Behind Her Empire: LOLA Co-Founder Alex Friedman on Building a Better Tampon

On this week's episode of the Behind Her Empire podcast, meet Alex Friedman, the co-founder of feminine care brand LOLA.

LOLA was created to address the need for more transparency in women's health. It was begun as a passion product to understand whether women would be interested in a tampon product made from healthier ingredients. Wince then, it has grown to create its own feminine care items free from harmful chemicals.

As Friedman and her partner began building LOLA, they realized that what was lacking was a comprehensive understanding of women's health.

"Nobody had any idea what we were talking about," Friedman says. "Ninety-five percent of the people we were meeting with were men. And they didn't have any personal understanding of or empathy for a woman's reproductive experience and had never seen or touched a tampon."

Friedman and her partner were able to "lean into" the knowledge gap, something she says created "warm friendships and relationships" and was "fun and productive."

Friedman started her career at a private equity consulting firm after graduating from Dartmouth. She later attended the Wharton School of Business, and went on to work as an investment consultant and analyst.

She shares how she was able to overcome her fears to take the leap into entrepreneurship — and what other entrepreneurs should keep in mind.

"It's important for founders to be thinking about the problem that they're trying to solve — rather than the company that they want to form — and focus on solving that problem," Friedman says.."Because if it's a real problem, and you solve it correctly, you will have success."

Friedman discusses how motherhood has made her a better communicator, the high value she places on mentorship, her tips for fundraising and how to overcome doubts around business ideas.

Alex Friedman is the co-founder of LOLA.

"I have very little kids, and so I have to communicate very clearly and simply all the time. And I think that actually is a positive for a business leader. Right, as I have just be able to very clearly and quickly articulate expectations. And I have found that that's a positive for me, too."

Want to hear more of the Behind Her Empire podcast? Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts.

dot.LA Engagement Intern Colleen Tufts contributed to this post.