The Pioneer interview with...Martha Silcott
Martha Silcott is the inventor and CEO of a company called FabLittleBag. Martha left the corporate world behind to create a revolutionary product with customers in mind. FabLittleBag is changing the world with a patented disposal bag for period products. Flushing tampons and pads causes pollution of our rivers, oceans and beaches, and blockages, so Martha and FabLittleBag are on a mission to convert flushers in binners. FabLittleBag makes the binning process a feel good, hygienic, confident experience.
What does pioneering on behalf of customers mean to you?
In the case of FabLittleBag specifically, I was the customer and in a very awkward position never quite knowing what to do with used period products, both in terms of saving my embarrassment and not damaging the planet. I realised there must be others like me, which proved to be the case, and given that the the typical response to the product is ‘why has this not been around forever?’ It shows that sometimes customers need to be led to a solution. It’s that provision of a solution where one didn’t exist, that customers didn’t even know they needed. That’s what I would consider pioneering.
What qualities does it take to be a customer pioneer?
I think you have to have plenty of empathy, I probably have a bit too much! You have to be bugged by something to the extent that you have to take action. I could have said, ‘oh that’s really annoying, there should be a solution for that’ then done nothing. That’s what most normal people do and they will probably have a less stressful life because of it. I think the combination of a passion to solve the problem, combined with positivity and a dose of naivety is key. I think if I knew what I was getting into (I knew nothing, I didn’t know how manufacturing was going to work or branding or anything) I might not have gone ahead with it.
How do you stay connected to your customers?
I would love to do a lot more organised orchestrated engagement, however, I meet women all the time: socially, work wise, casually, formally, so I’m always researching every single day just with women I meet. Despite progress, periods remain a taboo subject so I take every chance I can to listen but also to help people feel at ease with the topic in the hope they not only take away something useful from the conversation but that they might also feel more comfortable to speak to a mother, daughter, sister, or friend about it too. I’m the inventor of a product but my mission is much bigger. Listening is also key. For example I’ve launched a much larger version of FabLittleBag called HygeeniBag all because a customer wrote to me saying “you’ve changed my life with FabLittleBag, I have to self-catheterise 5 times a day, they’re a bit small I wish they were a bit bigger”. I contacted her and had a coffee and she also educated me about ostomy bags and so I researched the companies that make them and then wanted to help the people that were left to deal with disposal of used products without a dignified solution. Again, empathy, naivety and positivity have got me through the last 3 years of launching that disposal solution.
Are there any customer pioneers you particularly admire?
People like Ocado who are putting customer desire for choice and ease of shopping front and centre, all of their drivers are nice people, and you get a great experience. I think there’s a lot of room for companies to really personalise the experience, First Direct do it well, I know I can phone them up and within a minute or two (if not instantly) I can speak to a person. That’s so lost with businesses these days and I don’t think you’ll find anyone who doesn’t want that back. Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop, which was a prominent shop in my teenage life, she was so ahead of her time, so brave, principled and determined, I admire her a lot.
What advice do you have for someone struggling to balance customer needs and sustainability goals?
Understand you’re only part of a bigger picture. My position is very much to be supportive in the management of periods. I think for younger generations it’s important for me as a brand to be holistic in the education, non-judgemental, it is a very personal experience and the last thing this world needs is women judging other women on how they manage their periods! I think that it’s important to keep communicating and talking about this particular topic because it remains a taboo subject in 2022 which is madness. In a perfect world everybody would be moon cupping, but we’re not going to get to this perfect world where every single woman is doing that, at least now there are many more choices for women.
Prioritise carrots over sticks. People don’t like being told off, and this is where I think that water companies have clearly failed, for 40 years they’ve all had campaigns to say 'bag and bin it', a finger wagging exercise with no solution. What you need to do it educate, provide them with the reality that it causes a problem and then give a solution; "Don’t do it, here’s why, and here’s a solution” is much more effective at changing people's behaviour. It’s fine to say don’t do it if it’s not the only thing you say, give them an incentive either financial or experiential people want to ‘be good’ and do the right thing, make it easy for them to do so...
I think you must stay true to the ethos of your brand even if it means it’s going to be slower to get the customers on board. In some situations customers need a lot of handholding and so it’s a slower journey, other brands can go the bold and controversial from the outset attracting the early adopters and hope to bring along everyone else.
Understand that timing is everything, when I first launched FabLittleBag no one was talking about periods in the UK but now everyone’s talking about it and its fantastic. The timing is better for FabLittleBag now than ever. It was fine to be going slowly because no one was ready, now I’m everywhere, oil rigs, cruise ships, gyms, sports clubs. It’s come a long way in such a short period. Excuse the pun!