Living the startup dream of acquisition by an aligned values brand, Meika Hollender considers herself an activist as much as an entrepreneur. Her company, Sustain, has been called disruptive, and that suits Meika just fine, as she galvanizes a revolution across wellness, sexuality, and reproductive health.
Meika Hollender is the Co-Founder and President of Sustain, the leading brand of all-natural, vagina-friendly sexual wellness and period care products. Also an author, activist, and entrepreneur, Meika has consistently made marketplace history with a myriad of product innovations in the sexual wellness space that redefine the stigmatized narrative around female sexuality. Leading the first natural sexual wellness brand, she galvanizes a revolution across wellness, sexuality, and reproductive health as chronicled by Forbes, Fast Company, Well+Good, The Coveteur, and many others.
Following her graduation from the Stern School of Business at New York University, Meika teamed up with her father Jeffrey Hollender, the Co-Founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation, to launch Sustain Natural in 2014. Speaking to the fact 40% of condom purchases were by women, the company introduced its flagship product—the world’s most sustainable condom. Sustain has since grown to include wipes, lubricant, and 100% organic cotton tampons and pads as well as reusable period products. Touting the 10%4Women initiative, 10% of all pre-tax profits benefit women’s reproductive healthcare organizations in the U.S.
Along the way, the brand ignited the wildly successful, Get On Top, campaign as a vehicle for the promotion of safe sex in 2016 with 100,000 women joining the cause. The phrase also served as the title for Meika’s own critically acclaimed book and subsequent New York-based “Get On Top” Pop-Up Shop. In October 2019, Meika rallied to help pass the Products Right to Know Act in New York, a transitive milestone for both the period care industry and women everywhere that mandates companies to disclose a full list of ingredients on all menstrual products packaging starting in 2020.
In August 2019, Sustain was acquired by Grove Collaborative, a leading digital-first brand and e-commerce platform for natural home and personal care products. Meika joined the Grove Collaborative team as Head of Communications, while remaining President & Co-Founder of Sustain.
Key Points
- Leaders that micromanage end up getting in their own way. Releasing some responsibility in running the business is very important.
- Get your company out there. If you stick within one bubble, you’ll massively limit your impact.
- Maximize your impact by leveraging education opportunities. It’s better to be on the ground floor of addressing a problem instead of producing catch-up solutions.
- When you’re leading a team and you’re weathering storms, it’s so important to stay positive. —Not to create a false reality, but it’s a real responsibility to stay even keeled and positive.
Quote
“A big reason that people showed up every day was because of our mission. When you have a group of people who care so fiercely about changing the world and righting the wrongs of the past… people show up—both in terms of how hard they work and openness—in a way that is just different. I really cannot imagine building a company that didn’t have such a strong mission that people showed up for.”
What We Talked About
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 01:30 – What are some of the challenges of startup acquisition?
- 06:28 – How does it feel to release complete control of the company you started?
- 11:13 – How do you handle burnout?
- 18:00 – What impact do you see Sustain having?
- 24:15 – On female-focused sexual wellness narratives
- 27:25 – How do entrepreneurship and activism weave together?
- 30:30 – How has your leadership evolved?
- 34:14 – How did you cultivate company culture? Does working in the sexual wellness field make openness easier?
- 36:19 – What’s next? What impact do you still want to have?
Actionable Tips
- Accept that impact comes with controversy.
- Lead with your gut. Trust your beliefs and intuition.
- Listen to your customers. Engage with them on your impact journey.
Resources Mentioned
- 4 Things Article: Thrive Global
- Find Meika and Sustain on social media: @missmeiks on Twitter | Instagram and @sustain on Twitter | Instagram
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Ursula Jorch, Host of The Impact Interviews
Ursula Jorch is a business coach, speaker, and podcaster who shows women leaders how to turn their businesses into profitable agents for lasting change, global impact, and a force for good in the world.
