hello everyone welcome to another
YouTube hangout super excited to be here
with my friend Christopher Gavigan who
is the co-founder of the honest company
out of California also plays a big part
in role of my book and today we’re going
to talk about how to stay on course in
the face of growth and challenges
Christopher welcome aboard Evan always
great to see in my grand I love it so
you know my audience is mostly
entrepreneurs people who have started a
business or hiring some success or
people who are wanting to start a
business haven’t quite taken that step
yet what are some of the the issues
you’ve gone through the challenges you
face how do you like obviously that the
purpose is so important he was in the
name of your company and there must have
been a lot of challenges and issues
you’ve had to go through to build that
brand up and say like this is how we’re
going to build our company can you talk
about some of the issues that you face
and how you’ve overcome them for the
audience yeah we are four and a half
going on five years in january and as
any business entrepreneur will tell you
those moments early days are blindingly
fast in the sense that your head is so
down and your navel gazing and to really
focus on smart execution building the
team shirring product quality and
integrity and really being thoughtful
about how people are engaging with your
brand and i think you are so attentive
to these core set of issues that often
times you don’t imagine some of the
pitfalls are some of the gaps in between
and i would say some of the gaps in
between for us is you know we we love
and we really thrive on our consumer
we’re consumer first grabbed we’re
continually thinking how to satisfy at a
gauge how to inspire how to empower how
to excite them because we’re really what
we’re doing because we’re activating and
solving for this really big needs at in
their day-to-day life how do I have the
healthiest safest environment for my
children for my viola for my family for
my home
we people especially children Andhra
moms and families there are
vulnerabilities and and challenges they
are facing from a health perspective and
from a overall management of their
lifestyle and so we are continually we
are continually thinking about ways to
satisfy them and when you don’t when you
don’t imagine that other people don’t
have that same vision ie people that
aren’t supportive of your brand aren’t
supportive of your outlook on my famiiy
exist every day you know call them
haters call them people that you aren’t
excited about what you’re doing you
don’t you don’t you don’t think about
how to be as responsive as possible
because you don’t imagine that anyone
has different you and a mindset and um
you know with a great core good and
purpose that we have every single day
you know I think it really catches us
off guard when we outside of don’t solve
for people’s need that we actually find
people who attack or or try to not not
come in line or come and Cummins in
support of what we’re trying to do from
a health and wellness and education
perspective so when you’ve got you know
and I think we just the human condition
is we will get lots of positive feedback
you may get 99 people saying amazing
things but is that one person who has
something nice to say and and first
whatever reason is that one that kind of
lingers in your head that one negative
one and you ignore all the 99 things I
know it’s like thick skin thin skin and
and and your fix can you hear the good
and it just amplified it sounds great
and then that’s that one person wait a
minute okay and being as consumables
being in consumer products you gosh you
have to listen because they help drive
innovation and development and
reiteration and design and that’s really
exciting but you also have to put it in
context of how important it where does
it matter and how much does it
are in the context of the larger product
or growth strategy your plan so how do
you deal with the emotional side of that
right if it’s constructive criticism
like hey you know the packaging was
unclear and it would have been great if
you made that font bigger whatever ms is
like pure hate where someone is just
raging and I don’t mean you may not be
able to get anything constructive from
that how do you how do you handle the
emotional side of that because a lot of
people watching have have some of those
people in their lives where you know can
be someone very close give me their
parents their family who’s saying you
know don’t do this is a really bad idea
you can’t do that how do you handle the
emotional side and stay on your course
especially when you might even have a
couple doubts yourself yeah look I don’t
think you ever handle it well and I nor
do I think you’ve never bribed to say I
am in tune and I get it and I’m aligned
with your thinking I think you you have
to be focused and unrelenting and
unapologetic and uncompromising in your
vision and you because that is that is
truly yours it belongs to you you you
need to own it you need to be remarkable
with that and if you and if you’re not
steadfast if you don’t have hard
guardrails you’re going to waver and
you’re going to get soft on your edges
and then you’re not just stand for
anything and so for standing for
something you’re going you’re going to
piss people off and but I don’t think
you ever get good with handling it well
I think you have to hear it you have to
lean into it and you have to want to
hear it you know we have it’s the beauty
of honest is we really built out a core
team in structure to be listeners and
here in corporate headquarters as well
as Austin we have well over 125 people
that are rolling anywhere between five
to six thousand consumer touch points
today so that’s phone calls live chat
emails and these are ways that we
connect but these are ways that there’s
really
listen engine to spin it back into
innovation but put it back into the
brand and really be nimble and agile and
adaptable to that feedback and I think
you’ve got to want to have it what to
want to design your product and your
brand around it because that’s what
makes you good you can do as many
