By Swain Thorne
Miki Agrawal is a creative and energetic entrepreneur who has created best-selling products and books on topics people do not always like to discuss in polite company. Her hard-charging style has brought her a lot of success since she decided to leave her steady career as an investment analyst for the unknown world of entrepreneurship. However, she admits that she sometimes drove herself so hard that it affected her health.
If Miki Agrawal could go back in time, she would tell her younger self to listen to her body. She states that she knew her body was giving her signs that she needed to slow down, but she chose to ignore them. She feels that she has since learned how to balance the burning desire to make the world a better place with the reality that she needs to slow down, rest, and recover from time to time.
Miki Agrawal Had to Believe in Her Own Products When Few Investors Would
As a woman, Agrawal knew that menstruation could be an embarrassing time of the month for women due to the potential of leaks and stains. She decided to do something about it by making underwear that women use only during their cycles. The underwear is far more absorbent than the typical pair, making it easy to disguise menstruation entirely.
Agrawal also experienced hyperthyroidism, a hormonal condition that causes overactive bowels among many other symptoms. She found herself running to the bathroom about eight times a time to empty her bowels and then never really felt clean afterward. Toilet paper and even moistened personal wipes could not do the job. She developed a host of problems, including uncomfortable rashes and hemorrhoids.
Just as she had with her period underwear, Miki Agrawal knew that she could offer a better solution for people in her situation. She began using a bidet on her toilet and noticed a big difference immediately. Not only did she feel clean, but she did not have any uncomfortable effects from having to wipe her backside so much. She knew that many other countries already used bidets and wanted to see the product become mainstream in the United States.
Lenders and angel investors did not feel nearly as enthused about Agrawal’s new products as she did. They said neither product would catch on in America. Because of this, it took her much longer to raise capital to develop and launch the products than she expected. She did not give up and today both the specialty underwear and American bidets are as popular as she knew they could be.
Miki Agrawal Focuses on One Customer at a Time to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed
Miki Agrawal spends much of her time looking at the big picture and formulating ideas for new products and opportunities. Despite this, she understands at a deep level to focus on one customer at a time to ensure they are delighted with their purchase. People like feeling special and giving them undivided attention can turn them into customers for life.
