We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cathy Paraggio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cathy, thanks for joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

Several years ago, a customer reached out to me saying that while our products were soft and comfortable, they still proved irritating to their son with autism. When I became aware of the extreme texture sensitivity common in those with autism, I realized what an impact our clothing could have it was specifically designed with these people in mind. A huge part of our mission is to make those with this extreme texture sensitivity happier and more comfortable in their day-to-day lives.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My background is in computer science; I spent most of my career designing and installing global networks. After a cancer diagnosis, I was forced to leave corporate and found out I was an artist. I was doing residential stained glass commissions for years, until a group of neighborhood women approached me to start a swimwear business. Not only was it aiming to solve a genuine problem, but it was the perfect marriage of my technical and artist skills. After assuming sole ownership of the company and bringing in my teenage son, we expanded our mission towards designing sustainable problem-solving clothing as well as partnering with reforestation and plastic reclamation groups.

NoNetz clothing prevents skin rashes, lowers body temperature, and as a result, makes life better. By replacing the mesh net brief found in most swim trunks with a water resistant anti-chafe liner, our bathing suits prevent the inner thigh rash that ruins summer fun. Our anti-chafe rash guards, made from reclaimed fishing nets, are also water resistant and feature a skin safe zipper to ensure fit control and total comfort.
Aside from swimwear, our polos employ soft temperature-managing fabric that constantly maintains a cool and refreshing skin temperature.
The goal of each NoNetz design is to ensure total comfort for any and all of your adventures.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

In June of 2021, at the height of the summer season, we ran out of inventory. COVID had shut down manufacturing, a problem that was endured by most businesses. We had to float the company for six months on no inventory, resulting in low morale and employee layoffs. In order to maintain our overhead, we had to acquire a significant amount of debt. Even then, once we could get inventory made, it was impossible to ship. We were stuck.

It was at this time that we rethought our supply chain to include fabrics made from recycled materials, which led us to diversify our product line from solely swimwear to problem-solving activewear. In Q1 of 2022, we were finally able to receive inventory again, and have been working our way back to profitability ever since.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing our clientele has been the concierge level of customer service that we continue to provide. All emails are answered within 24 hours. If you forgot your NoNetz on vacation, we’ll ship them to you. Any defects will be replaced ASAP. Need your NoNetz tailored for a perfect fit? Take it to your local tailor, and we will reimburse you up to $20 of the tailoring cost. All of this extreme customer service has led to more word of mouth recommendations, and in turn, has built a loyal brand following that we are very thankful for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nonetz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonetzsuits/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoNetzSuits/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-paraggio-unstoppable/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/nonetzsuits
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVMmgrGZd6jybZGeywqgSw