# The Laundress: Lindsey Boyd

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2020-07-27
- Length: 1h 05m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd

## Summary

Lindsey Boyd and Gwen Whiting, co-founders of The Laundress, explain how they pivoted from a failed t-shirt brand to creating eco-friendly detergents for delicate fabrics after years of research with a Cornell professor. They detail their bootstrapping strategy, including using credit cards and an SBA loan, and their decision to reject venture capital to maintain control despite facing skepticism from investors and counterfeiters. The episode covers their slow path to profitability, international expansion, and the eventual sale of the company to Unilever for $100 million.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd#t=0) Introduction: Lindsey Boyd and The Laundress
- [4:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd#t=271) Fashion Background and Failed T-Shirt Brand
- [26:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd#t=1576) Researching Detergents with Cornell Professor
- [33:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd#t=2021) Bootstrapping and Initial Financing
- [40:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd#t=2442) Pitching to Retailers and First Sales
- [49:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd#t=2949) Rejecting Investors and Counterfeiting Issues
- [55:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd#t=3338) Path to Profitability and Global Expansion
- [1:00:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-07-27-the-laundress-lindsey-boyd#t=3654) Selling to Unilever and Scaling

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up, established companies

## Mentioned

- The Laundress (product)
- Unilever (company)
- Cornell (other)
- Chanel (company)
- Bergdorf Goodman (company)
- Saks Fifth Avenue (company)
- Brooks Brothers (company)
- Jessica Lindsay (product)

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- [Founder Feature: Tabi and Meena Hoshmand of Tursh](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-11-14-founder-feature-tabi-and-meena-hoshmand-of-tursh) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
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## Citing this page

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