Former hydrologist Lindsay Theken found her entrepreneurial spirit whereas trying to find the proper headband. “I created HeadPeace as a result of I’m a scarf particular person,” her website bio reads, “and I wasn’t capable of finding the proper headband within the market.” Because the founding father of HeadPeace, she began to create trendy head clothes that may additionally match an energetic life-style. Then she found Purnaa, a fair-trade moral manufacturing firm, and the mission modified. She needed her firm to assist make the world a greater place. That turned doable by means of their partnership with Purnaa, which gives employment to survivors of exploitation, abuse, excessive discrimination and intercourse trafficking conditions.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
How did you notice that you just needed to start out a enterprise?
Lindsay Theken: I’ve a background in hydrology, so I knew nothing about enterprise. I really labored in Alaska and flew round in helicopters and studied rivers—it was nice! However [my husband] sort of planted the seed. Then, we had youngsters. I’ve been a stay-at-home mother with them, however as soon as they obtained to be in class and I had time to myself, I needed to do one thing however not return to the standard office.
Did you embark on any entrepreneurial ventures earlier than HeadPeace?
LT: No, and it was a studying course of for positive. I spent a whole lot of time learning how to start a business alone and likewise used [my husband, who went to business school] as a strong useful resource.
How did you uncover Purnaa and begin that partnership?
LT: Once I began HeadPeace, I had began trying into producers, and nearly all the reasonably priced ones have been abroad in China. And I had no concept, however you hear horror tales about baby labor and simply the general situations in factories, so I sort of put the mission on maintain.
Then, I used to be sitting at my daughter’s gymnastics class someday, and there was this girl sitting subsequent to me [who] I’d by no means seen earlier than. I began speaking to her, and she or he was like, “Oh, I dwell in Nepal, however I’m really from right here and like to journey. We really simply began a textile manufacturing firm, and our objective is to assist girls popping out of slavery and trafficking conditions get again on their toes.”
I’m not a spiritual particular person, however I discuss with that as my divine coincidence. It was superior as a result of I obtained to know her and her husband, and we have been capable of sit down in the lounge and discuss design. I do know them, so I do know what they’re doing is actually wonderful. They’re nice individuals.
And what evokes the patterns and colours in HeadPeace’s designs?
LT: I’ve been utilizing Fb as a instrument. Anytime I give you materials and prints that I feel I would like, I’ll put them on the market and ask individuals to love their favorites. It’s a good way to simply get a really feel for what the perfect prints are. Truthfully, I search for issues that I like and sort of hope that folks will like them. I’ve a variety of prints, and I attempt to maintain the colour palette widespread as nicely.
What’s the most important distinction between HeadPeace headbands and one other model?
LT: The social mission is certainly an enormous promoting level for these. They’re additionally tremendous light-weight and a pleasant, delicate materials, however they’re stretchy. It nearly feels such as you don’t have something in your head, and I did that on function as a result of I get migraines.
Once I began desirous about what sort of enterprise I needed to create, I picked headbands for a few causes: One, they’re straightforward to fabricate and straightforward to ship, and two, I simply couldn’t discover the proper one on {the marketplace}. You’ll be able to fold these headbands and put on them like a traditional headband or you’ll be able to widen them up a bit. They’re versatile, so there are a whole lot of dudes who put on them. They’re not only a girls’s product, which I really like.
With out having prior enterprise expertise, what’s been the most important problem?
LT: Taking it to the next level is actually troublesome. I want that I had a background in marketing. I feel that’s going to be the following course I give myself. It’s actually arduous to make that bounce from doing tremendous to taking it to the following stage—and the style trade is fairly powerful to interrupt into.
How do you keep targeted on what actually issues to you?
LT: I feel that as a enterprise experiences a ton of progress, it will be straightforward to say, “Oh, this moral piece or producer isn’t understanding—they’ll’t sustain with the expansion. Let’s simply discover another person.” And I simply gained’t ever do this.
To me, I’d fairly not develop at a stage that I can’t—or Purnaa can’t—maintain. Fortunately, they’ll tackle any order dimension, so it’s not going to be a difficulty on their finish. However yeah, retaining it actual, choosing out my very own patterns, dialing in on the material, retaining the standard on the stage I would like—that’s what’s necessary. Far more necessary than the rest.
This text initially appeared within the May/June 2023 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Picture by ©Pictures by Milana.