consumer inside studies and add home use
tests as you can possibly imagine but if
you aren’t doing it on a day-to-day
basis then you’re really not serving
your audience and you so I’m i but
ultimately it’s a long way of saying
from you have to you have to learn and
over time I think I’ve gotten better
with it but I haven’t arrived you have
to learn to contextualize it and a
larger as you stay on girl in a larger
way of that I think part of what can
help to is understanding your your
purpose in the mission and being so
convinced by that it’s the right thing
to do that it can help drown out the
naysayers because you’re so focused on
doing this thing and I know that you are
I mean I went to come down and visit you
we had a one-on-one chat in California
and you are so obsessed with the mission
of your company and pushing it forward
can you talk about how that came to be
and how you became so passionate about
the cause not seem like an individual
product and on although I know you’re
you have some products of your own that
like were your passion products that
kind of push through but how can an
entrepreneur develop that sense of a
passion not just for what they’re doing
but that it’s the right thing to do so
that when somebody does criticize them
like I don’t care what you say I’m like
I’m i got my blinders on I’m gonna go do
this thing well I i I’m a data and
science geek to my core and I am I’m
driven by credible information I’m
driven by smart be smarter people than
me waiting for people that be doing
research and and health analysis and
understand
um the world that we live in a larger
way and it gets me excited it gets me um
it gets me yearning for people if i have
i’ve heard it I can’t what you know I
say it often once I know it I can’t
unknow it and so I that the classic
behavioral psychology of people bearing
ahead of the sand but ostrich effects I
can’t do that I don’t do that very well
at all so I have to act upon it and so
this is there’s a need for me especially
once I hear something or get it a larger
sense of of the health impact the world
that we live in because we as humans as
people are doing something to the world
around us the environment around us that
our bodies and I many many years ago and
undergrad and grad and then working with
a lot of the top institutions and
researchers and academia around the
globe are really around environmental
health so really around how the
environment impacts you is not somewhere
out there it’s actually in on and around
your body um once you learn that and
what then once you see how the impact of
disease and illness is rising two
epidemic proportions and no one’s
talking about it and it really fires me
up it’s a social justice issue at the
end of the day why why aren’t we taking
action why are disenfranchised or fence
line community for people women children
what minorities why aren’t they beaten
kara and so I am I am there’s a there’s
a moral imperative for me there is a
integrity a piece that it plays into it
you know I grew up in a very very strict
Irish Catholic family and in my father
was always someone who’s preaching this
concept of you have to serve and find
what you need to what you’re good at in
service but in your greater life purpose
is to serve
and to be of service and for me this is
what this is this is a unapologetic way
to keep this generation and future
generations healthier and happier I love
it so how do you recommend people find
that thing for them that they can be
kind of unapologetic about in their own
life so you found yours is it is it
possible to deconstruct that for other
people I think there is a I think you’ve
got to undergo as deep as possible with
what do you what do you want to stand
for and you’ve got almost got it is a
look back and I look for is is you know
and not to be not to be more of it in it
but it’s this idea of legacy what do you
want to have left for if someone’s it
was to talk about you what do you want
them to say and I often think about that
and I often think about what really
drives me from a values and a principles
and a ethos would it what is Christopher
gabbing and what is the world that I
want to leave for my four children for
my family for us humanity and um and how
it is and how do I do that best and some
days I I are better than others I fail
often but I’m willing to fail to try to
figure that out more and more pictures I
don’t know I don’t that helps you know
it’s eight kids it’s a it’s a challenge
I think a lot of people know it but
there’s a lot of people who don’t and
they’re trying to figure it out in you
know you are blessed with your father to
have that that instinct that you need to
serve and you know he mented you and
maybe couldn’t guide you on a business
perspective but but give you that kind
of how how to be a good person feeling
and I got the same for my parents that’s
why I mean that picture on the wall
there is me when I’m seven or six years
old my parents and and believed came
from them hello people don’t have the
good fortune to be to have parents who
kind of instilled values and so
understanding what they stand for can be
a really difficult process yeah I never
I think you’re right it might be hit it
on the head without you knowing I think
you’ve got to find that people that
inspire you the most right and and and
what are they doing that you love and
that you really are excited about and
how are you outside of mimic get engage
and pass their their carry their legacy
forward how do you want to impress and
build upon what they’ve done I mean if
you’ve got icons on you there are
millions of thought leaders that are
known yet also unknown like think of
your high school track coach or think of
that great tutor you had when you were
six or that fellow co-worker sitting
across the way that no one knows how
great she is I think there there’s
there’s genius and brilliance around us
you just have to pay attention to it
love it um so hidden up to live
audiences a nose writing in I know
community is usually ninety-nine point
nine percent positive but have you had
people who try to tear you and your
