New fully compostable cleaning product, Planet Pods, is making big waves in the world of eco-friendly consumer products. It was founded by Emilie Scott (under the parent company Energy Green Brands) who is driven to change how consumer products are sourced, packaged, shipped, and reused or composted. “We aren’t going to reprogram consumerism, and we shouldn’t have to trade-off convenience or cost to use sustainable products,” Scott says. This new cleaning solution gives consumers the ingredients that would otherwise be added to a pre-water filled spray bottle.
Additionally, the brand actively works to remove to alleviate plastic and chemical pollution with these products in addition to proceeds that are donated to climate change relief and prevention with each purchase. We chat to Emilie to find out a bit more about how she got started and what tools she uses to help grow her business.
Who are you and what brand did you start?
Hi, I’m Emilie Scott - founder of Planet Pods. We’re a mission-focused brand that creates plastic-free, non-toxic cleaning products to alleviate plastic and chemical pollution that is a real and serious threat to environmental and human health.
In 2019, we launched Planet Pods, our all-purpose, compostable cleaning product. Our target audience primarily lies within 25-34 year olds who care about sustainability and health, though we’re growing quickly across younger and older demographics alike.
How did you come up with the idea, brand name and logo for Planet Pods?
My parents are entrepreneurs in the environmental technology field and by working closely with them, I became aware of the dire circumstances we face as a society as a result of irresponsibly disposed chemicals (plastic, chlorine bleach, petroleum, etc.).
I noticed the lack of options for non-plastic cleaners without hazardous chemicals and I became frustrated that my only options to clean more sustainably were expensive and time consuming. I care a lot about sustainability and saving time, and I believe many others care about those two things as well.
The name Energy comes from what I believe to be my greatest strength; unrelenting and uplifting energy, I want to employ that strength in all our products.
The logo merges the traditional look of household cleaning brands while leveling up to a more modern and sleek perspective.
Take us through the early stages of Planet Pods brand journey
I mentioned the idea to my dad as a recommendation for capabilities to add to his environmental company. He wasn’t interested in pursuing the idea but I felt so strongly about this type of product coming to market, so I decided to do it myself.
It took 35 days from conception to launch; another embodiment of our out-of-this-world energy. Many friends and family members supported us in purchasing the product.
To promote the company, we started an IG page to test what kinds of content would work and who our target audience would ultimately be. We also wrote blogs, ran Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook ads, and partnered with a few influential voices on social to share with friends.
Since launch, what has worked best to attract and retain customers?
We do everything differently from our competitors. Coming from a digital marketing background, we backed out of what’s best for both the consumer and environment to create a fully optimized, no waste product. We use this first fundamentals perspective in all our business practices - we believe we can do it better by asking how can we can do things more efficiently, what things can we make easier, how do we cut down on waste, and how do we alleviate these consumer tensions?
How is the business doing today and what does the future look like?
In a nutshell:
- We started the company within 35 days of concepting.
- We implemented plans to expand to the UK close after launch.
- We intend to continue scaling and bringing zero waste cleaning to the masses, whether that’s through the support of an eventual acquisition or as a private company.
What’s been the biggest learning experience since starting your own brand?
Question everything. Whether it’s thinking about what consumers want or if something can be done better or more effectively, or why we should include a certain ingredient.
What marketing tools do you use to promote Planet Pods?
We mainly use social media.
*Find full list of tools/platforms at the bottom of the page.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts or other educational resources?
Audible (I listen to 2-3 books a week on average). Some good reads include The Big Nine, Never Split the Difference, Uninhabitable Earth (incredibly meaningful for understanding the consequences of climate change), Bad Blood, The Four.
Podcasts - eMarketer Podcast (SO important for marketers).
Educational resources - blogs, social media (IG and Reddit specifically).
Who have been the most influential people for you during this business journey?
Children have had the most influence on me throughout this journey. To clear my head, I go for walks in my neighborhood. I walk by a school and think of all the kids who fill that school everyday. Then I think about the world that they will grow up in, and can’t help but feel uneased by the idea of the world that we’re creating for future generations. This has been the single most motivating factor.
After that, I have a long list of career mentors that I could not have done this without. I’ll save the special mentions - they know who they are.
'Question everything to make sure you're doing it the right way.'Click To TweetAny advice you’d like to share for other aspiring entrepreneurs?
If you believe in something that’s unquestionable to you, do it. Don’t scare yourself out of making the leap.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now or open to new investors?
I’m open to both.
Where can we go to learn more about your current offers/promotions/programs?
Online Business Tools that Planet Pods uses:
| Type | Tool Name |
|---|---|
| Analytics | Google Analytics, Shopify |
| Shipping | Shopify |
| Accounting | QuickBooks |
| Payments | Shopify, Square |
| Sales | Shopify |
| Customer Service | Shopify |
| Design | Adobe |
| CRM | Shopify |
