The Interview —

Liz Eichholz and Lindsey Johnson, Liz Eichholz: Creative Director of Weezie & Lindsey Johnson: CEO of Weezie

Liz: I started my career on the in-house creative team at UncommonGoods.com, and moved on to become Creative Director at BDG Media (Bustle.com and Romper.com). While at UncommonGoods, I launched my first company, Tempe Rowe, which sold embroidered silk sleep masks.

Lindsey: Before launching Weezie, I worked in a variety of finance roles at Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, and, most recently, a hedge fund. Along the way, I became fascinated by early-stage consumer business and began angel investing in the space. I went to Columbia Business School with the plan of going into Venture Capital before Liz approached me with the idea for Weezie. 

Liz: The idea for Weezie came to me while buying towels off my wedding registry. I had just moved from a tiny New York apartment to a new house in Savannah and was so excited for a linen refresh! However, my initial excitement quickly faded to frustration. I was overwhelmed by the countless options, confusing jargon, and archaic, offline purchase experience. I shared my experience with my friend Lindsey Johnson, only to find that she did not love her towels either. The more people we talked to, the more we realized how widely shared our feelings were, so we sought out to bring the perfect towel to market.

Liz & Lindsey: Before launching the business, we surveyed thousands of consumers and found that when it comes to towels, they primarily care about three things: softness, absorbency, and aesthetics. Too often, one of these qualities comes at the expense of the others—soft towels are not absorbent, and vice versa. In developing the Weezie towel, we leveraged a patented spinning technology that spins air into each and every fiber for the optimal balance of softness and absorbency. We were equally thoughtful about aesthetics and design: rounding the corners, adding a drying hook, and offering endless customization options.

Liz & Lindsey: The biggest challenge has been learning to accept uncertainty and embrace the unknown—easier said than done in start-up life! As planners by nature, we’ve had to learn to roll with the punches and accept things as they come.

Lindsey: Each day is so different from the next! A morning might be spent meeting with our Customer Experience Manager, reviewing customer service tickets from the previous evening and chatting through customer feedback. I may then meet with our VP of Operations for an update on our embroidery pipeline and warehouse staffing plan, and check in on Performance Marketing stats before turning to inventory analysis and forecasting in the afternoon. The next day, I might be in New York meeting with an editor, manufacturing partner, or grabbing coffee with another founder.

Liz: Similar to Lindsey, no two days are the same, though mornings and early evenings are typically reserved for time with my two-year-old daughter. I usually get into our Savannah office around 9 a.m. and spend the day leading all things creative. You can find me meeting with our Product Designer to review plans for an upcoming launch, looking over our content calendar with our Social Media team, and overseeing email and blog content with our designers. My job is an ideal blend of both long-term strategic and tactical work, which I love!

Liz & Lindsey: Weezie is a modern nickname for the more traditional name, Louise (a family name for both of us!). Think of Weezie as the new age hostess—thoughtful but laid back at the same time. She is your friend whose door (and wine fridge) is always open. Weezie is also a nod to the word “easy”—shopping for towels shouldn’t be a headache!

Liz & Lindsey: SO fun! We have known each other for over a decade and understood each other’s strengths (and weaknesses!) before starting Weezie. We’re also fortunate to have complementary skill sets: Liz is the creative, and Lindsey is the numbers gal. Our responsibilities align accordingly (Liz oversees areas such as Brand, Social Media, and Physical Product, and  Lindsey leads all things Finance, Operations, and Customer Experience, among others). 

Liz & Lindsey: Avoid the naysayers! We were surprised at how much negative feedback we received when first starting the process of launching Weezie. Everyone will feel qualified to give feedback on an idea—remember that they don't know your brand or your vision the way you do! Our advice is to do your research—arm yourself with data, and once you have convinced yourself to go for it, don’t turn back.

Liz: We’ve seen so many creative ideas from our customers in our River and Tybee styles! For a touch of fun in my powder room, I have the words "Dry Off" in our River Embroidery style on our Light Blue Hand Towels.

Lindsey: Throughout my pregnancy, I have been living in our Long Robe! I have it in White Piping with my initials in Green Tybee embroidery.

Liz & Lindsey: We’re so excited to bring even more moments of everyday delight to our customers, from in-person events to new product launches and collaborations. Be sure to follow @weezietowels to be the first to know more as soon as we’re ready to share!