business down do you still experience it
yeah yeah I think people um you know a
teardown I’d look I think of you know I
go you know people haha we’re Camille’s
we build things to satisfy people’s
needs and their lives and sometimes
those things fail or don’t serve or
don’t meet expectations and it’s hard to
satisfy everyone you know we we say it
often you know where the honest company
and honest for us means this
continuation and this journey of
betterment and improvement over time
it’s not being the best we’re not the
best company we’re not the perfect
company do we want to be that absolutely
are we driving for that every single day
for perfection absolutely but I think
also you have to realize that you’re
never going to satisfy everyone and so
we do hear it we want to hear it we
welcome it you know I as you know I call
20 people a week and those calls I here
I here I have a I get them growing down
into somewhat of a bucket semblance of
groups I got five people that are new
five people that love us and have been
around for a long time and are avid fans
and super supportive and then i get 10
people that have had a negative
experience with the brain for some
reason or the other the laundry
detergent bottle broken their and their
bundle they you know they got a rash
from using our human bombs something
happens to them and I learned the ton I
also use that opportunity to really a
lot of it is helping them understand use
it to the product because I think a lot
of people in the hecticness of
day-to-day still don’t know that
intricacies and the beauty of of
consumables I mean there’s so many smart
ways to use product and and use it
effectively and many people just
overlook that so I uses education but I
really love to listen and I think the as
this gentleman or gal says you get
people that are going to naysay and you
get people that are amazing just because
they don’t know or they want to provoke
and I love that I love being provoked
because it helps me and helps the brand
getting better so what’s the answer then
why so you like being provoked what so
somebody blasts you on Twitter as an
example say Christopher you know your
product sucks whatever what’s the
response you respond you call them out
with you do a press release do you
ignore like what happens there yeah i
mean i’ll call I call a lot of people
I’ll call I try to if they have specific
questions like you know we try to answer
them as possible from a email or written
perspective it do I got you do I reach
out to them via social sometimes yeah I
mean I go I’m constantly patrolling our
socials our platforms and sometimes uh
you know
unbeknownst to the social team I’ll be
communicating with certain members
individually for my own personal account
that’s always fun to see and but look I
think I know you don’t do a press
release you know unless it’s big enough
or less something really wrong or
somethings made really happen you don’t
do that because i think you know you’re
just driving too much attention and and
it’s it’s the again it’s the balance of
how big is the issue or how much is it
just need personal attention is it a
brand issue or is it for is a day of
relationship issue i think you’ve gotta
understand the difference there this
kind of take a lot of emotional time and
emotion yeah exactly like i can see it’s
so easy to your soul and for anybody
goes to miss christopher he’s so
emotionally attached to the product like
it’s not just some you know operated a
business or cold front like the man
lives and breathes all of his product
you see that like pride and joy that
comes out by taking me in his back and
you know in the back showroom and like
give me some free samples so how do you
not get like emotionally attack like how
can you tell the difference like you
know what this is actually legit
feedback and and i need to calm down
from the emotional type know and I thank
you for saying that I appreciate that I
do have to say that I have so I’ve had
the fortune recently the last few months
because i think i’m a person that loves
to self-improvement it’s a big deal for
me so outside of my as a husband and a
father and a professional i’m always
looking for smart people like you and
platforms and people that really connect
with and I’ve had a fortune of working
with busy executive coach and she
mentioned the same thing that in essence
of what you just said and she said
you’re giving way too much that when you
get home are you able to arrive in from
an emotional integrity and grounded
perspective or you will arrive for your
family and children I said sometimes are
just totally sacked and her
recommendation is you know
growing as our honest team is growing
and that you’ve got a really there’s a
lot of emotional pull to really balance
that and and I I do believe that it I’m
starting to throttle and get better at
compartmentalization of that because you
can’t do you get drawn out and dragged
out pretty pretty quickly so low heat is
running about motivation and how are you
staying motivated now or what are some
new things that motivate you and I know
like this is the mission the purpose and
obviously that’s always motivated you is
there is there a routine that you do and
their reasons you look to is that the
coach people that you meet the customers
at 20 calls a week like what do you do
to stay motivated in your business when
it gets really hard i would say recently
i’m finding out a lot of growth and
excitement and opportunity to stay
motivated just with the team and talent
that we have here as a business leader i
do have to save it every business leader
needs to do a better job at
acknowledging and thanking and offering
gratitude to their fellow coworkers i’m
learning that more and more as we grow
and the people that surround us and work
alongside of jessica shaumbra and Brian
and I every single day are really from a
passion perspective really giving and we
have to acknowledge them but we we also
have to learn from them and they
motivate the time and time again but the
again the brilliance that is in this
room and in this office is staggering
and I think a lot of it comes from
