Craig Dubitsky’s Words of Wisdom
Accelerator Launch Event featuring Craig Dubitsky
Eos; Method; Popcorn, Indiana; Boots… If any of these awesome brands rings a bell, you have Craig Dubitsky to thank! Dubitsky, the Blank Center’s newest entrepreneur in residence, has been involved in several successful consumer product companies. His latest venture, Hello Products, was founded in August 2012. This “seriously friendly” oral care brand uses natural ingredients and boasts a completely cruelty-free supply chain.
Last week, Dubitsky spoke at the Butler Venture Accelerator’s launch event. After providing the audience with an abundance of toothpaste samples, he shared with the lessons he has gained throughout his entrepreneurial journey. At a young age, Dubisky learned the power of figuring out what people need before they realize it themselves, or what he calls “cultural currency.” He has fine-tuned the skill of recognizing holes in the market and turning them into opportunities. Throughout his time in high school and college, he created businesses that addressed student needs- from custom-made carpets in their rooms to late-night pizza seven days a week. He is also a firm believer that “everything can be made a lot cooler” and that people write their narratives through their belongings. Therefore, it is business’ responsibility to give people better products through which they can tell their stories.
Hello does just that. It replaces the traditional personal care marketing messages that are overly aggressive and have very few “personal” qualities. Rather than telling people they need to kill bacteria in their mouths using unnatural chemicals, why not take a friendlier approach? Although Hello works just as well as other toothpastes, it uses plant-derived ingredients. And no, “natural is not a trend” according to Dubitsky. Natural was the standard before businesses began to mass-produce goods. He wanted people to look forward to using his products, and using feel-good natural ingredients helped to make this happen.
A main takeaway of Dubtisky’s talk is that “you can’t outsource soul.” If you have an idea and feel passionately about it, you should be the one making it happen! For example, he writes the copy on Hello’s packaging. By doing so, he ensures that it is written in a way that friends would talk to each other, drawing customers in to the personal feel of the brand.
Another lesson he shared is that “there is no such thing as a boring category.” Especially in the United States, where we have limitless options for nearly every purchase we make, why should we settle for anything less than wonderful and exciting? This applies to any product you can think of because “everything can be made better and more beautiful.” Dubitsky found his passion for improving people’s experience with oral care companies. What industry will you make a difference in?