In Episode 6 of the Disruptors for Good podcast I speak with Claire Coder, Founder of Aunt Flow, about quitting college at 19 to start an organic tampon company and fighting for women’s menstrual issues.

Listen to other Causeartist podcast here.

Claire Coder is the founder and CEO of Aunt Flow. Committed to ensuring everyone has access to menstrual products, Coder dropped out of college to pursue Aunt Flow.

The social enterprise now stocks over 100 companies and schools with freely accessible menstrual products ranging from Viacom, Jeni’s Ice Creams, and Bark Box to Stanford and Brown University.

About Aunt Flow – Organic Tampon

For every 10 tampons and pads the company sell, they donate 1 to a menstruator in need. The company calls this people helping people. PERIOD.®. They have donated over 350,000 menstrual products to menstruators in need in the USA.

Check out her blueprint and journal of how she raised $1.5 million here.

Things we talked about:

• Dropping out of college
• Mentration legislation
• Organic tampons
• Raising $1.5 million
• Pivoting the business from B2C to B2B

Interview Transcript

00:00

Grant: Hey, what’s up everybody, this is Grant from Causeartist. Today we’re chatting with Claire Coder, the founder of Aunt Flow. Aunt Flow is a tampon company that Claire started when she was 19 years old after dropping out of college.

She wanted to create menstrual equality for women by providing organic and sustainable tampons as a resource in workplaces and schools. We discuss her decision to leave college, the challenges of starting a company, and the legislative changes that are benefiting women. As a man, pardon my ignorance on the subject, but I learned a lot from Claire, and I hope you do too. Enjoy the conversation!

01:29

Grant: What is Aunt Flow and how did it get started?

01:32

Claire: I originally started the company after getting my period unexpectedly without the supplies I needed. I was at an event in college at the time, and I remember thinking, if toilet paper is offered for free in public bathrooms, why aren’t tampons and pads?

Both respond to natural bodily functions. That was my inspiration moment behind Aunt Flow. Three years later, our company stocks over 300 business and school bathrooms with our 100% organic cotton tampons and pads. Businesses purchase our products just like they purchase toilet paper and paper towels to offer in their bathrooms at no cost to employees, students, and guests.

02:48

Grant: You were 19 when you decided to quit college and start the company. How was that process?

03:13

Claire: Actually, I was 18, in college at The Ohio State University, studying comparative religion. I never loved higher education and didn’t feel it was for me. Growing up in Ohio, the expectation was always to go to college after high school. After getting my period unexpectedly and coming up with the idea for Aunt Flow, I decided to drop out of college.

I moved out of my dorm, signed a lease for an apartment in downtown Columbus, and broke the news to my parents, who were not supportive at first. 2015 and 2016 were years of figuring out my basic needs while trying to start the company. I worked various jobs to pay rent and stabilize my life. It wasn’t until 2018 that Aunt Flow really started to blossom.

06:39

Grant: What made the company blossom in 2018? Was it focusing on businesses instead of direct-to-consumer?

06:59

Claire: Yes, initially, we sold direct-to-consumer, but we transitioned to selling to businesses. We were getting some traction, but it wasn’t until we fully transitioned to B2B sales and figured out manufacturing that we saw significant growth. In 2018, I hired our Director of Sales, which took a lot of the load off me and helped us grow.

08:23

Grant: What is the difference between 100% organic cotton tampons and regular tampons on store shelves?

08:46

Claire: Many larger brands use rayon, synthetic fibers, and perfumes in their tampons. The vagina is one of the most absorbent parts of the body, so using products with synthetic materials and perfumes doesn’t make sense. We wanted to create a quality product at a great price, accessible to everyone, regardless of income.

09:55

Grant: How did you navigate the challenges of manufacturing as a young entrepreneur?

10:48

Claire: I Googled a lot and found manufacturers on platforms like Alibaba. It’s about pitching your vision to manufacturers, much like pitching to investors. We built relationships with manufacturers by sharing our vision and showing we were doing something different. Even though we’re a small client for them, they bought into our mission.

12:55

Grant: How did you transition from a one-for-one model to your current model?

13:59

Claire: Initially, we had a one-for-one model, but now we do a buy 10, donate one model. This decision was based on volume. We sell millions of tampons and pads a year, so our give-back is significantly more now. We donate products to period.org, which distributes them to organizations across the US.

15:17

Grant: Did you explore legislative changes to support menstrual equity?

15:41

Claire: Legislation has worked in our favor, but it’s slow. We have clear data showing the benefits of offering free menstrual products in workplaces and schools. In 2018, three states (California, Illinois, and New York) passed legislation requiring middle schools and high schools to offer free menstrual products. We don’t do much lobbying but work directly with schools and businesses to make this change.

17:31

Grant: Do you work with schools directly?

17:35

Claire: Yes, about 50% of our business is with schools, including middle schools, high schools, and universities like Kent State and Penn State. Ironically, The Ohio State University, where I went, has not selected us as a supplier despite our offers to price match.

18:47

Grant: How long have you been in business, and what have you learned?

19:55

Claire: I consider 2018 our real starting year when we found our footing. Entrepreneurship is an emotional spectrum with high highs and low lows. It’s emotionally exhausting but rewarding. I’ve learned to handle the lows and celebrate the highs. For anyone considering starting a business, it’s essential to understand that starting is the easiest part. The day-to-day grind and overcoming obstacles are the real challenges.

23:34

Grant: How did you approach funding and investors?

24:57

Claire: In late 2018, we raised $1.5 million from angel investors. I waited until I felt comfortable with our traction and knew where to allocate the funds. Fundraising was challenging and often deflating, but it helped me think critically and improve as a founder. The process took about four to six months.

27:06

Grant: How did your parents react to your success?

28:33

Claire: Initially, my parents were shocked and unsupportive, but they came around. My dad even calls himself a “flow bro.” My mom, an art therapist, supports our community outreach. They’re now very supportive of the company and proud of what we’ve achieved.