guests great intellect and great acumen
and great skill sets and great study but
it also comes from passion and I I do
have to say I get most of my motivation
as a plate outside yes customers are in
my heart and I
so satisfied by that but every single
day I’m looking for motivation i’m
looking to motivate from my indian charl
team but the talent you know people ask
me what keeps me up at night i say two
things talent and bacteria and the
talent piece is how i want to serve
these people because they are serving
all of us and serving the brand and
bacteria is just a representation of
product quality product quality you know
anything with water can have bacterial
contamination be super fastidious and
attentive to that but we get a big hit
of motivation for my team I love it
talking about the Collin 20 customers a
week I know something that you do that’s
been a ritual for you and I know when
somebody first comes to the honest
company you know you believe in having a
call center within the unit within the
facility it’s not like off offshore to
china in your new else it’s it’s part of
who you are and everybody has to go
through the customer service department
is that still like if I’m not in
customer service do you make your
management team do what you do still
having some kind of finger on the pulse
of talking to customers or is that just
CEO and then it’s a great question of it
you know there during that first
onboarding week everyone sits in that
customer service as you said that group
for a fair amount of time to really
listen and learn and here the customer
but I think there’s always room for
improvement on re engaging and
reconnecting back to the consumer for
the folks that are surrounding it and in
your building I think they’ve got to
continually be reminded of it you know
we we used to do a great job at doing
this storytelling platform that was
called why we work and it was
essentially the a big emotional story of
some of our needs their needs were being
solved from biomass they were inspired
by honest honest with somehow playing a
role in their day-to-day life easier
customers and that why we work platform
why we are here get get back
purpose it really excited people and
reminds them and grant grounds them in
your core function and I think that we
get a wii u the essence of a brand is is
it the growth you have to continually
grow because yours your satisfying and
solving for your overall piece and I
think we’ve done a great job at growing
our team there’s always room for
improvement and actually were just we
were just working out that our six month
in annual our phy annual survey where we
serve eight the servicing our team
members with a survey and understanding
what they want and time and time again
we need to do a better job at
highlighting and tapping them back into
that core function and purpose of the
mission and and that consumer voice oh I
know I believe it’s just about the
one-year anniversary of the beauty
product launch a deterrent yes honest
beauties will be year old and we have a
big announcement coming very soon
alright that’s exciting um people in the
chatter talking about headaches and
wondering if there’s going to be some
honest headache relief product at some
point coming out I don’t know if there’s
that I know you’re all natural like the
you know pharmaceuticals may not be
where you’re going but ah as I design on
the product horizon oh yeah we have this
trusted portfolio broke right it’s a
little I’m trying to build an iconic
brand that is a is it is focused on a
non-profit non-toxic products for you
and your family in your home and this
those elements of in on and around you
or so important so it’s going inside
your body I’ve expected about it if it’s
cleaning your countertops or in your air
space I have perspective on its some
somewhere on your body I have a
perspective on so I would say that
nothing’s off-limits headaches I things
happen my first thing was saying drink
better more clean water a lot of
dehydration is a is
related to head pains and headaches but
a headache relief I’m take that in i
preciate hey i can add to the list i
have crazy allergies every year i would
love some honest allergy relief Alan
really okay going up what will Evans
honest as long as it works actually I
mean you you you know no joke the the
spray deodorant that you gave me I’ve
like refilled five times or something
still like going back to the store
buying more that stuff is awesome he’s
every day I look at it yeah getting back
to if your product doesn’t work if it
doesn’t perform if it’s not as
efficacious as you poured it to be you
know you can get it you give get people
to buy something once it’s a challenge
but you can get them to try but repeat
is the golden ticket to any business and
so get them to come back and you’ve got
a loyalty an affinity for a long time I
love it Christopher is crazy how quickly
half an hour goes for people who want to
learn more about you when the updates
everything is going on the honest
company worse where’s the best reach way
to follow you reach out learn want it
will give reach out to me email me
directly Christopher and honest com I’m
not shy with my email address i will
respond as soon as I can possibly can
obvi I’m on all the social platforms
that you can imagine and everything but
snapchat I still can’t figure that one
out um and obviously honest calm and
honest beauty calm are the platform
three you engage with the product we
also have products we really doing a big
expansion across our distribution
platform to go to traditional retail
that’s a place of high demand and my
growth so target whole foods by my baby
bed bath and beyond a lot we’re
launching in Kruger which is grocery for
us interesting thing you know we’re now
we’re in Canada which is also a big
thing or in costco so all these cool
places 11 Chris resumes beeping in the
copy video thank you for having me and
uh again it’s always great to see your
face and excited about your book yes yes
coming soon December the summer
december awesome alright much love
continue to believe guys we’ll see you
soon thanks
