"It is all about pivoting when the opportunity presents itself but also staying the course"
Meet Elyse Kaye. She has founded and scaled multiple businesses leading innovation and marketing teams launching dozens of brands and hundreds of product lines. Growth marketing and business development specialist who has raised institutional funding as a 4X founder. 25 years working with brands like P & G, Avon, Apple, Unilever, SC Johnson, Abbott, and Black & Decker bringing technology and innovation to the forefront to work through supply chain issues, product innovation, sustainability, reducing redundancies and channel expansion.
Recent successes include NASA special projects, licensing programs for Living Spaces, the turnaround of the Four Paws® Brand for Central Garden & Pet, the launch from ground up of the House of Marley Brand, & the evolution of Black & Decker through her product development consultancy, AHA Product Solutions. CEO of Bloom Bras – a line of patented activewear for the well-endowed woman that s is now the most body inclusive sports bra line on the market working to provide solutions for women of all shapes, sizes and stages of life to feel good while moving.
Elyse holds several dozen patents. She was contributing author in The Product Manager’s Handbook and does public speaking engagements around the globe regarding building a brand, bringing innovation to life and entrepreneurship.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Elyse Kaye: I have spent 25 years in manufacturing working with brands like P & G, Avon, Apple, Unilever, SC Johnson, Abbott, and Black & Decker.
My passion lies in bringing technology and innovation to the forefront to work through supply chain issues, sustainability, reducing redundancies and waste. I have founded and scaled multiple businesses within corporations, as an advising role and with my own companies.
My background includes leading innovation and marketing teams launching dozens of brands and hundreds of product lines. I have built factories and sourced consumer products around the world. For the past ten years, I have been advising my clients on ways to diversify the supply chain which is where my passion lies.
I am the CEO of Bloom Bras which is now the most body inclusive sports bra line on the market as well as run a product development and innovation consultancy. Recent successes include the turnaround of the Four Paws® Brand for Central Garden & Pet, the launch from ground up of the House of Marley Brand from HoMedics and the expansion of licensed brands for Black & Decker.
I hold several dozen patents, was a contributing author in The Product Manager’s Handbook and keynote speaking engagements around the globe regarding building a brand, bringing innovation to life and entrepreneurship.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Elyse Kaye: It is all about pivoting when the opportunity presents itself but also staying the course. We began donating Bloom Bras to health care workers during the pandemic as a way to show support (pun intended). It has been an incredible way to give back.
We turned several factories in LA into manufacturers of masks which benefitted all of the essential workers and our customers which included Apple and Wells Fargo. I also founded a company that matches North American suppliers to creators, influencers and SMBs to bring their custom products to life.
All of our lives and businesses changed – some of those were positive and some not so much – and they will continue to as the new economy evolves.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Elyse Kaye: Coming out of the pandemic, we have a lot of challenges with supply chain disruptions, a shifting retail environment and imminent labor issues. However, when we look at the amount of investment in areas such as sustainability, waste reduction, alternative materials, chances for smaller brands to gain popularity, I think it is incredibly exciting.
My clients have all seen their brands expand through powerful storytelling which is how I grew Bloom Bras and our community. I see this as the future.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Elyse Kaye: Yes. We hosted popups all across the country in 2018 and 2019 focused on size inclusivity. That coupled with incredible PR and minimal ad spend was how I built the entire Bloom Bras brand. We had partnerships with Macys, Title Nine, Universal Standard and others.
A large retailer had committed to putting us in their stores in June of 2020. When the pandemic hit, our sales essentially came to a halt. Inventory was already ordered and paid for by me as we are self-funded. It was the scariest time in my career. That first week of shutdown, I did all of the things I never do.
Watched all of the Netflix shows, ate all of the food I had stocked up on and slept in for the first time in decades. It was the first time I had a chance to slow down and for that, I am thankful. It turns out with all of the success we were experiencing, profitability was not where I thought it was.
