Founders Q+A: booheads on innovation, compromise and 2022

booheads on innovation, compromise and 2022

ESGmark® members booheads are on a mission to make your smile sustainable. In a world of plastic toothbrushes, founder Ben Caspary decided to make electric toothbrush heads that are sustainable, biodegradable & developed using plant based materials.

It’s been quite a learning curve.

We talk to Ben about problem solving, why compromise means survival and what the 2022 means for booheads.

ESGmark®: Going right back to the beginning, how did you come up with the idea for booheads?

Ben Caspary: I originally came up with the idea for booheads when I was exploring opportunities for a sustainable products business; I had been helping a friend with his so was interested if something was out there for me as a bit of a project. I explored so many options but most had been done. Then by chance, a lady came into a coffee shop I was in, and just as I was about to give up, she pulled out an electric toothbrush and it dawned on me!

ESGmark®: What was the problem you wanted to solve?

BC: Simply this - how can I create a greener solution without a consumer having to dramatically change their behaviour.

ESGmark®: What was your biggest success with that original idea?

BC: This is a really hard one as there have been many milestones that have meant a lot - yet the simplest is (which sounds silly) but I actually sold some! 

I had never done a product business, and to know customers bought the item validated all of my thoughts and ideas. Another success for me is customers have purchased again (whilst) customers that didn't use us originally have now come back since we have made improvements.

ESGmark®: And what was your biggest learning?

BC: The biggest learning for me has been that compromise has to prevail in order for us to succeed. 

The ultimate goal is to have end-to-end sustainability. However, as I have got into the process and understand the efficiencies of running a real business versus a utopian business, it is unrealistic to have both at this stage. 

I noticed this attitude was creating another stress point as I knew we could not live up to being 100% sustainable at both the product and process levels. Readjusting this expectation meant reducing the stress points whilst enabling us to reproposition the business so we can be a sustainable business and not just a sustainability business. The change was simply focusing on ensuring we always choose 'a better solution'. This means it may not be the BEST solution as they may not exist, but we are committed to choosing a better solution every time. By accumulating all of these solutions we are making constant step changes. This keeps the theoretical development wheel for sustainability turning so we can work towards a utopian solution; rather than not turning at all.

ESGmark®: How have you had to adapt your business strategy to make sure it's viable in the long term?

BC: Much like above, we adapted the strategy to ensure we are making improvements wherever we can. 

This has enabled us to look at other products to drive bigger impact and change across other consumer areas. It helps us create a viable and sustainable business for the future where we can bring constant change and improvement to the market for consumers for longer.

ESGmark®: How do you feel personally about having to compromise on that original vision?

BC: I'm more than happy about it now, I have come to terms with it. Ironically it is only a small subset of people that will heavily judge these decisions, the majority of consumers are behind us; this will enable us to keep the development wheel turning. 

To be honest I originally saw this as a failure; that I didn't meet up to what I had set out to achieve - however macro factors are out of my control. For a while I thought it might end booheads as I was in a mindset of "If I can't have it all then is there the purpose' - but the more I learned about business and myself, the more I realised we are better to keep evolving with a different approach. I’ve learnt that the gap between ambition and reality is where we have to compromise.

Something occurred to me one evening "A boat is only really a boat when it is in water" in the same way "A sustainable business is only a sustainable business if we are in business".

ESGmark®: Tell us a bit more about the new material you're working with.

BC: As alluded to, we are focusing on how we can bring impact to other products across the categories using the same methodologies we have used for booheads. We also have requests from other customers so we are going to see how we can facilitate some of them.

ESGmark®: What do you think the main pressures on sustainable/eco businesses will be for 2022?

BC: A number of things - the focus on green credentials and greenwashing, especially as major corporations are doing this heavily, yet the smaller business will be the ones to feel the brunt. 

I think the main pressures around eco processes of running a business (aside from the product) will still be a challenge for a while. I also think the development of new materials may stunt growth but the pressures for innovation won’t let up. If anything I think they will increase more than ever.

ESGmark®: Where do you see booheads in 3 years time?

BC: My answer would have been very different three months ago. 

Three months on, these answers feel more mediocre but in fact are extremely important.... 

I see booheads still in the market, with recurring customers who still believe in our brand, our mission, enjoying our products and services. 

I also see booheads with a range of products in the market. Finally I see booheads in other geographies - spreading the boo love around the globe. I may even go as far as to say we may see booheads in more brick and mortar stores supporting as many SME business as we can; I think that is really important.

ESGmark®: What are you most excited about in terms of business progression?

BC: Simply, I'm excited to see where it can go.

We have seen such amazing growth in 12 months from inception to now; it’s quite staggering since it started as a project and now we are a business. I'm also excited to see how we can expand booheads into other areas, or if we can bring brother or sister brands alongside. I think that could be really exciting.

For more on booheads and their plastic free vision for the future, visit their website.

Speaking to our founders is a fundamental part of how we keep the ESGmark® community connected - read our other interviews with NOICE on the toothpaste revolution, Green Glamour on sustainable fashion or 8 Billion Minds on learning in the 21st century.