Working women get all sorts of advice. Lean in, lean out, ask for a raise, but don't ask in the wrong way, be aggressive, but not too aggressive. We're also told to make sure not to forget about our personal lives, lest we end up forgoing families or love or travel or friendship in service of our careers. It's confusing and maddening, and we're all still struggling to figure it out.
"This Woman's Work" is an ongoing series meant to highlight how women in different industries are living their lives. We hope to show that there's no one "right" way to succeed. There are so many ways, and so many different experiences.
Today we're talking to Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman, the founders of Lola, a 100% natural cotton tampon subscription service. Kier and Friedman started Lola just one year ago after realizing that they still couldn't figure out what was in mainstream brand tampons, even after lab testing. "I think Alex and I were shocked to realize we had never thought about this product that we've been using for many years," the founders told ELLE.com at launch. Here, they discuss how they stay organized, how to ask for a raise, how they got male investors to hop on board with the concept, and more.
Lola tampons
COURTESY OF LOLA
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Describe your career paths before creating Lola.
Alexandra Friedman: I graduated from college in 2004, and then went to work at a small consulting firm in Boston, where I was advising on whether or not investors should invest in new market product companies. My time there taught me that I wanted to invest in companies, and actually have a broader perspective on early-stage consumer companies so I went to go work at a venture capitalist firm called Flat Capital.
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From there I went to Wharton Business School and from there, I went to a management consulting firm for two years where I got pretty broad exposure to big companies. It was the first time I worked with Fortune 100 companies and their leadership teams, and in company strategy. While I was there I found myself still being really interested in early-stage companies, so from there I joined a tech start-up and while I was there Jordana and I met and started Lola.
Lola founders, Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman
COURTESY OF LOLA
Jordana Kier: I had a less traditional path to starting the company. I was in business school when I started to build the foundation for Lola, but I am actually trained as an artist, and I've always had an interest in art. I worked in art management and then I worked for the opera. I spent a few years doing artistic planning, but also felt more interested in the strategy pieces of these big businesses, especially because the arts are kind of this emotional space but also clearly a business opportunity for many people.
When I was at the opera, I got looped into helping with the negotiations of all the unions there, and that was the catalyst for going to business school. I really wanted to refine my finance skills, specifically critical thinking skills, and the tech scene drew me in. While I was in business school I did lots of internships and it made me confident that I could do something on my own, where I felt like I could provide something better for me and for other like-minded women.
How did you guys find each other?
AF: We were introduced by mutual friends! At the time, Jordana was coming out of business school and I was working at a tech start-up. And we were introduced as friends. Jordana had been working on the early concept of Lola while she was still in business school, and we talked about a whole lot of things including the idea for the business. Over time, we started working together on it.
Where did the idea for Lola come from?
JK: The brand started as a delivery service. Even though we can get really anything else delivered to our house at really an
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