YouTube hangout super excited to be here
with my friend Christopher Gavigan who
is the co-founder of the honest company
out of California also plays a big part
in role of my book and today we’re going
to talk about how to stay on course in
the face of growth and challenges
Christopher welcome aboard Evan always
great to see in my grand I love it so
you know my audience is mostly
entrepreneurs people who have started a
business or hiring some success or
people who are wanting to start a
business haven’t quite taken that step
yet what are some of the the issues
you’ve gone through the challenges you
face how do you like obviously that the
purpose is so important he was in the
name of your company and there must have
been a lot of challenges and issues
you’ve had to go through to build that
brand up and say like this is how we’re
going to build our company can you talk
about some of the issues that you face
and how you’ve overcome them for the
audience yeah we are four and a half
going on five years in january and as
any business entrepreneur will tell you
those moments early days are blindingly
fast in the sense that your head is so
down and your navel gazing and to really
focus on smart execution building the
team shirring product quality and
integrity and really being thoughtful
about how people are engaging with your
brand and i think you are so attentive
to these core set of issues that often
times you don’t imagine some of the
pitfalls are some of the gaps in between
and i would say some of the gaps in
between for us is you know we we love
and we really thrive on our consumer
we’re consumer first grabbed we’re
continually thinking how to satisfy at a
gauge how to inspire how to empower how
to excite them because we’re really what
we’re doing because we’re activating and
solving for this really big needs at in
their day-to-day life how do I have the
healthiest safest environment for my
children for my viola for my family for
my home
we people especially children Andhra
moms and families there are
vulnerabilities and and challenges they
are facing from a health perspective and
from a overall management of their
lifestyle and so we are continually we
are continually thinking about ways to
satisfy them and when you don’t when you
don’t imagine that other people don’t
have that same vision ie people that
aren’t supportive of your brand aren’t
supportive of your outlook on my famiiy
exist every day you know call them
haters call them people that you aren’t
excited about what you’re doing you
don’t you don’t you don’t think about
how to be as responsive as possible
because you don’t imagine that anyone
has different you and a mindset and um
you know with a great core good and
purpose that we have every single day
you know I think it really catches us
off guard when we outside of don’t solve
for people’s need that we actually find
people who attack or or try to not not
come in line or come and Cummins in
support of what we’re trying to do from
a health and wellness and education
perspective so when you’ve got you know
and I think we just the human condition
is we will get lots of positive feedback
you may get 99 people saying amazing
things but is that one person who has
something nice to say and and first
whatever reason is that one that kind of
lingers in your head that one negative
one and you ignore all the 99 things I
know it’s like thick skin thin skin and
and and your fix can you hear the good
and it just amplified it sounds great
and then that’s that one person wait a
minute okay and being as consumables
being in consumer products you gosh you
have to listen because they help drive
innovation and development and
reiteration and design and that’s really
exciting but you also have to put it in
context of how important it where does
it matter and how much does it
are in the context of the larger product
or growth strategy your plan so how do
you deal with the emotional side of that
right if it’s constructive criticism
like hey you know the packaging was
unclear and it would have been great if
you made that font bigger whatever ms is
like pure hate where someone is just
raging and I don’t mean you may not be
able to get anything constructive from
that how do you how do you handle the
emotional side of that because a lot of
people watching have have some of those
people in their lives where you know can
be someone very close give me their
parents their family who’s saying you
know don’t do this is a really bad idea
you can’t do that how do you handle the
emotional side and stay on your course
especially when you might even have a
couple doubts yourself yeah look I don’t
think you ever handle it well and I nor
do I think you’ve never bribed to say I
am in tune and I get it and I’m aligned
with your thinking I think you you have
to be focused and unrelenting and
unapologetic and uncompromising in your
vision and you because that is that is
truly yours it belongs to you you you
need to own it you need to be remarkable
with that and if you and if you’re not
steadfast if you don’t have hard
guardrails you’re going to waver and
you’re going to get soft on your edges
and then you’re not just stand for
anything and so for standing for
something you’re going you’re going to
piss people off and but I don’t think
you ever get good with handling it well
I think you have to hear it you have to
lean into it and you have to want to
hear it you know we have it’s the beauty
of honest is we really built out a core
team in structure to be listeners and
here in corporate headquarters as well
as Austin we have well over 125 people
that are rolling anywhere between five
to six thousand consumer touch points
today so that’s phone calls live chat
emails and these are ways that we
connect but these are ways that there’s
really
listen engine to spin it back into
innovation but put it back into the
brand and really be nimble and agile and
adaptable to that feedback and I think
you’ve got to want to have it what to
want to design your product and your
brand around it because that’s what
makes you good you can do as many
consumer inside studies and add home use
