as a modern solution to feminine care. We started working together on the business over two years ago and launched the company together in July 2015.

How did you get the initial idea to start LOLA?

Jordana Kier: I was already thinking through potential business ideas while getting my MBA, identifying any consumer pain points in existing markets, and feminine care stuck out to me. We always find ourselves unprepared at the start of our periods; why wasn’t there a more convenient way to get the products we knew we would need every month? After some initial research into the category, however, it was clear that the story was bigger than just inconvenience: I could not find a comprehensive ingredients list for the tampons I had used for 15 years. But like everything else we put in and around our bodies, we deserve to know exactly what’s in these products. We were inspired to start this business because we realized that we, as well as all of the other women in our lives, wanted a better feminine care brand that was transparent and conveniently delivered.

Once you decided that this was something you wanted to pursue, what were your next steps? How did you take it from an idea to physical products people could buy?

Jordana Kier: In addition to extensive market research and surveys, we held numerous focus groups with women all over the country the year before launch with friends and friends of friends to talk about their feminine care habits and discuss the brand we were building. We knew there was a market for LOLA, but since we weren’t yet selling a product, it wasn’t easy to be certain that women’s frustration with the status quo in feminine care would translate to an actual switch in behavior.  

Real-time feedback from our focus groups was critical to refining LOLA and our go-to-market approach, and through these conversations we validated the demand for what we were offering. Once women were made aware of the fact that they didn’t know what was in their tampons, they were angry but also galvanized to educate themselves and make a conscious change—that was the key indicator for us.

Why did you want to make LOLA a delivery/subscription-based business?

Jordana Kier: We initially set out to solve what we thought was the main problem with feminine care: delivery. We were able to get our groceries, our beauty products, and our dry cleaning delivered to our door, so why not our tampons? As we began to research the feminine care market, however, it quickly became clear to us that a more pressing issue than convenience or delivery was an obvious lack of transparency about the ingredients in tampons. Trying to figure out what went into the products that we had been using since we were teenagers was a guessing game—a result of the fact that the FDA doesn’t require feminine care brands to disclose exactly what’s in their products, just what they may contain.

This lack of information inspired us to develop our own product, made from an ingredient we know and trust, and create a new transparent feminine care brand. LOLA offers tampons, pads and liners (and a brand-new First Period Kit!) made with 100% organic cotton, delivered right to your door in customizable assortments.

When you were just starting, what did your operation look like? How many people did you have helping you then, and how have you expanded?

Jordana Kier: We’ve grown a great deal, from 4 full-time employees (including Alex and myself) when we launched the business in July 2015, to 12 full-time employees today.

How did you spread the word about LOLA when you were just starting out?

Jordana Kier: The focus groups were essential for spreading the word about LOLA pre-launch and then later at launch. Our friends and their friends shared with their networks, so through that ripple effect, more women were suddenly aware of the fact that they didn’t realize what was in their tampons and wanted to do something about it. LOLA was not just a new product, but an entirely new way of thinking about feminine care.

How did you get the message out that the type of pads and tampons you use do matter, when it can often feel like people (even women) don’t want to openly talk about feminine hygiene and menstruation?

Jordana Kier: At launch, we encouraged our customers to post their own #lolashelfie and were so excited by what we saw. The existence of social media makes it easier for women to team up, start a movement, and realize they aren’t alone when it comes to traditionally taboo topics. We’ve seen women comment and engage on our Instagram page more and more over time as they’ve realized periods are something that we all can relate to and shouldn’t be embarrassed about. We love seeing customers take photos, tag us, and share their LOLA experiences with their communities.

We also created The Broadcast, a destination for information on women’s health, tips for living a healthy and balanced life, and conversations with trailblazing women we admire. We launched it to tackle stigmatized topics and personal questions that we’re all independently thinking about but not necessarily engaging with each other on.

