At many drugstores, there is an aisle filled with predominately pink products marketed towards women. The shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, and deodorant all have something in common — they are often more expensive than their male-focused, mostly blue counterparts. There is even a term for the cost difference between female-focused products and male-focused or gender-neutral ones: the “pink tax.”
After years of using men’s razors to avoid the “pink tax” Georgina Gooley decided to take matters into her own hands. In 2017, Gooley and Jason Bravman launched Billie, an affordable subscription service for female-first premium razors and body care products, with $1.5 million of seed funding from prominent investors including Female Founders Fund, Greycroft Partners, and Lakehouse Ventures. She and her New York City-based team aren’t only combatting the “pink tax” with their prices, they are also paying women back with their tongue-in-cheek Pink Tax Rebate referral system. Here’s how they are shaking up the traditionally male-dominated shaving industry.
What inspired you to start Billie? What was your career path?
For years I had been shaving with men’s razors out of principal because I realized that women’s razors were unfairly priced compared to men’s razors due to the “pink tax.”
It seemed strange that most shaving companies were created for men or have been spun out of men’s brands – as a result, women have simply been an afterthought in this category. My cofounder and I came together to create a female-first shave and body brand where the products are uniquely built for the way women shave and are priced fairly. We’re combating the “pink tax” because the idea that women should pay more for something purely because of their gender is absurd.
I’ve always thought brands were fascinating – from a young age, I was very interested in advertising and the creative process behind it. Prior to starting Billie, I worked at advertising agencies in Sydney, New York, and Portland – most recently, I was working at Wieden + Kennedy. I’ve been lucky to work on some great brands throughout my career, but nothing has compared to creating a brand from scratch. We’re essentially creating a world where we’ve designed and defined our own products, values, and codes of communication. We created Billie to be a brand that celebrates womankind and creates a bit of magic in the mundane.
What has been the biggest challenge and, on the flip side, the biggest reward of starting Billie?
The biggest challenge has been staying focused when there are a million things to distract and even deter you from getting to launch. It’s important to stay goal-orientated and continue chipping away to get there.
The biggest reward by far has been our customers’ reaction to both the brand and the product. When you’ve been working towards launch for over a year, sometimes it can feel like you’ve been planning this epic party but, come launch day, you wonder if people will show up and have fun. The day after launch, I woke up to my first piece of “fan mail” – someone I had never met thanking me for starting a female-first company like Billie. Since day one, we’ve had a tremendous amount of support from women who have been so generous in their appreciation of our product design and the values that our company is built upon. It’s been incredibly humbling.
You raised $1.5 million in funding. I know it can be difficult for women to raise venture capital, especially for female-focused brands like Billie, did you run up against any problems? What are your recommendations for other female founders?
When we were meeting with different venture capitalists to raise our initial round, it became clear which ones were excited by the notion of creating a fresh, female brand with a point of view in a category that has been historically dominated by men’s brands. We are fortunate to be partnering with some terrific investors that share this vision. During the fundraising process, we remained super focused on executing our vision, building great products, and showing continuous results.
My recommendation to other female founders is to find investors that really believe in the vision of what you’re building. You want partners that are equally excited about what your brand stands for and who can see the opportunity and market void.
Tell me about Billie’s Pink Tax Rebate, please!
The Pink Tax Rebate is designed to “reimburse” women for years spent over-paying for pink razors. Simply share a referral code with friends (no purchase necessary), and for every 5, 10, or 20 friends that join the Pink Tax Rebate, Billie will provide a $5, $10, or $20 credit for customers to use on the site.
What is a workday like? Please walk me through a day!
A typical workday is walking in with a plan and then throwing that plan out the window because something more urgent has popped up!
I usually start my days by reviewing sales and customer responses from the night before and responding to any pressing emails. I like to set a daily to-do list of items I need to focus on that day –and I’ll work through that list in between meetings. Over the course of the day, we’ll touch on all aspects of the business ranging across product development, logistics, customer service, website updates, marketing efforts, and making headway on upcoming initiatives.
What are your responsibilities as the cofounder of Billie?
As the cofounder the buck stops here – we’re responsible for every aspect of the company and it’s our responsibility to uphold the standards and values of the company and to instill them in our staff. My cofounder Jason Bravman and I work very closely together on all parts of the business; however, we naturally gravitate towards our own strengths. [Bravman] takes the lead on operations and finance and I oversee marketing and web development.
What are the most important characteristics someone needs to have to be successful in your role?
Focus, persistence, and imagination – you need to have a vision and then the grit to follow through.
What are three characteristics you look for when you’re hiring a new team member?
We look for someone that is self-motivated, a quick learner, and has a good attitude. When a company is so young, every team member has to be able to wear multiple hats, problem-solve on the go and have a laugh along the way. You have to embrace the challenge and enjoy the journey.
What’s the biggest lesson you learned at work and how did you learn it?
Find your own style. Advertising is an industry full of wonderfully loud and colorful characters and it can be hard to stand out. You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room, you just have to find a way to be heard.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t try and please everyone – you’ll waste your time and energy seeking approval and end up creating something that is totally mediocre.
What is your business advice for other young professional women?
If you want to start a business, find something that’s important to you – it can be anything as long as you truly care about it. There will be a lot of distractions along the way so having a north star is important. And most importantly, back yourself.