tests as you can possibly imagine but if
you aren’t doing it on a day-to-day
basis then you’re really not serving
your audience and you so I’m i but
ultimately it’s a long way of saying
from you have to you have to learn and
over time I think I’ve gotten better
with it but I haven’t arrived you have
to learn to contextualize it and a
larger as you stay on girl in a larger
way of that I think part of what can
help to is understanding your your
purpose in the mission and being so
convinced by that it’s the right thing
to do that it can help drown out the
naysayers because you’re so focused on
doing this thing and I know that you are
I mean I went to come down and visit you
we had a one-on-one chat in California
and you are so obsessed with the mission
of your company and pushing it forward
can you talk about how that came to be
and how you became so passionate about
the cause not seem like an individual
product and on although I know you’re
you have some products of your own that
like were your passion products that
kind of push through but how can an
entrepreneur develop that sense of a
passion not just for what they’re doing
but that it’s the right thing to do so
that when somebody does criticize them
like I don’t care what you say I’m like
I’m i got my blinders on I’m gonna go do
this thing well I i I’m a data and
science geek to my core and I am I’m
driven by credible information I’m
driven by smart be smarter people than
me waiting for people that be doing
research and and health analysis and
understand
um the world that we live in a larger
way and it gets me excited it gets me um
it gets me yearning for people if i have
i’ve heard it I can’t what you know I
say it often once I know it I can’t
unknow it and so I that the classic
behavioral psychology of people bearing
ahead of the sand but ostrich effects I
can’t do that I don’t do that very well
at all so I have to act upon it and so
this is there’s a need for me especially
once I hear something or get it a larger
sense of of the health impact the world
that we live in because we as humans as
people are doing something to the world
around us the environment around us that
our bodies and I many many years ago and
undergrad and grad and then working with
a lot of the top institutions and
researchers and academia around the
globe are really around environmental
health so really around how the
environment impacts you is not somewhere
out there it’s actually in on and around
your body um once you learn that and
what then once you see how the impact of
disease and illness is rising two
epidemic proportions and no one’s
talking about it and it really fires me
up it’s a social justice issue at the
end of the day why why aren’t we taking
action why are disenfranchised or fence
line community for people women children
what minorities why aren’t they beaten
kara and so I am I am there’s a there’s
a moral imperative for me there is a
integrity a piece that it plays into it
you know I grew up in a very very strict
Irish Catholic family and in my father
was always someone who’s preaching this
concept of you have to serve and find
what you need to what you’re good at in
service but in your greater life purpose
is to serve
and to be of service and for me this is
what this is this is a unapologetic way
to keep this generation and future
generations healthier and happier I love
it so how do you recommend people find
that thing for them that they can be
kind of unapologetic about in their own
life so you found yours is it is it
possible to deconstruct that for other
people I think there is a I think you’ve
got to undergo as deep as possible with
what do you what do you want to stand
for and you’ve got almost got it is a
look back and I look for is is you know
and not to be not to be more of it in it
but it’s this idea of legacy what do you
want to have left for if someone’s it
was to talk about you what do you want
them to say and I often think about that
and I often think about what really
drives me from a values and a principles
and a ethos would it what is Christopher
gabbing and what is the world that I
want to leave for my four children for
my family for us humanity and um and how
it is and how do I do that best and some
days I I are better than others I fail
often but I’m willing to fail to try to
figure that out more and more pictures I
don’t know I don’t that helps you know
it’s eight kids it’s a it’s a challenge
I think a lot of people know it but
there’s a lot of people who don’t and
they’re trying to figure it out in you
know you are blessed with your father to
have that that instinct that you need to
serve and you know he mented you and
maybe couldn’t guide you on a business
perspective but but give you that kind
of how how to be a good person feeling
and I got the same for my parents that’s
why I mean that picture on the wall
there is me when I’m seven or six years
old my parents and and believed came
from them hello people don’t have the
good fortune to be to have parents who
kind of instilled values and so
understanding what they stand for can be
a really difficult process yeah I never
I think you’re right it might be hit it
on the head without you knowing I think
you’ve got to find that people that
inspire you the most right and and and
what are they doing that you love and
that you really are excited about and
how are you outside of mimic get engage
and pass their their carry their legacy
forward how do you want to impress and
build upon what they’ve done I mean if
you’ve got icons on you there are
millions of thought leaders that are
known yet also unknown like think of
your high school track coach or think of
that great tutor you had when you were
six or that fellow co-worker sitting
across the way that no one knows how
great she is I think there there’s
there’s genius and brilliance around us
you just have to pay attention to it
love it um so hidden up to live
audiences a nose writing in I know
community is usually ninety-nine point
nine percent positive but have you had
people who try to tear you and your
business down do you still experience it