We hear from our customers every day that they are so thankful they now have a brand they can turn to for questions about their periods and reproductive health. Women call us to ask basic questions about their cycle, how to make informed product choices, and we even have the occasional woman who calls us from a bathroom. For us, launching a blog was a natural next step to allow us to connect with women through a different channel and open up the conversation across a spectrum of women’s health topics that too often go undiscussed. Part of opening up the conversation is creating a safe space for women to engage on these topics, and The Broadcast will hopefully become that destination for many women.

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In honor of National Tequila Day yesterday (July 24th), we decided to put together a collection of some of our favorite tequila packaging designs. Don’t forget the salt and lime! 

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1. The Dieline Awards 2017: Pasote Tequila

 

2. Pavimento Tequila

 

3. How a Horseshoe and Frida Kahlo Inspired Herradura’s New Design

 

4. DÉCADA Tequila

 

5. Campo Bravo Tequila

 

6. Tequila del Gallo García

 

7. Before & After: el Jimador Tequila

 

8. El Ladrón

 

9. Casa Pujol Tequila

 

10. Before & After: Tequila 512

 

11. Suerte Tequila Extra Añejo

 

12. Casa Noble Alta Belleza Tequila

 

13. Patrón Extra Añejo 7 Años

 

14. Take the Edge off with this Thoughtful Tranquilo Tequila Gift Set

 

15. Nicky Romero Limited Edition Olmeca Tequila

 

16. Licor Don Gaby Tequila

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Here’s the latest:

• It is with deep sadness that we share the devastating news of the passing of a true legend, visionary, and design icon, Margo Chase.
• How much plastic humans have made and thrown out, in emojis.
• Talking with vs. talking to your audience.
• Pringles packaging is particularly tough to recycle, but perhaps the snack brand is on the road to more sustainable packaging?
• The anti-packaging trend encourages consumers to shop naked.
• When it comes to meal kits, is preventing food waste more important than having less packaging?
• If an N64 Classic is in the works, we are all for it.
• Liter of Light uses plastic bottles filled with water and bleach to light up homes without any electricity.
• Do you make newsletters for your clients? Here are 5 powerful tips to create emails they’ll love.
• How and why Converse redesigned their logo.

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Independent brand design agency Design Bridge are pleased to share details of the new packaging they’ve created for Wind Flower Snow Moon: a premium, regional beer brewed in the heart of the Yunnan province in South West China. Yunnan is an area of breathtaking, varied landscapes and rich artistic heritage and Design Bridge have delicately woven all of these stories into the new design using beautiful illustration and calligraphy.

John Hughes, Creative Director at Design Bridge, commented: “The name Wind Flower Snow Moon has an intriguing double meaning. Firstly, it’s a classic, poetic Chinese idiom that has particular resonance with the natural landscape and culture in Yunnan. Secondly, in modern Chinese slang it’s used to describe a man who’s a bit of a carefree ‘Casanova’. We’ve combined these different ideas of romance and poetry to create a design that’s rich with meaning and captures the spirit of the Yunnan province.”

The illustration on the front of the packaging references traditional Chinese watercolour paintings and incorporates delicate snowflakes, abundant flower blossoms and wisps of wind within the silhouette of a full moon. Inspiration was taken from Yunnan’s snow-capped mountains, its highlands blossoming with azaleas, and the beautiful reflection of the full moon on the Erhai Lake. Meanwhile, a young lady’s face is hidden among the branches of the trees, a mysterious reference to the romantic Casanova interpretation of the brand name.

For the new wordmark, Design Bridge collaborated with a calligraphy master from the Yunnan Province, Mr Sun, whose rhythmic brush-strokes bring an added air of authenticity and artistry to the design. Meanwhile, the rich indigo blues used in the illustration refer to the traditional colours of the region, known for its natural indigo dying processes, and golden inks speak to the beer’s premium positioning and reference the warm, golden hue of the liquid.

