Crystal Etienne is on a mission to ensure men, women, and girls can #doanything in comfort, confidence, and courage. She is the founder of PantyProp, an American-made e-commerce fashion forward hygiene brand that offers a comprehensive collection of 30 unique items, including activewear, swimwear, sleepwear, and underwear. The collection reinvents how men, women, boys and girls navigate puberty and life’s other pesky leaks.
PantyProp includes patent-pending organic cotton technology that is absorbent, chemical-free, and antimicrobial. The expanding line of fashion products are manufactured with love in America from the highest quality local artisans who receive a fair wage.
Crystal and PantyProp have been featured in People, Seventeen, Bustle, Cosmopolitan, Hello Giggles, Business Insider, Racked, SheKnows, TeenVogue, Refinery29, Allure, Daily Mail, and SELF Magazine.
Crystal lives with her family in New York.
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
I started PantyProp after so many years of wearing sanitary pads that fail and are uncomfortable (so annoying)!
In my twenties, I gave birth to my daughter. One day out of the blue, I noticed I would laugh or cough and had no control over life’s pesky leaks. At first I felt embarrassed, but I couldn’t find a solution on the market.
As my daughter was growing up, she got nervous to go to swim meets on her period. I couldn’t bare the idea of her feeling ashamed or awkward. I wanted her to know she could do anything with confidence!
I wanted a safe, reliable, and comfortable solution for life’s pesky leaks.
Tell us about your business.
PantyProp is a Healthleisure brand of hygiene care products that you wear. It bridges the gap between health, hygiene, and comfort and provides a safe way to deal with our natural body functions.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
Yes, we currently have PantyProp surprise bucks; “SURPRISE” is the promo code. There is no minimum order, and it provides a surprise discount amount each time it is used. It cannot be combined with any other codes.
Where is your business based?
Our business is based in New York City.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
- Executed the idea by creating the first prototype.
- Filed the patent to protect the utility and functionality
- Became my own customer to build a product for women.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
We have been very successful with providing useful and real information for people when they need it most. People have a problem, and they just want a solution. We did a lot of research to problem-solve.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
I realized years ago that not everyone or everything is pleasable, so focusing on the things that are positive is the best motivation.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
When trying to solve a solution for people it was very important to have a product that was affordable, so we have kept our prices very low cost for the buyer to afford.
What is the best advice you have received recently?
Ambition is nothing without execution.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Everything has a solution, but not everything should be solved.
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
I am learning everyday that some things can wait.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
In the next few months, we will be rolling out our wholesale and distribution division. We currently ship to every country via pantyprop.com—but we get so many people who need our products the same day and just want to go and buy it, so we will be choosing the right distribution channels to get the items to our customers much more quickly.
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Instagram @pantyprop
Twitter @pantyprop
Facebook @pantyprop
Website www.pantyprop.com
Email support@pantyprop.com