We recently connected with Ali Wigart and have shared our conversation below.

Ali, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

A few years back I went on a hiking trip with my mom to central Mexico. We packed lightly in carry-ons but upon checking in were informed that even the smallest suitcases had to get checked on the small passenger plane. You guessed it, our luggage didn’t make it. Upon worrying about how we’d get underwear, my mom pulls out a crumpled up lace thong in a plastic ziplock bag from her purse. LIGHTBULB.

How many times had I needed a freshy in my womanhood? Countless breakthrough bleeds, stains, long sweaty walks to work, college game days turned nights, red eye flights, future postpartum incontinence, the list goes on and on. Why are we so accustomed to just “sitting in it”? The more I read into it, the more I learned that it’s unhealthy and sometimes destructive to your flora to not swap them out for a clean pair. If you lead an active lifestyle, OB’s recommend you change your undies at least once a day.

As a career apparel designer, I had always dreamt of launching my own product. I had the experience, contacts and graphic skills to get the product and brand off the ground. All I had to do now was take it to market… and give birth to my second, with a toddler at home in the middle of a pandemic.

Ali, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I love that I work in a field where I can make ideas become tangible goods. It’s such a gratifying feeling seeing a product through completion and then enjoyed by others. Starting a soft goods/CPG company has been challenging on so many levels but having the previous experience in design and product development has definitely given me an edge over others who started their brands without speaking that language. (It’s also been a big cost savings being able to do so much myself!)

Thus far, I am the most proud of some of the larger accounts I have landed (macys.com!) and am in opening discussions with. Wholesale is a tough business but is where my product needs to sit so having stamina and patience has paid off.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Because I work alone with no full-time employees just yet, I began to feel quite insular and found myself second guessing important decisions. The advice I get from my husband and friends is truly helpful and insightful but it also comes with the biases of them knowing me and how I work. I began forcing myself to attend as many networking events and opportunities as I could allow in my schedule. Whether it’s a women’s entrepreneurial dinner, a morning CPG coffee mixer or an ecommerce conference at an airport hotel, I always find that I leave having made meaningful connections, learning valuable industry insight and even inspired. The working relationships I have formed because of these outings have been absolutely invaluable to my growth as a business owner in my field. And I also get so much enjoyment out of learning about other’s roles and how I can consult them as well. The most beneficial resource to have come out of networking so far has been onboarding my first (pro-bono!) board member and a woman who is really becoming quite a mentor to me. I’m so excited to see where we can take the brand together.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I had the idea for Bonks many years ago on the famed trip with my mom but it was a slow road to where it is today. I was too nervous about launching this company on my own so I asked a college friend if she shared the interest in the brand and we got started on the early phases of the company together while we were both fully employed in different industries. Soon, we both became pregnant with our first kids, she moved across the country and Bonks took a back burner. Then the pandemic hit and everything really got flipped upside down. Although she was beginning to lose commitment, I was feeling even more energized to take the brand to the next level. We parted ways and I pivoted my career to building Bonks in to a scaleable business. It was a risk back then and it still has been a bit of a risk today! I’ve supplemented with taking on freelance gigs but at the end of the day, Bonks has been my career defining moment and the best is yet to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.buybonks.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/officialbonks
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialbonks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-wigart-6a327a17/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/officialbonks
• Other: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A7141123011%2Cp_4%3ABonks&ref=bl_sl_s_ap_web_7141123011 Thingtesting: https://thingtesting.com/brands/bonks/reviews

Image Credits
Daisy Rast