yeah yeah I think people um you know a
teardown I’d look I think of you know I
go you know people haha we’re Camille’s
we build things to satisfy people’s
needs and their lives and sometimes
those things fail or don’t serve or
don’t meet expectations and it’s hard to
satisfy everyone you know we we say it
often you know where the honest company
and honest for us means this
continuation and this journey of
betterment and improvement over time
it’s not being the best we’re not the
best company we’re not the perfect
company do we want to be that absolutely
are we driving for that every single day
for perfection absolutely but I think
also you have to realize that you’re
never going to satisfy everyone and so
we do hear it we want to hear it we
welcome it you know I as you know I call
20 people a week and those calls I here
I here I have a I get them growing down
into somewhat of a bucket semblance of
groups I got five people that are new
five people that love us and have been
around for a long time and are avid fans
and super supportive and then i get 10
people that have had a negative
experience with the brain for some
reason or the other the laundry
detergent bottle broken their and their
bundle they you know they got a rash
from using our human bombs something
happens to them and I learned the ton I
also use that opportunity to really a
lot of it is helping them understand use
it to the product because I think a lot
of people in the hecticness of
day-to-day still don’t know that
intricacies and the beauty of of
consumables I mean there’s so many smart
ways to use product and and use it
effectively and many people just
overlook that so I uses education but I
really love to listen and I think the as
this gentleman or gal says you get
people that are going to naysay and you
get people that are amazing just because
they don’t know or they want to provoke
and I love that I love being provoked
because it helps me and helps the brand
getting better so what’s the answer then
why so you like being provoked what so
somebody blasts you on Twitter as an
example say Christopher you know your
product sucks whatever what’s the
response you respond you call them out
with you do a press release do you
ignore like what happens there yeah i
mean i’ll call I call a lot of people
I’ll call I try to if they have specific
questions like you know we try to answer
them as possible from a email or written
perspective it do I got you do I reach
out to them via social sometimes yeah I
mean I go I’m constantly patrolling our
socials our platforms and sometimes uh
you know
unbeknownst to the social team I’ll be
communicating with certain members
individually for my own personal account
that’s always fun to see and but look I
think I know you don’t do a press
release you know unless it’s big enough
or less something really wrong or
somethings made really happen you don’t
do that because i think you know you’re
just driving too much attention and and
it’s it’s the again it’s the balance of
how big is the issue or how much is it
just need personal attention is it a
brand issue or is it for is a day of
relationship issue i think you’ve gotta
understand the difference there this
kind of take a lot of emotional time and
emotion yeah exactly like i can see it’s
so easy to your soul and for anybody
goes to miss christopher he’s so
emotionally attached to the product like
it’s not just some you know operated a
business or cold front like the man
lives and breathes all of his product
you see that like pride and joy that
comes out by taking me in his back and
you know in the back showroom and like
give me some free samples so how do you
not get like emotionally attack like how
can you tell the difference like you
know what this is actually legit
feedback and and i need to calm down
from the emotional type know and I thank
you for saying that I appreciate that I
do have to say that I have so I’ve had
the fortune recently the last few months
because i think i’m a person that loves
to self-improvement it’s a big deal for
me so outside of my as a husband and a
father and a professional i’m always
looking for smart people like you and
platforms and people that really connect
with and I’ve had a fortune of working
with busy executive coach and she
mentioned the same thing that in essence
of what you just said and she said
you’re giving way too much that when you
get home are you able to arrive in from
an emotional integrity and grounded
perspective or you will arrive for your
family and children I said sometimes are
just totally sacked and her
recommendation is you know
growing as our honest team is growing
and that you’ve got a really there’s a
lot of emotional pull to really balance
that and and I I do believe that it I’m
starting to throttle and get better at
compartmentalization of that because you
can’t do you get drawn out and dragged
out pretty pretty quickly so low heat is
running about motivation and how are you
staying motivated now or what are some
new things that motivate you and I know
like this is the mission the purpose and
obviously that’s always motivated you is
there is there a routine that you do and
their reasons you look to is that the
coach people that you meet the customers
at 20 calls a week like what do you do
to stay motivated in your business when
it gets really hard i would say recently
i’m finding out a lot of growth and
excitement and opportunity to stay
motivated just with the team and talent
that we have here as a business leader i
do have to save it every business leader
needs to do a better job at
acknowledging and thanking and offering
gratitude to their fellow coworkers i’m
learning that more and more as we grow
and the people that surround us and work
alongside of jessica shaumbra and Brian
and I every single day are really from a
passion perspective really giving and we
have to acknowledge them but we we also
have to learn from them and they
motivate the time and time again but the
again the brilliance that is in this
room and in this office is staggering
and I think a lot of it comes from
guests great intellect and great acumen
