Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriana Kao.
Hi Adriana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I remember the moment I decided that I needed to start something of my own – something that would mean something to me and add some good to the world. I was looking for a new job because my current job didn’t inspire me at all and I felt like an insignificant cog in a huge machinery that was so disconnected with who I am and what matters to me. As I prepared to dust off my resume, I felt this dreadful feeling of being trapped in the never-ending hamster wheel and all my inspiration and energy left my body. At the same time, an idea that I had tinkered with months earlier rushed into my being and filled me with excitement – the idea of opening a toiletry refill station to serve the Dallas area. I had first thought of it when I moved to Dallas in 2018 and had the goal of drastically reducing my own waste generation.
I started composting with a local startup called Turn, brought my own utensils to restaurants, and refused plastic bags and straws religiously. What I couldn’t find was a place to refill my shampoo, soap and laundry essentials. “How can a city as big as Dallas not have this service?” I asked myself. I knew the existence of these stores from online photos and articles. At the time, I had tucked this idea away as I was overcome with fear at the risks and investment required to open a business. Now, sitting at my desk and feeling drained from looking at my old resume, I realized that what I needed was not to look for a new job but to throw aside all my doubts and worries and listen to my inner voice as it urged me to take a chance with this idea that sparked my passion. I spent the next three weeks or so researching, brainstorming, and writing down everything I could think of to start this venture. I was so energized I could hardly fall asleep at night. I would go to sleep thinking about ideas for my business and wake up with more – I knew I was on the right path. This was June of 2020. The pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me as it allowed me to focus and use my free time to work on my new business. After months of planning and prepping, I launched usefull in October of 2020.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the first things I learned as a new entrepreneur is the importance of being able to pivot and fast. No matter how good an idea is, I learned it couldn’t be carved in stone and I needed to be open to change because that’s how improvements and innovations can be made. My original idea was to have a mobile refill service – like a food truck-type vehicle that could be driven to neighborhoods to provide toiletry refill service. Once I looked into the cost of buying and outfitting a van, I realized I didn’t have that kind of money to start. It would also be logistically more complex. I quickly pivoted to the current business model of having a pop-up stand at the Dallas Farmers Market on weekends. Thankfully things have worked out pretty smoothly, from planning to launching and operating. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I’m delighted that the reception from customers (we call them “Refill Champs”) has been nothing but positive and enthusiastic. The biggest bump in the road I’ve had so far was when a nasty wind broke my tent one Saturday and blew away some products and supplies (never to be found). I learned from that to have better contingency plans for the different types of weather.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The spirit behind usefull is to “use things in full”, meaning reuse an item and make the most of it. What usefull aims to do is facilitate the reuse of soap and shampoo bottles that people already have at home. Refill Champs can bring their used bottles to our station and refill with as much or as little as needed of shampoo, body lotion, hand soap, laundry detergent, among other personal and home care products, and pay by the ounce. In addition, the products are made right here in Texas (thereby supporting our local economy) and they are vegan, cruelty-free, and made without harsh ingredients like parabens and phthalates. Striving for sustainability is not just a slogan for us, it is at the core of usefull and my own life. Each of us are at different stages of our sustainability journey and no one is perfect (myself included), but perfection is not the goal. It’s about continuing to improve down that journey, making better, more informed choices when we can, and joining forces to change this imperfect system we are in.
What matters most to you?
As a society, we need to change the modern “disposable” and “single-use” mentality because things we toss never goes “away” – it goes to one of three places – a landfill, the ocean, or burnt. None of these are sustainable and we are already suffering the effects of land, ocean and air pollution from these poor ‘solutions’. Plastic, in particular, is incredibly problematic because it doesn’t break down via any natural processes (i.e. biodegradable). Plastic just breaks apart and becomes ever smaller pieces of plastic (micropastics). These bits of plastic are in the ocean, in fish, in whales, in the soil, in your beer and even in table salt. And guess what, plastic is made of – oil – and a bunch of toxic chemicals. So it cannot be good when ingested by animals, including us. I know that plastic has made our modern life possible in a lot of ways and can be crucial in things like medical devices – but the vast majority of the plastic trash out there comes from people like you and me using everyday things like soda bottles, straws, grocery bags, etc. We cannot recycle our way out of the plastic pollution problem, we must stop it at its source. We must say no to single-use plastic today.
Pricing:
- Shampoo & Conditioner $0.54/oz
- Body lotion $0.60/oz
- Hand soap $0.24/oz
- Dish soap $0.26/oz
- Laundry detergent $0.22/oz
Contact Info:
- Email: info@usefullco.com
- Website: www.usefullco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usefullco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usefullco-101533748487110
Image Credits
@katoma_photos
