562: Emma Rose Cohen | Making Sexy Straws and Forks

We’ve all heard of the impact that plastic has on the environment, and while most of us are concerned, few jump into action. Emma Rose Cohen is one such person who spends 98% of my time obsessing over single-use plastic waste and trying to figure out how to eliminate it from our daily lives.

Emma is the CEO and Founder of the Final Straw, where her passion for sustainability met radical action by creating innovative and fun alternatives to single-use plastics. She launched Final’s first product, FinalStraw, on Kickstarter with a goal of raising $12,500. In a matter of weeks, the campaign raised $1.89 million and later went on to be featured on ABC’s Shark Tank. 

Let’s get right into Emma’s story and learn how making sexy straws and forks led her to world-renowned success while fueling her purpose with passion.

Things you will learn in this episode: 
[00:01 - 05:59] Opening Segment 

Sponsored ad  

I introduce today’s guests Emma Rose Cohen

Final Straw

Master from Harvard in sustainability

Be sure to check out guestio.com and start booking

Emma gives us some background

High energy as a child 

Entrepreneurial from a young age 

School life 

From partier to pragmatic 

[06:00 - 17:23] Instant Kickstarter Success

Emma shares about her time at Harvard

Mentorship that led there

The applicability of a Masters program

Growing passion for sustainability 

Humans are the only creatures that create unnatural waste 

Figuring out what to do next 

Miserable at the lab

Skiing as a passion 

Timing, luck, and hard work

Emma talks about the tactics around building the business

Starting on Kickstarter

Test marketing with people first

Building a pre-campaign strategy

Early prototypes

Working with friends to create a product

The instant success 

The experience 

The moment people say yes

A word from our sponsor

[17:24 - 23:02] Making Sexy Straw and Forks

Emma shares the growth since finding success

Grateful for every sale, but not motivated by money

Doing something innovative 

New products

Biggie Straw

Literally, suck anything!

Sustainability can be a fun thing

Agents of change 

Releasing the sexy fork and spork

Moving beyond the straw

Small steps towards a huge win

The various experiences that go into it

[23:03 - 29:07] Closing Segment

Who you know or What you know? 

Not mutually exclusive

It’s impossible to be successful in business without connections

You can learn more from others 

ThE RaNdOm RoUnd

How to engage with Emma

Links below

Final words 

Tweetable Quotes: 
“Humans are the only creatures in the world that create waste, and I think really, it’s just fundamentally a design flaw in both the systems and the products we’re creating.” - Emma Rose Cohen

“To have an idea and be excited about it is one thing, but to have the world say YES… it’s like the most beautiful feeling.” - Emma Rose Cohen

“Sustainability can be a sexy, fun, sparkly party - and that’s gonna bring a lot more eyeballs than the kind of traditional ‘Sarah McLachlan Peta’ vibe.” - Emma Rose Cohen

Resources Mentioned:

The Aligned Podcast

The Surrender Experiment

Connect with Emma on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Be sure to visit https://final.co/ to learn even more.

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