Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayodele Aigbe.
Ayodele, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My freshman year of college, I remember vividly walking into my closet to bring out my favorite sweater. As I took off the sweater from the hanger, I noticed that it had shoulder bumps on each end. I was flustered and searched Google for options on how to remove the shoulder bumps. I tried many things from putting hot water on each end and drying it to ironing out the shoulder. None of it worked! I was curious to see if anyone had gone through the same thing. As such, I began asking more of my friends and people on campus if they had similar issues via a survey and I found a common narrative- the traditional hanger design sucked. The current design gave way to stretching, slippage, shoulder bumps, and wrinkling.
Further, I knew it was a problem worth solving when I saw that these problems created a negative social impact on people. I had the opportunity to participate in an entrepreneurial program that enabled me to develop the idea in its early stages. Inspired by the idea to create better hangers came Hangio. I knew that people cared about their clothes and wanted them to be properly taken care of. With this, I set out to create a hanger that would revolutionize the way people stored clothes in their closet and solve the problems that come with the traditional hanger design. I tried out different options and eventually landed on a bendable hanger design. Once I validated the idea in that first year of coming up with it, I then went on to form the company, raise funding, and further develop the product to fit customer needs! We now sell today on our website.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not! However, it has been a worthwhile one. I have had many lows, unexpected turns, and a few points when it was challenging to move forward. Despite that, it has been one of the most transformative experiences I have had. My biggest struggle has been the knowledge gap and managing my time. I had never brought a brand new product to market before, so there were many things I had to learn in product development and marketing. To overcome this, I surrounded myself with mentors, books, and seminars that helped close the gap further.
Secondly, the biggest thing I had to learn was to set boundaries on time and deeply understand what mattered. As a full-time student and business owner, I am oftentimes pulled in many directions with my time. The biggest thing I have learned is that there will always be competing priorities but to push the needle, you have to focus on what is most important. For me, that was creating a practical and beautifully designed product that my customers would love and building a strong community around me.
We’d love to hear more about Hangio.
Hangio is a closet-organization company enhancing the everyday closet experience through innovative, practical, and well-designed bendable hangers. Our mission is to help customers remove closet stress and instead bring enjoyment to the everyday closet experience.
At Hangio, I’m very proud of what we’re building and our values as a startup. Values that include being all-around authentic and intentional about our customer experiences. Values that include maintaining the conviction in our belief that your clothes and further, your closet, deserve to be respected because you as a human being deserve to be respected. We’re staying true to our vision with our first product, the Hangio Hanger. I’m excited about this product because of the amazing benefits, like a peace of mind, that it brings to everyday closets. This Hangio Hanger holds true to our one word: respect. Our brand icon is a flamingo that symbolizes balance, beauty, vibrancy, and community- which is what we strive to embody. All of this sets us apart from others.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Gigantic thank you’s go to my tribe, and the teams at the Innovation Hub at Research Park, Future Founders, and the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
My tribe has always believed in me and supported me through their consistent encouragement, coming to my events, and spreading the word. The Innovation Hub at Research Park provided me with amazing mentors and funding that enabled me to get this far. The mentors at the Innovation Hub provided so much direction and knowledge that I’m not sure where I would be without them! Future Founders was one of the organizations that helped me validate the product and receive initial seed capital in the early days. More recently, they have provided extensive mentorship and entrepreneurial training through their Fellowship program that has developed me as a business owner. The Texas Business Hall of Fame opened my eyes further to the possibilities in business and they were instrumental in helping me continue the business while being in college.
Pricing:
- 3-pack Maple Hangio Hangers – $29.99
- 1-pack Maple Hangio Hangers – $9.99
Contact Info:
- Website: shophangio.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/shophangio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shophangio/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shophangio
Image Credit:
Future Founders, Matthew Green
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