Conversations with Founders: Mark from Suri

What was the inspiration behind Suri?

Gyve and I both worked at Procter & Gamble. He was in finance and marketing roles, ultimately managing the Gillette Venus brand, and I managed Pringle in the UK in a variety of sales and strategy roles. During our time there, we both saw the massive amount of plastic waste that came from selling millions of units of these products, and became increasingly aware of the environmental impact and wanted to do something about it.

Gyve is also a huge Apple fan, and loves everything about the brand – from the packaging to the customer service to the in-store experience. Apple really redefined what it is to experience a product. In contrast, traditional fast-moving consumer goods like Gillette often lacked that same level of thoughtful consideration. This gave us the idea that we could combine two elements – more sustainable practices and better consumer experiences.

We chose toothbrushes because every year over four billion get thrown away. In fact, virtually every brush you’ve ever used since you were a child probably still exists – the environmental impact is huge. Additionally, we realized that from packaging to customer service, the entire industry lacked the level of care we’ve come to expect from modern brands. We saw an opportunity to change that, and here we are, two and a half years later, with a business that is driven by these values.

What’s been your biggest challenge in scaling so quickly?

Two years ago there were only four of us, so if we continue like this, it’s going to be something much bigger. But with our growth there have been challenges. There are always expected challenges, like hiring lots of people simultaneously, or raising financing, but you sort of anticipate that those will be quite challenging, and you run into them knowing it’ll be hard, but you’re going to do what you can. But I think the hardest challenges are the ones you don’t see coming.

For example, when we first launched, we had five thousand pre-orders, with one thousand of those heading to America. We had told customers their orders were on the way, but ten days later, we received a message from our courier saying the shipments hadn’t been sent out yet. In that moment, I honestly thought we were going to fail. I remember feeling like everything was falling apart. But instead of panicking, we went into full customer service mode. We immediately sent out a personal, proactive email to everyone affected, and I don’t think we had a single refund as a result. I think I’ve learned the importance of staying composed when faced with challenges. It doesn’t always work, but you need to be the one who is calm in crisis in order to make the best decisions with the information you have.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start out?

My favourite piece of advice is something that I try and think about in every decision I make, and it’s really helped us in lots of different ways. I read it in a story about Richard Branson, which is there is a real skill in minimising your downside and maximising your upside.

When I started my career, I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I started my career at Procter & Gamble because they’re world famous for having great training and giving lots of responsibility, and I knew if I did a few years there, I’ll get lots of experience in consumer goods. I knew then I could start my business, but if it didn’t work out, I could always get another job because I have that experience. So I minimised my risk, and maximised my upside because it also really helped me in my journey with Suri.

You guys have been with Sandbox for a while. What’s your favourite part of being in our spaces?

We wouldn’t be able to afford to be in such an inspiring central location if we had to pay market price for what you guys offer, and I am so proud every day that I walk into this office, and my team really want to be here too. We have some of the best companies come and visit us here and we have this space, which just adds value beyond making money or working for a company, it’s about something more.

I think work for me isn’t just about producing results. It’s about how you spend your hours, who you spend them with and in what environment. And so to be in an environment that’s so welcoming and positive, with yourself and the rest of the team making it such a familial and warm reception every morning, it just makes the world of difference.