We're in Forbes - and honestly, it still feels a little surreal

So we recently had a great conversation with a woman named Esha Chhabra — an award-winning journalist and author who has spent over a decade covering development, the environment, and business. She's been published in the New York Times, The Economist, The Guardian, all the major publications, and her latest book, Working to Restore, has made her a leading voice on regenerative business — companies that don't just sustain a broken system, but actively work to repair it. 

She reached out to us because she sees KOOSHOO as a success. We've been selling plastic-free hair accessories for 14 years now — 16 years since we incorporated — and she was looking for success stories to show that triple bottom line businesses can scale and grow successfully.

Interlude: the behind-the-scenes is fun, but if time is tight, get straight to the article here.

I felt humbled, honoured — it was surreal, honestly, that she was pointing to us as an example. We've worked so hard for so long to build this, and we seldom stop to acknowledge it. Our validation comes through repeat customers, rave reviews, our incredible team and suppliers — but sometimes, a jolt like a full feature in Forbes really reminds you that what we're doing is working.

In this business we spend so much time on the day-to-day — deep in the trees, as Jesse puts it — so it's an acknowledgment like this from Esha, someone who has zoomed out to see the whole forest, that helps me take stock of what we've really created.

Because here's the truth: in a world that rewards profit and growth above all else, lasting triple bottom line businesses are far too rare given how important they are. A lot of green brands started around the same time we did, some 15 years ago. Many have since come and gone — some shut their doors, others sold to the very fast-fashion giants they set out to challenge. Adapting as much as we have over 16 years has been a challenging but rewarding journey, to say the least.

The idea for this business started in a conversation between Jesse and me back in 2009, when it was simply that — an idea. That business could do better at every single step. Where the farmers and the organic ingredients are being taken care of. The communities. The labour. The way our products are made. The shipping — plastic-free all the way to the end customer. And the customer actually having a higher quality, higher performance experience of the product.

And not only does that product perform great in its life — when it's time for it to go back to the earth, that full cycle has been considered, so it can biodegrade and return as cleanly as it was grown.

There's one line of Esha's I keep coming back to. She wrote that we now frame our plastic-free hair ties around "self-care rather than sacrifice." I love that. In the beginning, I was simply thinking made from nature — the best natural ingredients, knowing it would go back to nature. It was probably eight years in before the words "plastic-free" even came up. The truth is, we exist in a symbiotic relationship with our community — we listen to your needs, and in turn deliver products that truly meet them. The better we get to know you, the better we get at this. And like all humans over a 15-year span, we evolve — words resonate differently, needs shift, and our messaging and product focus evolve right along with them.

Because for a long time, eco products carried a bit of a guilt thing — this idea that if it's good for the planet, maybe the performance won't be as high for you, or that you have to think about the planet before you think about yourself. That's not the case. Now more than ever, it's important for people to truly care for themselves — their health, their wellbeing, their mental health — and small daily rituals like putting up your hair each morning are part of that. Doing it with a product that's covered in incredible karma, from the way it's grown to the way it's made, is not a sacrifice at all. It's an absolute pleasure. You indulge in yourself, and in doing so, you're taking care of the planet.

Reading Esha's article, I keep coming back to gratitude. This has always been a team effort — a team belief. Not just our small but passionate internal team, but so much more: the suppliers who believe in our vision, the press that champions what we're creating, and most importantly, the community that makes this all possible.

Because KOOSHOO has always been a vehicle for positive change in the world through small acts of conscious consumption — acts that affect people, planet, and your beautiful daily self-care rituals. And if you didn't share this dream, none of it would be a reality. It's like a singer: if no one is listening to the music, if no one shows up, there can't be a concert.

That's what a piece of press like this really is for me — a moment of reflection. Wow. There are other humans out there with a shared belief in the way they want to live this life. Whether you're brand new to KOOSHOO or you've been with us since day one in 2010, it proves that there are enough of us in the world who choose to see good, to see possibility, to see hope — and that triple bottom line businesses can not just survive but thrive when that belief is shared.

So a massive thank you — for seeing KOOSHOO, for believing, and for actively participating in our journey.

Enjoy the article — and if it resonates with you, please share it forward.

Read the full Forbes piece: "How This Hair Tie Brand Landed At Whole Foods Across The U.S."