and great skill sets and great study but
it also comes from passion and I I do
have to say I get most of my motivation
as a plate outside yes customers are in
my heart and I
so satisfied by that but every single
day I’m looking for motivation i’m
looking to motivate from my indian charl
team but the talent you know people ask
me what keeps me up at night i say two
things talent and bacteria and the
talent piece is how i want to serve
these people because they are serving
all of us and serving the brand and
bacteria is just a representation of
product quality product quality you know
anything with water can have bacterial
contamination be super fastidious and
attentive to that but we get a big hit
of motivation for my team I love it
talking about the Collin 20 customers a
week I know something that you do that’s
been a ritual for you and I know when
somebody first comes to the honest
company you know you believe in having a
call center within the unit within the
facility it’s not like off offshore to
china in your new else it’s it’s part of
who you are and everybody has to go
through the customer service department
is that still like if I’m not in
customer service do you make your
management team do what you do still
having some kind of finger on the pulse
of talking to customers or is that just
CEO and then it’s a great question of it
you know there during that first
onboarding week everyone sits in that
customer service as you said that group
for a fair amount of time to really
listen and learn and here the customer
but I think there’s always room for
improvement on re engaging and
reconnecting back to the consumer for
the folks that are surrounding it and in
your building I think they’ve got to
continually be reminded of it you know
we we used to do a great job at doing
this storytelling platform that was
called why we work and it was
essentially the a big emotional story of
some of our needs their needs were being
solved from biomass they were inspired
by honest honest with somehow playing a
role in their day-to-day life easier
customers and that why we work platform
why we are here get get back
purpose it really excited people and
reminds them and grant grounds them in
your core function and I think that we
get a wii u the essence of a brand is is
it the growth you have to continually
grow because yours your satisfying and
solving for your overall piece and I
think we’ve done a great job at growing
our team there’s always room for
improvement and actually were just we
were just working out that our six month
in annual our phy annual survey where we
serve eight the servicing our team
members with a survey and understanding
what they want and time and time again
we need to do a better job at
highlighting and tapping them back into
that core function and purpose of the
mission and and that consumer voice oh I
know I believe it’s just about the
one-year anniversary of the beauty
product launch a deterrent yes honest
beauties will be year old and we have a
big announcement coming very soon
alright that’s exciting um people in the
chatter talking about headaches and
wondering if there’s going to be some
honest headache relief product at some
point coming out I don’t know if there’s
that I know you’re all natural like the
you know pharmaceuticals may not be
where you’re going but ah as I design on
the product horizon oh yeah we have this
trusted portfolio broke right it’s a
little I’m trying to build an iconic
brand that is a is it is focused on a
non-profit non-toxic products for you
and your family in your home and this
those elements of in on and around you
or so important so it’s going inside
your body I’ve expected about it if it’s
cleaning your countertops or in your air
space I have perspective on its some
somewhere on your body I have a
perspective on so I would say that
nothing’s off-limits headaches I things
happen my first thing was saying drink
better more clean water a lot of
dehydration is a is
related to head pains and headaches but
a headache relief I’m take that in i
preciate hey i can add to the list i
have crazy allergies every year i would
love some honest allergy relief Alan
really okay going up what will Evans
honest as long as it works actually I
mean you you you know no joke the the
spray deodorant that you gave me I’ve
like refilled five times or something
still like going back to the store
buying more that stuff is awesome he’s
every day I look at it yeah getting back
to if your product doesn’t work if it
doesn’t perform if it’s not as
efficacious as you poured it to be you
know you can get it you give get people
to buy something once it’s a challenge
but you can get them to try but repeat
is the golden ticket to any business and
so get them to come back and you’ve got
a loyalty an affinity for a long time I
love it Christopher is crazy how quickly
half an hour goes for people who want to
learn more about you when the updates
everything is going on the honest
company worse where’s the best reach way
to follow you reach out learn want it
will give reach out to me email me
directly Christopher and honest com I’m
not shy with my email address i will
respond as soon as I can possibly can
obvi I’m on all the social platforms
that you can imagine and everything but
snapchat I still can’t figure that one
out um and obviously honest calm and
honest beauty calm are the platform
three you engage with the product we
also have products we really doing a big
expansion across our distribution
platform to go to traditional retail
that’s a place of high demand and my
growth so target whole foods by my baby
bed bath and beyond a lot we’re
launching in Kruger which is grocery for
us interesting thing you know we’re now
we’re in Canada which is also a big
thing or in costco so all these cool
places 11 Chris resumes beeping in the
copy video thank you for having me and
uh again it’s always great to see your
face and excited about your book yes yes
coming soon December the summer
december awesome alright much love
continue to believe guys we’ll see you
soon thanks
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