Challenge. Create. Change.
Summary
TLDRThis video highlights the journey of a couple who founded FeFe in August 2020 to address the stigma and lack of awareness surrounding menstruation and menstrual cups. The founders share their motivation, sparked by witnessing the distressing conditions faced by waste workers during the 2020 lockdown. They emphasize the importance of open conversations about periods and the safe use of menstrual cups. With strong partnerships and a focus on customer education, they aim to make period talk the new normal and reach 5 million customers in the next three years.
Takeaways
- 🩸 Women do not talk openly about periods due to strong stigma, regardless of location.
- 🚮 During the 2020 lockdown, workers had to handle unsanitary waste, highlighting the need for better menstrual hygiene practices.
- 💡 The real issue is not the menstrual products themselves, but the lack of awareness and the stigma surrounding them.
- 🗣️ The initiative aims to make open discussions about menstruation and related topics, like menstrual cups, the new normal.
- ❓ Common misconceptions about menstrual cups include concerns about insertion, urination, and virginity.
- 🛑 The goal is not just to sell menstrual cups, but to bridge the gap in awareness and education about menstruation.
- ❤️ The brand, FeFe, was launched in August 2020, focusing on menstrual health and awareness instead of traditional wedding planning.
- 📈 Despite initial doubts, the brand has grown significantly, reaching close to 300,000 customers.
- 🌐 The brand initially targeted Tier 2 and beyond markets, partnering with Flipkart due to its deep market penetration.
- 🎯 The goal is to reach 5 million customers within the next 3 years, with Flipkart as a key contributor to this journey.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the script regarding menstrual cups?
-The main issue discussed is the stigma and lack of awareness surrounding menstrual cups, which hinders their widespread adoption despite their benefits.
What prompted the speakers to focus on menstrual awareness and the use of menstrual cups?
-The speakers were prompted by a distressing situation during the 2020 lockdown, where workers had to handle old sanitary pads without proper protection, leading them to realize the need for better menstrual hygiene solutions like menstrual cups.
How did the founders approach the stigma surrounding menstrual cups?
-The founders tackled the stigma by openly discussing topics like menstruation, safe sex, and menstrual cup usage, aiming to normalize conversations around these subjects.
What were some of the common concerns people had about using menstrual cups?
-Common concerns included questions about where to insert the menstrual cup, whether one can urinate while using it, and if it affects virginity.
Why did the founders decide not to be just another brand selling menstrual cups?
-The founders wanted to address the root problem of lack of awareness and education rather than simply selling the product, aiming to create a more informed customer base.
What role did Flipkart play in the growth of the brand?
-Flipkart played a significant role as a partner, helping the brand reach a wider audience, especially in non-metro areas, contributing to a large portion of their monthly orders.
How did the founders perceive the initial skepticism from their friends about the product's potential?
-The founders remained confident despite skepticism, using it as motivation to prove the potential of their product as they grew from 100 to nearly 300,000 customers.
What was the strategy behind launching the brand's products?
-Each product was launched with the intent to make women's lives easier and more convenient, starting with the menstrual cup and sterilizer.
What is the long-term goal of the brand in terms of customer reach?
-The brand aims to reach at least 5 million customers in the next three years, with Flipkart expected to play a major role in achieving this goal.
What message do the founders want to convey to others regarding making a change?
-The founders encourage others to believe that anyone can bring about change, just as they did, by addressing important issues and offering solutions.
Outlines
🩸 Breaking the Silence on Periods and Stigma
This paragraph discusses the pervasive stigma around menstruation in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, emphasizing the need to bridge the gap in awareness. The author recounts a distressing incident during the 2020 lockdown where waste workers had to handle unsanitary menstrual products, highlighting the importance of menstrual cups as an alternative. The real issue is not the product itself but the lack of awareness and stigma surrounding it. The paragraph sets the stage for a broader conversation on menstruation and menstrual cup usage.
🩺 Addressing Misconceptions and Raising Awareness
This paragraph focuses on the importance of open conversations about menstruation, including topics like safe sex and menstrual health. The authors share that they received numerous questions from customers about menstrual cups, indicating widespread misconceptions and lack of knowledge. They emphasize their goal of not just selling menstrual cups but addressing the root problem: the lack of awareness. This section underscores their commitment to making period talk and menstrual health education the new normal.
💍 Building a Brand with a Purpose
The paragraph recounts the inception of their brand, FeFe, during August 2020. Unlike typical couples planning their wedding, the founders were focused on testing different menstrual cup samples. Despite skepticism from friends about the product's potential, the brand gradually gained traction, growing from 100 customers to nearly 300,000. The founders reflect on how they faced doubts at every stage but remained determined to succeed and make a difference.
🚀 Partnering with Flipkart for Greater Reach
This paragraph discusses the brand's strategy to penetrate deeper into non-metropolitan areas, particularly through partnerships with marketplaces like Flipkart, which has significant reach in these regions. The brand's journey from receiving less than 100 orders per month to now nearly 10,000 orders, with Flipkart contributing 30-35% of this, is highlighted. The founders express their goal of reaching 5 million customers in the next three years, with Flipkart playing a major role in this growth.