My passion became working with my business and others to figure out how to identify areas of improvement. Once I did that with my companies, it changed my priorities.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Elyse Kaye: Do not get distracted by shifts in your business. Look for areas of opportunity and be willing to change. Listening to the media could drive a business owner mad. It is up to us, as leaders, to find the lights and follow them. I intend to continue to grow my businesses.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Elyse Kaye: Online businesses shifted – not surged. When IOS made their changes in 2021, profitability dropped exponentially for D2C companies. Online shopping increased but supply chain disruptions killed momentum.
Companies are preparing for a recession so layoffs are inevitable. Employees are beyond frustrated with the way they have been treated, overworked, undervalued. My expectations are that we are going to see a lot of changes but with that comes opportunity.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Elyse Kaye: Too many these days but that is changing with things coming back.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Elyse Kaye: My team has always been remote and global. Communication is everything. I employ my team to make all key decisions in the areas of expertise and involve them in all directional decisions for the future. We meet regularly to collaborate and to inform.
Leadership is about empowering and doing what is best for the company. While this often times means making tough decisions, being surrounded by people who are smarter in their areas. I often joke that in a day, I make 1000 decisions from the mil thickness of the business card to if we are going to take in outside funding. I pack boxes and answer customer phone calls when needed and speak in front of large crowds when asked.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Elyse Kaye: Most consumer products companies are faced with big challenges with rising ad costs, cost of goods, uncertainty of where the goods are being manufactured, and inflation. The opportunities are endless. Innovation grows from times like this. The companies that I am working with are seeing rapid growth. It is all about finding your niche and building a community.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Elyse Kaye: Smaller run manufacturing. When I think about the future, Crypto and NFTs may be a part of it but it is not certain. However, consumerism will never go away. I believe it will shift dramatically with uncertainty of suppliers coming from places like China.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Elyse Kaye: The pandemic did several things. We all worked from home, become teachers of our children, really got to know our spouses. Several people got stimulus checks and PPP loans which helped keep businesses afloat. Commuting stopped which saved money, time, and frustration.
It showcased a lot of cracks in the current working environment, I think the media likes headlines. People were unhappy and leaders were not listening. Culture was nonexistent. I hope that leaders do in fact pay attention to what the employees were saying. I think hybrid work will stay for a while. Great talent will be promoted.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Elyse Kaye: Unlimited cash flow!!! I would fund businesses so that they could flourish, pay people a living wage, and innovate.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Elyse Kaye: One in three women experience breast pain when working out leading to many opting out. The average breast size has risen from a 34B to a 34DD in the past 20 years. The major brands – Nike, Lululemon, Athleta, Victoria Secret – only carry up to a D or DD leaving 70% of the active US female population unsupported. The sports bra simply does not cater to the well-endowed woman. That means a lot of ladies left in the dust of this $1.5 Billion category.
I brought together the minds from NASA, the shipping industry and a celebrity corsetry makers to address this as an engineering challenge. The Bloom Bra features patented lifting straps and cinching cups allowing the bra to customize to your body and exercise type. It has been designed without underwire, both for comfort and to address the health concerns.
Working like a shelf to lift the breasts rather than squashing them, the Bloom Bra distributes weight throughout the back and sides rather than putting pressure over the shoulders and across the ribs, allowing for natural movement of the breast and uninterrupted circulation of the body’s essential systems. State-of-the-art compression materials and cooling, moisture-wicking power mesh combined with a reinforced front zipper to “lift, not squish”.
The reaction has been staggering. We have sold out several times with 300,000 unique viewers to FB page last month without spending a dollar on ads. I helped to build a sustainable factory which is now in full production. In addition, we are donating Bloom Bras to breast cancer survivors as we set our sights on creating a product to fill that growing market.
The new product development pipeline includes channel and product expansion. Using the patented functionality, the next three major categories include pre- and post-maternity (4 million new moms annually), breast cancer survivors who have gone through non-elective reconstructive surgery (1 in 8 women) and the ever-growing active senior population (<20 million women).
Using our patented adjustable lifting system, we will design beautiful, comfortable safe solutions in sports bras, sleep shirts, and tops, Bloom pays homage to my grandmother, a casualty of breast cancer.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Elyse Kaye for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Elyse Kaye or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
