W H AT I ’ V E L E A R N E D
Leave your comfort zone: Sarah Kauss Founder, CEO of S’well
2.
C H I L D H O O D
I D E A
I N S P I R A T I O N
Sarah Kauss founded S’well in 2010 after ten years as an accountant – a mid-career leap from running spreadsheets for startups to setting up her own business selling steel water bottles. Inspired by the idea of keeping plastic containers out of landfill, she self-funded S’well with just $30,000 (£22,000) in savings, bootstrapping her way to success. By 2016, the company’s revenue had topped $100 million (£74 million), and Kauss has gone from being the sole employee to managing a team of more than 100 people. Here, Kauss shares what she learned while creating a fast-growing firm – one in which she still retains a 100 per cent stake. Nicole Kobie
P E R S O N A L
G R O W T H
M E N T O R S
“In Arizona, hiking
“At the University of Colorado Boulder,
are entrepreneurs,
with my mum, I
students are issued a big mug, and you
made, not born.
I wasn’t confident
so I grew up
was in a reflective
pledge to try to not use foam cups or plastic
I’ve accepted more
enough to ask
around business.
mood. My mum
bottles. It’s fine in Colorado to use a bottle
imperfection than
mentors for help.
It got into my
asked me,
that looks like a camping accessory, but
the risk-averse
Now I realise
blood. I didn’t know
‘What would you
then at Harvard and New York and working
accountant inside
there are so many
I’d grow up to be an
do if you could
internationally, my bags, my shoes and my
me was born with.
formal and
entrepreneur, but
do anything?’
suit were getting nicer, but my water bottle
You can convince
informal networks
I don’t think that
It all just came
still looked like I was an undergraduate.”
yourself that
and opportunities
I was shocked
out of me at once:
you have the
for entrepreneurs
when I did start
I would create a
disposition to be
to learn from
my own business.”
better water
an entrepreneur,
each other. If only
even if it’s really
I could go back
“Both my parents
“Entrepreneurs are
R E S T A R T I N G
bottle that looked
F U N D S
“In the early days,
good and actually
“I was tired of accounting, but luckily, I’d
uncomfortable
and tell myself not
kept things cold.
worked with entrepreneurs, and my clients
to begin with.”
to hold it all in.”
It was that day the
were people, not companies. I was trying
idea was born.”
to understand, as a junior accountant, how I could become one of my clients.”
“There are benefits and challenges to self-funding.
K A U S S ’ S
M I L E S T O N E S
T A K I N G
R I S K S
J O U R N A L S
I didn’t want to be pushed on
1975
numbers until we
1993
had built the brand – but because I
1997
didn’t have the capital, I didn’t
2001
have the budget to
PHOTOGRAPHY: BENEDICT EVANS. ILLUSTRATION: SAM PEET
market the brand.
2010
So, up until now it’s really been
2011
word-of-mouth. There was something special
2013
about building a brand in an authentic way.
2016
Born in Florida Gets handed a reusable mug as an undergraduate Joins EY as a junior accountant Heads to Harvard to get an MBA Launches S’well, wins its first major customer O, The Oprah Magazine features S’well, inspiring a wider range of colours S’well included in TED Talk delegate gift bags S’ip bottle is launched and sold in Target stores
“Take yourself out of your
“A professor at
comfort zone with reckless
Harvard University
testing. Get a little closer to
convinced me to
the line, and you’ll realise
do this. My journal
you’re OK, so the next day you
covers five years
get a little closer again – until
on one page, so it
you realise there is no line.”
shows progress and helps me log the highs – and to realise that challenges aren’t insurmountable, as I’ve managed them in the past. It’s a little pep talk to my future self, and
It’s been fun to
<
helps me put one
grow slow and
Sarah Kauss, 42, who
foot in front of the
steady, and now be
self-funded and launched
other, even on days
fast and strong.”
S’well bottles in 2010
when it’s difficult.”