💡 Creating Products for Women's Convenience
In this final paragraph, the founders discuss their product line, starting with the ManUp sterilizer, and how each product was designed to make women's lives easier and more convenient. They reflect on the positive impact they've had on the lives of many people and encourage others to bring about change as well. The paragraph concludes with optimism about future growth and continued partnership with Flipkart to reach more customers.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Stigma
💡Menstrual Cups
💡Awareness
💡2020 Lockdown
💡FeFe
💡Safe Sex
💡Virginity
💡Flipkart
💡Tier 2 and Beyond
💡Sanitary Pads
Highlights
Women do not talk openly about periods due to a strong stigma, which remains consistent across both metro and non-metro areas.
During the 2020 lockdown, workers had to dig into one-week-old sanitary pads, highlighting the distressing issue of menstrual waste management.
The lack of awareness and stigma around menstrual cups is a major issue, despite the product's benefits.
The founders decided to address the lack of awareness by openly discussing safe sex, menstruation, and menstrual cups, breaking traditional filters.
They received numerous customer inquiries about menstrual cups, indicating a significant knowledge gap regarding their use.
The brand aims to bridge the gap of awareness, making period talk 'The New Normal' and providing education on how to use menstrual cups.
FeFe was founded in August 2020, with a focus on making women's lives easier and more convenient through their products.
Instead of traditional wedding planning, the founders were focused on finding the best menstrual cup samples to launch their brand.
Despite skepticism from friends about the stigmatized nature of their product, the brand successfully scaled from 100 customers to nearly 3 lakh customers.
The founders consistently faced doubts at every stage of growth, but remained confident in their mission and laughed off the skepticism.
The brand initially targeted Tier 2 and beyond cities, recognizing that Flipkart had the deepest penetration in non-metro areas.
Flipkart has been a key partner since day one, contributing significantly to the brand's growth, especially in reaching non-metro customers.
The brand grew from less than 100 orders a month to almost 10,000 orders per month, with 30-35% of orders coming from Flipkart.
ManUp and sterilizer were the first products launched, designed to make women's lives easier and more convenient.
The brand aims to reach at least 5 million customers in the next 3 years, with Flipkart playing a major role in this growth journey.
Transcripts
[Music]
women do not talk openly about periods
there is a certain strong stigma own
even if you're in a Metro or non-metro
that pretty much remain the same so we
are going to bridge this gap of lack of
awareness I just happen to see something
very distressing during the 2020
lockdown we we have a set of workers who
are called kumashi workers who come to
pick up the waste they had to dig in
their hands into one week old santry
pads and this was a very distressing
scenario since nasif knew that I was
using menstrual cups already he was like
hey you've been speaking so highly about
menstrual cups why don't everybody use
it the actual problem is not with the
product rather the awareness and stigma
around the product so the first thing we
wanted to do was we wanted us to talk
about it and we didn't keep any filter
we were pretty much talking about
everything like safe sex menstruation
and all of those we were getting DMS
from customers they were like you know
where should we insert this menstrual
cup can we pee after using the menstrual
cup will I lose my virginity if I use
menstrual cup so all these things were
something that we felt we need to
address it I mean there were Brands who
were selling menstrual cup so we don't
want to be another brand who just sells
menstrual cup the real problem here was
lack of awareness so we are going to
bridge this gap of lack of awareness so
today we are going to talk about periods
opening we're going to make period talk
The New Normal not just that we also
going to have a small awareness about
menstrual cups how to use them also we
started FeFe in 2020 August so unlike um
other couples who are engaged and you
know who planned their whole wedding you
know what dress they going to wear how
the venue would be we were different
basically instead of trying the wedding
dress I was basically trying different
samples of menstrual cups to find out
which would be the best people had this
weird kind of thing towards N A lot of
my friends are asking will anybody use
this is not a very stigmatized product
very tabed product like do you think you
be able to scale it so when we were at
100 customers we were listening to the
same thing when we reached th000
customers then we reached to 10,000
customers then we reached one lakh
customers then again we reached to
another close to 3 lakh customers now
still we were hearing this each and
every stage and we were kind of laughing
ins said okay someday we'll prove it
when when we started the brand we had
this idea of like penetrating more into
Tire two Tire 2 and Beyond R then we
researched all the marketplaces
available back then we found out that
flip card has the deepest penetration
among the non tyan cities actually so
since day one we got a first order from
Flipkart so since day one flipcart is
our partner so when we started right we
just getting less than 100 ERS a month
for a for first few months from there we
have grown till almost 10,000 ERS a
month of which almost 30 35% of the
contribution is coming from Flipkart
alone ManUp and sterilizer was the first
product and then each of our product
that we launched was definitely based on
something that we launched to make a
woman's life easier and more convenient
so we are looking to reach at least 5
million customers in next 3 years and we
hope that Flipkart will be major
contributor in that Journey along with
Flipkart I think we've been able to
change lives of a lot of people just
like us anyone of you can actually do it
to bring a change
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