Ep 266 | Joanna Griffiths

Written By Yasmin Nouri

How This Founder Overcame Doubts & Made History With a $320 Million Dollar Exit

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Joanna Griffiths is the Founder and President of Knix, the innovative direct-to-consumer intimates and apparel brand.

The idea for Knix started after she had a conversation with her mom about what women’s bodies undergo as they age especially when it came to post-pregnancy leaks. After doing research on her end and speaking to more women, she realized there was a massive gap in the market. So in 2013, she launched a Kickstarter campaign that placed Knix on the map not only for its intimates but for talking openly about the reality of women’s bodies. 

A decade later, the womenswear brand has expanded into a variety of categories, including bras, activewear, shapewear, swim, loungewear, and more. Joanna has built Knix into one of the fastest-growing intimate apparel brands globally. In 2022, Joanna decided to sell 80% of her business for $320 million, making it one of the largest exits by a female founder in Canada and one of the most significant sales of a brand by a female founder in US history. 

In this week’s episode, Joanna talks to us about her incredible journey building Knix, what she learned in her career in media & entertainment, and how it actually helped her disrupt the intimates industry despite having no background. She shares how she pivoted early on from wholesale even though they were doing incredibly well, how they ended up launching as a direct-to-consumer company, and why it was one of the boldest decisions she made. Joanna also opens up about how she dealt with depression even when she had major success with the brand, and the steps she took to manage this difficult time. We talk about how she dealt with difficult investors who didn’t believe she could run a high-growth company being a mom of three, what she did to prove those naysayers wrong, and so much more.  

Show Notes:

  • Being vulnerable and open on social media. [02:55]

  • The reality in entrepreneurship. [04:56]

  • Joanna’s coping mechanisms as a founder. [08:31]

  • Dealing with personal judgements. [10:57]

  • Creating momentum in the early stages. [12:59]

  • Working in a record label, getting an MBA, and shifting passions. [16:23]

  • The genesis of the Knix idea. [18:12]

  • Early stages of testing the first product. [19:50]

  • The manufacturing processes. [22:48]

  • Launching Knix on Kickstarter. [25:16]

  • Challenges faced during the early stages. [29:17]

  • The onset of Joanna’s depression despite the business doing well. [32:12]

  • Joanna’s resilience amid challenges. [36:26]

  • Joanna’s fundraising journey. [39:05]

  • How she builds her confidence and manages negativity. [45:03]

  • Joanna’s behind-the-scenes in managing her business and motherhood. [46:21]

  • Selling the company and buying a house for their nanny. [48:11]

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Ep 267 | Dr. Mary Claire Haver
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Ep 265 | Jamie O’Banion