Business
Necessity is the mother of invention has never been more true than for Kindred Bravely’s founder and CEO Deanne Akerson. Five years ago when her children were very young, Deanne was searching for some comfortable nursing pajamas that she just could not find. After fruitlessly searching she decided that I can go into the maternity apparel business and make comfortable clothes that mothers really want. So Deanne and her husband formed Kindred Bravely and they have been so successful that made it to position #20 on the 2019 Inc. 5000 list. In this episode Deanne Akerson talks about the challenges of starting and growing a new business, especially in today’s world of COVID-19.A former high school math teacher, Deanne is now a successful entrepreneur with a customer focus. They knew that they were not in control of their supply and pivot to start making PPE for front line workers. But they did realize that they had inventory that front line moms could use. So Kindred Bravely gave away thousands of free nursing and pumping bras to front line doctors and nurses to help ease the stress of working during these difficult days.My favorite quotes from Deanne:“If you have a successful product, other people are going to be watching and copying it”“If your business is about a product, then you are going to be sadly disappointed.”“Business is about falling in love with your customer over and over again, and meeting their needs.”“Quality means the garment exceeds the customer’s needs for the price point they purchased at.” How to reach and stay connected with Deanne:LinkedIn: Kindred Bravely Web Site: https://www.kindredbravely.com/Email: hello@kindredbravely.com and ask for Deanne Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/kindredbravely Twitter: https://twitter.com/KindredBravely About PPQC:Process and Product Quality Consulting (PPQC) helps global executives tackle complex corporate challenges.To learn more about PPQC, visit www.ppqc.netSupport the show (https://ppqc.net)