"Everything is made and edited hundreds of times while constantly being tested" with Isabel Aagaard
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Isabel Aagaard is a Co-founder and Designer at LastObject. Her mission is to create durable and well-designed products that are reusable. When she and her team discovered the harmful effects of single-use cotton swabs on the environment, they started working on a solution to fix it. In April 2019, they launched LastSwab, the first sanitary, reusable alternative to cotton swabs. LastObject newest product, LastTissue, aims to bring the handkerchief back and stop the waste caused by single-use tissues.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I have a master's degree from the Royal Academy of Design in Collaborative Design. Before that, I had my bachelor's in Digital Media and Design from IT University. I worked in the hospital segment for a few years designing everything from bags to hold chemotherapy for patients to take their treatments home to designing a maternity ward. I have always been very interested in waste reduction and sustainable design solutions. Everything that I have done throughout the years has in some way tapped into these interests.
What inspired you to start your business?
The idea for LastSwab came to us when we were researching which single-use items were the most harmful for our planet and the cotton swab was surprisingly quite high on this list.
We found that one of the biggest issues was that people didn’t discard them properly, mainly because they are so small. If flushed down the toilet, they often don’t get caught by filtration systems and are dumped directly into the ocean, and later end up in the stomachs of sea creatures. We felt that by solving this problem, we would create an impact on marine life as well as single-use pollution.
Where is your business based?
Copenhagen, Denmark
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
We prototype a lot. This is where all our products start. The product, the packaging, the content. Everything is made and edited hundreds of times while constantly being tested. We try to get our designs in our hands even though most of our work is on a computer. It’s really important for us not to sit on our ideas and think we know best.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
Kickstarter has been an amazing platform to create awareness. We believe that crowdfunding is not just about reaching your financial goal, it's a platform that can validate a product or save you from going the wrong way.
We find it valuable to validate our ideas through crowdfunding platforms. We work with the community to change and improve our ideas and outreach.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Crowdfunding is awesome, but it makes you vulnerable to copies. One difficulty we didn’t have in mind was all the copies that emerged immediately after launch; we struggled with that during and after the campaign. We were copied after three days and have used a lot of energy and time on protecting our design. We now have a really nice setup every time we launch new products with trademark and design registrations.
How do you stay focused?
I make lists and keep prioritizing what is most important. So I keep an overview and break down the things that need to be solved.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
We are creating reusable alternatives that are well designed and durable. The important thing for us is creating something that you will keep and use for ages, something that you will be proud of having. The longer you keep it and the more you use it the bigger of a difference it will make.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
To be transparent and listen to our community. Our backers have even helped us name our colors after endangered species due to ocean pollution.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Test your idea as much as possible. Prototype hundreds of versions, get feedback, change it, and test it again. It’s really important not to sit on your ideas and think you know best. And don’t be afraid to change things along the way.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
The 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferriss - For working smart and not overworking
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
SkedSocial - For organizing and posting your social media. It has a great visual overview of your Instagram profile look and can be integrated with Twitter and Facebook.
Who is your business role model? Why?
We are very fond of Elon Musk and his innovative designs. We find that his approach and a new way of looking at a problem has inspired us in so many ways.
What is your beauty routine? What are some of your favorite products?
I don’t have the big beauty routine as I don’t wear makeup often. I have little towels that I use for cleaning my face. Then I, of course, have my two swabs. I clean my ears and when I use mascara I have my beauty swab ready with a little cream. I use only organic and package free creams and soaps. My favorite facial cream is from Ethique, completely package-free and I keep it in a little jar.
How do you balance work and life?
They tend to blend into each other which is good and bad. The best balance that I have found is flexibility. Some periods there need to be room for work to be prioritized, which becomes early mornings and late nights. And some periods longer mornings and then work.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
Pinterest is my decompression. Finding new exciting creative projects to unfold or start creating a mood board for something else.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
In the next two months, we are focusing on new integrations and automation and we are getting ready to launch our third product. I’m also having my first child in June, so I think the following 4 months will be pretty set on him. And then I'll probably have a different answer to how I balance work and life.
How can our readers connect with you?
Follow us on Instagram at @lastswab and on Twitter @lastswab.