Van Lai, Marketing Director at Wind Flower Snow Moon, commented: “Wind Flower Snow Moon is deeply rooted in the heritage of the Yunnan Province and we wanted our branding and packaging to better reflect this important connection. Design Bridge have really succeeded in bringing the spirit of the region and the essence of the brand out in the new design, making Wind Flower Snow Moon a true celebration of local culture.”

 

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Designed By: Design Bridge
Location: London, UK

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Tropical Branding Lab created this bold and fun branding and packaging for chicken fast-food restaurant, Cocoro Rooster.

“Cocoro Rooster is a fast food restaurant that serves chicken-based meals with a dynamic and cheerful concept that entices both kids and adults with its fun branding design.”

“For the creation of this brand we used techniques such as illustration and 3-D modelling for the character and patterns, playing with colors, and created the lettering for the logo by using geometric patterns and freehand work.”

 

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Agency: Tropical Branding Lab
Designer. Galilea Torres
Location: Mexico

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ICONIC BRANDING designed this playful conceptual wine brand, PROVOCATEUR. The labels feature a variety of famous figures from art history which add a familiar but fun feeling to the design.

“Wine drinking has always been a good way to lift our spirits, and help us see the world in a different way. PROVOCATEUR wine range brings the fun of wine drinking back in the game. It’s designed to remind us that wine should provoke our sense as well as our sensibility, it should relax our body in order to free the mind from the daily cares and make us cheerful and happy, as we all long to be.”

“PROVOCATEUR wine series is all about the repressed creativity we all keep locked in our minds and needs to be released, in a good and enjoyable way.”

 

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Designed By: ICONIC BRANDING
Location: Athens, Greece
 

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We definitely can’t resist a beautiful intricate design and this packaging for Winchester Gin is no exception. Sant Harwicke designed the packaging for this special spirit.

“Sant Harwicke were tasked with creating a bespoke and unique new Winchester Gin brand for Winchester Distillery, a Hampshire based distillery. We developed a concept to pay absolute homage to King Authur, and the Knights of the Round Table, using ornate gold detailing and chiselled branding. Winchester Gin is a celebration of English history, which showcases the iconic round table using a clear and refined colour palette, with chiselled embossing that helps to give a more tactile finish.”

 

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Designed By: Sant Harwicke
Client: Paul Bowler, Winchester Distillery
Printing & Photography: Multi-Color Daventry
Location: Suffolk, England

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design by country have designed and art directed the entire range authentic and naturally-inspired packaging for Peter’s Yard sourdough crispbreads.

The packaging design uses original paintings of the Swedish tradition of drying crispbreads on a pole over an open fire.

The photography on the pack was done by renowned food photographer P.A. Jorgensen in Malmo Sweden.

‘Peter’s Yard Swedish-inspired crispbread is an all-natural, artisan product which has garnered a loyal following from foodies to Michelin-starred chefs’.

 

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Designed By: design by country
Creative Director: Warran Brindle
Pack Photography: P.A. Jorgensen
Printer: Qualvis Packaging ltd
Location: Birmingham, UK

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Ever wanted to own your own gold bar? This just might be your chance! Chad Michael Studio created this supremely lux packaging for Gold Bar Whiskey.

“Gold Bar is a luxurious blended whiskey from the Golden State of California. Each uniquely numbered bottle possesses a removable solid brass coin which serves as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. All coins are individually minted at America’s oldest private mint.”

 

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Designed By: Chad Michael Studio
Client: Gold Bar Bottle Company
Location: Dallas, Texas

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We are a leading provider of top quality rigid packaging. Our organization consists of more than 2,400 employees in over 55 locations. We are a customer driven company with proven expertise in the areas of custom design, supply chain fulfillment and diverse manufacturing platforms. We are a company that is passionate about helping our clients succeed. Companies nationwide rely on Consolidated Container Company to provide products, support innovation, facilitate marketing decisions and improve business performance in their daily operations. Our talented and diverse team of employees rivals all others in the industry.

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