Jul 27, 2020 · 1h 5m · how-i-built-this
The Laundress: Lindsey Boyd
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
In this episode of How I Built This, host Guy Raz interviews Lindsey Boyd, co-founder of The Laundress, detailing how she and Gwen Whiting leveraged their textile science backgrounds to build an eco-friendly luxury fabric care brand that they bootstrapped to a $100 million Unilever acquisition.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Guy holds 32.9% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Guy as informed peer 3.6 Guest teaching 2.8 Guest disagreement 0.6 Guy pushing back 0.8
speaking balance: gold is Guy, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 1:02:38 Rejecting luck as the driver of success
When Raz asks whether luck played a key role in the company's nine-figure acquisition, Boyd pushes back, insisting hard work and market disruption created their own luck.
Hardest push from Guy ▶ 36:07 Challenging the premium twenty dollar price pointRaz bluntly challenges Boyd's pricing model, comparing the twenty dollar cost to commodity four dollar grocery store detergents like Tide.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 22:15 Educating on silk and cashmere washabilityBoyd surprises Raz by explaining that delicate luxury fibers like silk and cashmere do not need dry cleaning and can safely be hand-washed with gentle formulas.
Guy holds their own ▶ 28:15 Connecting detergency research to craft brewing historyRaz displays deep historical startup knowledge by drawing a detailed parallel between Boyd's academic library research and Ken Grossman's founding of Sierra Nevada.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Guy as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Guy pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Job Inspirations and the Origin of The Laundress | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Host Guy Raz delivers an introductory monologue contextualizing Lindsey Boyd's background alongside other startup founders, summarizing her career transition from fashion to eco-cleaning. | |
| Studying Textiles at Cornell and Working at Brooks Brothers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Guy Raz asks open-ended questions about Boyd's switch to Cornell's textile program and early work at Brooks Brothers, while Boyd explains the coursework spanning fiber chemistry and business. | |
| Sales Trunk Shows at Chanel and Sassy Storage | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Raz admits he did not realize Chanel designed clothes rather than just accessories, and Boyd corrects his assumption about trunk show inventory, explaining how single-sample modeling works. | |
| The Jessica Lindsay T-Shirt Venture and Ambition for More | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Raz probes the rapid leap from homemade tie-dye t-shirts to major department store orders, questioning how the business scaled before fading due to capital constraints. | |
| Brainstorming with Gwen Whiting and Spotting the Laundry Void | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Boyd details brainstorming ventures with co-founder Gwen Whiting and educates Raz on delicate fabric care, explaining that silk and cashmere can be safely washed rather than dry cleaned. | |
| Consulting Cornell Detergency Experts and Scientific Research | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Raz connects Boyd's academic research to other founders who studied primary science, while Boyd describes consulting detergency professor Kay Obendorf and reading chemical society publications. | |
| Developing the Enzyme Formula and Early Bootstrap Financing | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | Raz pushes on the extreme price disparity between commodity detergents and their twenty dollar bottle, while Boyd justifies the price through high enzyme concentrations and natural ingredients. | |
| Launching 13 SKUs, Bergdorf Goodman Deal, and Leaving Chanel | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Boyd recounts pitching Bergdorf Goodman buyers across lingerie, cashmere, and beauty departments while secretly navigating past her existing Chanel client contact. | |
| The Early Struggle: Boutique Hustle and Rejecting Investors | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Raz asks why the founders did not accept venture capital during unprofitable early years, and Boyd explains that predatory term sheets and disinterested investors reinforced their bootstrap approach. | |
| The Russian Distribution Nightmare and Counterfeit Crisis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | Boyd shares the crisis of a Russian distributor ordering direct white-label runs and producing low-quality counterfeit batches that gave a customer a rash. | |
| Turning Profitable in 2008 and Global Retail Expansion | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | Raz questions how the company managed to become profitable during the 2008 financial crisis, prompting Boyd to explain their international distribution buffer and retail strategy in Tokyo. | |
| The $100 Million Unilever Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Lessons | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Raz asks Boyd whether hard work or luck drove the hundred million dollar exit to Unilever, and Boyd firmly asserts that proactive preparation and relentless work created their outcome. |
Statements from this episode (17)
Boyd: Landed Chanel account executive role via Women's Wear Daily ad
“I found an ad in Women's Wear Daily. I think it's like one of the few times they put an ad in, and I read that that was my paper, and I didn't know anyone there. I just sent in my resume and called them and called them and called them, and then I got the job. …”
Saks Fifth Avenue and Henri Bendel bought Boyd's side-hustle t-shirts
“Ultimately, Saks Fifth Avenue and Henry Bendel's bought them”
Boyd: The Laundress avoided contract manufacturers to control product formulations
“We wanted, we didn't want to go to a manufacturer and just say, make something for us. We wanted to know what we were making, and I think that's what's woven into the whole business, is that we wanted to make sure we were in control of what we were making.”
Boyd: Dry cleaning chemicals degrade delicate fabrics and strip natural oils
“So ultimately the chemicals in dry cleaning are not great for you, for the environment or for the clothing.
especially the clothing, it tent, it leaves it's not even really cleaning it.
It's a solution that will take care of stains and it cleans it, but it's …”
Boyd: The Laundress raised its first $10K through a Soap Splash party
“We threw what we called the soap splash, and that was something, it was a for-profit party where we invited all of our friends and family and past boyfriends and current boyfriends and anyone that would show up we would say we serve them wine and our idea and …”
Boyd: The Laundress secured a $100K SBA loan leveraging 401(k) accounts
“And then, ultimately, we were able to secure an SBA loan of a 100,000 dollars.”
Boyd: The Laundress ordered just 250 units per SKU initially
“We ordered about 250 of each SKU, a very small run.”
Boyd: The Laundress gave Bergdorf Goodman a six-month exclusive retail window
“We gave them an exclusive for six months to be the only people selling the laundress, and this worked out really well.”
Boyd: The Laundress would have lost brand control taking early VC money
“We probably could have done a lot more at a faster pace. Not probably. We definitely could have. But we wouldn't have the same amount of control. Our brand would most likely look very different today.”
Boyd: A Russian distributor secretly produced counterfeit Laundress products
“Ultimately the distributor that we were working with then come to find out, which is even worse than what he was doing with the manufacturer, was that he was making counterfeit product.”
Boyd: The Laundress trademarked its brand in every country it sold in
“We early on had all our name trademarked in any country that we were sold to. So we owned the licensing and the trademarks.”
Boyd: The Laundress survived the 2008 crash by avoiding US boutique reliance
“Because if we were only sold in the U.S. Boutiques, we would not have come out of that the way we did.”
Boyd: The Laundress opened its first retail store in Tokyo, not NYC
“Actually, our first store wasn't in New York City. It was in Sinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan.”
Boyd: Europe and Asia adopted The Laundress faster than the US
“They are fanatics about caring for their wardrobe. So they jumped on board quickly. And so did Europe as well, a lot faster than the U.S. Market.”
Boyd: Unilever kept The Laundress operating independently post-acquisition
“The way that they work is that they really are adamant about keeping the brand separate, but obviously joined, but separate in the sense where we're still have our same office. We still have all the same employees and Our DNA looks and feels the same. We have …”