January 19, 2021
In 2010, a pregnant Jaime Schmidt was inspired to start developing an all-natural deodorant with transparent ingredient labeling. Her kitchen-built formula quickly became a global product line carried in more than 30 countries. The Schmidt’s brand is carried by retailers that include Whole Foods, Walmart, CVS, and Costco. In 2017, Schmidt sold the business to Unilever. In 2020, her book
Supermakerrecounted her journey, alongside lessons about marketing, product development, customer relations, and partnerships.
Today, Schmidt and her husband, Chris Cantino, run Color, a venture capital fund that focuses on early-stage consumer product companies and prioritizes founders who are women and/or people of color. Schmidt recently spoke with Quartz about the prospects for entrepreneurs in the middle of a pandemic, the value of bootstrapping a small business, and why not every company needs a higher purpose to fulfill a mission. This transcript has been lightly edited f