An Interview With Penny Bauder
There are so many interesting stories. I think the most insightful “story” I could tell is that every win comes with its own batch of headaches and stresses. We had many wins and losses over the past decade, but the thing that stands out to me the most is that it takes many wins, and many losses to grow. Starting and running a business is a roller coaster and you need to make sure you are buckled in and mentally ready for the ride.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bill Glaab.
In 2011, Bill Glaab and his wife, Courtney Apple, read an article that said 5 million children die each year from water-related illnesses and that 45% of these deaths could be prevented with simple hand washing alone. A lightbulb went off — what if they could create a business that focused on a better soap, that was more sustainable, and could give back by saving lives? From there, Hand In Hand Soap was born.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit how you grew up?
I grew up in a small town in upstate NY and went to a public school with just under 100 kids in my class. I have a brother and sister who are twins and about 8 years older than I am. My parents were both small business owners/self employed. It’s safe to say I certainly learned some of the fundamentals of business from a young age, but I also learned about the stress and responsibility that goes along with running a small business first-hand.
You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
On its surface, the company provides soap and clean water to children in the developing world to prevent deadly water related illness. That is something we, as a company, actively participate in, and it is a core pillar of the business. However we also strive to simply do the right thing whenever we can. We are currently actively working on reducing single use plastics from our products, and have moved nearly all of our core items to recycled aluminum in place of plastic.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, there was a lot of news coverage regarding how the recovery was coming one year later. It was then that Courtney (my wife & co-founder), and I learned of a group that was donating soap to prevent deadly water-related illness. It was not until that moment that we learned that each year 5 million children under the age of 5 die of deadly water related illness. Learning that broke our hearts and we felt we needed to do something to help. At the time, there was also a lot of news coverage about the amount of money that was donated to help the people of Haiti, but how much of it was mismanaged by large NGOs. We knew at that point we needed to do something more hands-on than simply raising money to be donated, and decided to harness the collective power of business for good.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
As an entrepreneur the pull and excitement to do something on your own is often far more powerful than the need for safety and security. We were young, we were passionate, and honestly, we were optimistically naive. I had been in a corporate job for about 5 years out of college and was incredibly bored and unfulfilled. It was the right time for us, and we simply jumped in and never looked back.
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
Honestly, we had no idea what we were doing. Had we known how incredibly difficult and daunting it was going to be, we may have thought twice. It took us the better part of a decade before the business could even afford to pay the founders a living salary. We followed our instincts, and made many, many mistakes along the way. We learned from those mistakes, pivoted, and kept going. We listened to as much advice as we could, asked a ton of questions, filtered it all down and then made the best decisions we could. We learned something new every day, and still do to this day. We didn’t have the answers, but we did have a tenacity to not give up. We probably should have given up many times, but we refused and kept fighting.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
There are so many interesting stories. I think the most insightful “story” I could tell is that every win comes with its own batch of headaches and stresses. We had many wins and losses over the past decade, but the thing that stands out to me the most is that it takes many wins, and many losses to grow. Starting and running a business is a roller coaster and you need to make sure you are buckled in and mentally ready for the ride.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
Looking back, I’m not sure if there is any one specific funny story. I think what is funny now is looking back and realizing that we had no idea what we were doing, or what we were talking about. I have no doubt we must have sounded ridiculous on many occasions, but rarely did anyone ever call us on it. Very early on I had no idea how to read a Profit & Loss statement, or talk about Margin percentages. I was always mixing it up and people always just smiled and nodded, probably not wanting to insult me. I learned the hard way at an event in 2012 where we were pitching a group of investors at a business plan competition. I told the entire audience that if we made a product for $3, and wholesaled it for $6, that we had a 100% gross margin. When it was done none of the investors said anything about it, and none were interested in the business plan. A few entrepreneurs pulled me aside to explain to me that the gross margin in that example was 50%. Very embarrassing at the time, funny now, and something I certainly learned from. Take an accounting class before starting a business!
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I’ve always asked a ton of questions in life, about anything and everything. Still to this day, I am very likely to fire off 100 questions at someone on any given topic that they are knowledgeable about. I’ve had many mentors throughout my journey. My first real mentor was more of a cheerleader, he was our neighbor in Philadelphia, a German Economics professor that would come to Philly on his school breaks. He always encouraged me and would say “just keep going, never give up, never quit. Just keep going.” He would say it over and over again. It became an inside joke for Courtney and I when things were hard. Just keep going. Sounds simple, but honestly it was the best advice I have ever gotten. Just keep going, that’s everything, that’s what it’s all about. Professionally, I had 3 key mentors who helped Courtney and I grow the company. Our corporate attorney, who is now a dear friend, our angel investor (2016 investment), who had successfully built and sold a few businesses, and an advisor, who had been an investment banker in a former life. All three offered different perspectives on any given topic and their input guided us on our journey. They often disagreed on many topics, but hearing their unique perspectives was essential to forming my own opinion. Mentors are key.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
We could not have gotten to where we are today without William Lowry, the Executive Founder of My Neighbor’s Children. He has acted as a sort of spiritual advisor since the day we started the company. He helped facilitate all of our donations within Haiti, we never could have figured out how to get soap and clean water to the children who needed it without his guidance. He was also a constant reminder that what we were doing had real impact, and was helping children. Whenever times were tough, he would help remind me why we were doing it, and how many lives we had touched in the process through our work.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
That is a very loaded question. I think the way I would best articulate this is to try to address all problems with heart. Any issue societies try to solve are fraught with contradictions and side effects, the key from my perspective is to lead with your heart. When you show others respect, and take time to think through the issues from a place of caring, the path often becomes more clear.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Just keep going. Never give up.
2. It’s going to be the hardest thing you have ever done
3. Take an accounting class
4. Don’t listen to anyone too closely. Follow your instincts.
5. You will sacrifice your time, your money, and your health
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Quite simply, because they can. It has never been easier to take action to do the right thing. It is our collective responsibility to do what is right. Find your passion, and then figure out how to incorporate impact. There will be a way. We all need to play our part. It is up to younger generations to incorporate impact into our daily lives.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Larry David. I love his sense of humor. During the most stressful times of the business I would fall asleep to old episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm. It would completely transport my mind away from the stress of whatever I was working on and allow me to take a mental break and just laugh. No matter what was going on, watching an episode or two could remind me that life is meant to be enjoyed. Like exercise, I’ve always found laughter to be an extremely strong form of medication.
How can our readers follow you online?
Honestly, they can’t. For the past decade I have been addicted to my email. Since I’ve stepped down as CEO of Hand in Hand I have been focusing my attention inward with my family and children. I spent a decade completely obsessed with growing Hand in Hand, glued to my phone. For now, I’m taking it slow, focusing on what’s important, and re-energizing. I have deleted all of my social media apps, news apps, and turned off all alerts. I make a conscious effort to leave my phone at home. I’ve always found that I think the best without distraction. That being said, you can follow along the Hand in Hand journey on Instagram: @handinhandsoap or sign up for our newsletter at www.handinhandsoap.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Young Social Impact Heroes: Why and How Bill Glaab of Hand in Hand Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.