By Exec Edge Editorial Staff
Launching a new business in an established industry presents significant challenges. For serial entrepreneur Miki Agrawal, making inroads into the United States’ long-established toilet paper industry was a major undertaking. For perspective, this widely used bathroom staple had not seen much innovation since it was first introduced in the mid-19thcentury.
However, Miki Agrawal was determined to change that. She had long been dissatisfied with toilet paper’s ineffectiveness and link to several medical conditions. She was also concerned about the material’s negative environmental impacts, as toilet paper production required wood pulp from millions of trees.
To address these deficiencies and offer an alternative bathroom hygiene product, Agrawal led the development of the TUSHY bidet toilet attachment in 2015. After several years of steady growth, the TUSHY team celebrated several major milestones in 2021. As TUSHY’s Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Miki Agrawal continues to lead this dynamic development and marketing team.
TUSHY Reshapes the American Bathroom
Focusing on both aesthetics and functionality, Miki Agrawal premiered the first TUSHY product in 2015. This streamlined bidet attachment easily clips onto the user’s toilet, and the device only requires one pint of water per use. Each TUSHY user also enjoys cost savings resulting from reduced toilet paper use.
As sometimes occurs with a groundbreaking product, TUSHY’s introduction brought its share of skepticism. Aware that some observers did not fully understand how TUSHY works, Miki Agrawal allayed concerns by emphasizing the bidet attachment’s water source. Specifically, she explained that TUSHY operates with clean water pumped from the wall, not water recycled from the toilet tank or bowl.
TP Shortages Spur Higher TUSHY Sales
Following several years of steady growth, TUSHY product sales began to surge during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. When news first spread of toilet paper shortages in March 2020, TUSHY sales increased by 10X. This innovative product scored its first (and not last) million-dollar day (and this was on top of the brand already selling well over double what it sold in 2019!).
Today, TUSHY bidet sales are 5X higher than they were before the pandemic. TUSHY has cleaned approximately two million butts and saved roughly two million trees. Finally, TUSHY’s partnership with Samagra has helped 60,000 families gain access to clean toilets in India.
Miki Agrawal is understandably excited about TUSHY’s increasingly wide market acceptance. She is also pleased about the product’s benefits to the environment. “It’s a no-brainer,” she declares. “I love love love being able to question something and then provide a tangible solution to solve for it.”
Expanding the TUSHY Footprint
Not content to rest on its laurels, TUSHY has grown its team by 2.5X to enable further expansion. The Company has also invested in R&D to innovate with its first-ever electric bidet seat, the TUSHY Ace. Finally, the TUSHY 3.0 Classic & Spa have received a redesign.
Next, the Company recently introduced new thoughtful, sustainable bathroom products. TUSHY also changed bathrooms forever with the full TUSHY System. This coordinated collection includes everything needed to turn the restroom into the best room.
TUSHY Ace Launch
After intensive market research, TUSHY further streamlined the bathroom experience with its TUSHY Ace launch. The brand introduced its first-ever electric bidet seat in 2021. Miki Agrawal explains the sleek-looking TUSHY’s appeal.
“We learned through extensive market research that the most important features people want are a heated seat, warm water, and a blow dryer for the bottom so that they can go tree-free and toilet paper-free forever! Anything else is too much so we kept it simple and effective. We also learned that people find most existing bidet seat remote controls to be confusing, so we made ours not only the most aesthetically pleasing, but also the most user-friendly,” Agrawal concludes.
TUSHY’s Retail Debut
Achieving widespread retail distribution helps to catapult a brand to the next level. In November 2021, TUSHY accomplished that goal by announcing that Walmart stores nationwide now carry the TUSHY Classic 2.0. This notable partnership marks TUSHY’s first entry into brick-and-mortar distribution channels.
Customers can now purchase the TUSHY Classic 2.0 at Walmart (NYSE: WMT) stores across the United States. TUSHY’s 10-minute installation does not require electricity or plumbing.
The TUSHY Classic 2.0 features include a pressure control nozzle, self-cleaning nozzle, and nozzle adjuster. TUSHY’s streamlined design is elegantly simple, and this efficient device fits into any bathroom décor.
Why TUSHY is a Better Choice
TUSHY’s Miki Agrawal emphasizes TUSHY’s advantages over toilet paper. “Buying a TUSHY one time is much cheaper than buying toilet paper over and over again, is much cleaner and healthier, prevents the spread of bacteria and viruses, and is way better for the planet,” she states.
“Cultures all over the world have been using water to wash for centuries, yet there’s still a stigma associated with bidets in the United States — one that we’re passionate about dismantling. The ability to pick up a TUSHY at a retail behemoth like Walmart is a major step towards revolutionizing America’s bathrooms and pooping habits for good,” Agrawal remarks.
Miki Agrawal’s Vision Drives TUSHY’s Success
TUSHY’s commanding market presence, and the Company’s ambitious plans for continued growth, are the outgrowth of Miki Agrawal’s out-of-the-box thinking. This wildly creative entrepreneur has developed a vision for TUSHY’s future, and she has gathered a high-energy team to execute those goals.
An Entrepreneurial Journey Begins
Miki Agrawal’s multicultural upbringing enables her to see the world through varied lenses. Her Japanese mother and Indian father, and her childhood in French Montreal, contributed to her ability to enjoy multiple perspectives on any subject.
After gaining a traditional business education, Agrawal was working in New York City’s financial industry when the 9-11 attacks occurred. Not surprisingly, this event spurred her to reevaluate her life’s direction.
Stepping away from the corporate world, Miki Agrawal briefly played professional soccer until she was benched with an injury. Next, she worked in video production. However, the unhealthy on-set meals began to wreak havoc on her digestive system.
Miki Agrawal’s frustration at the lack of healthier meal options led her to open her Wild gluten-free restaurant in 2006. Several years before gluten-free foods went mainstream, this New York City-based eatery was reflective of Agrawal’s desire to disrupt traditional industries that had historically seen very little innovation.
Disrupting Two Very “Taboo” Industries
Next, Miki Agrawal turned her attention to the menstrual products industry, an arena with only three major innovations in over 100 years. Her Thinx period-proof underwear debuted in 2014, and the product carved out a new submarket that continues to grow.
Buoyed by Thinx’s success, Agrawal launched TUSHY in 2015. This stylish new bidet toilet attachment has brought growing attention to another category rarely discussed in conventional circles.
Miki Agrawal’s penchant for challenging the status quo has put these two “taboo” industries in the spotlight. In fact, her desire to shake up the marketplace has been the catalyst for each of her successful business ventures.
“Questioning philosophy showed up in my entrepreneurial career as I looked to enter categories that have been ‘set for a long time’ with little to no innovation, like the period and poop spaces. These categories were ‘taboo,’ and since nobody was talking about these topics out loud, nobody was innovating in them, either. Yet, every single being poops and every female has a period! I knew that I could harness creativity and innovation and disrupt tired old categories that sorely needed elevating,” she mused.
What’s Next for TUSHY
As Miki Agrawal’s strategic marketing vision propels TUSHY forward, she has planned a memorable reveal for early 2022. The “Bellagio Fountain” of TUSHY bidets will involve multiple TUSHYs, symphony music, and a light and sound fountain show. Agrawal predicts that this innovative event will help to further elevate the TUSHY brand.
Creative Marketing Strategies Abound
Miki Agrawal is a strong believer in the value of experiential marketing. Besides contributing to innovative product introductions, she feels that this marketing tactic taps into underlying human nature.
“I want TUSHY to become the “OK Go” of DTC (or direct-to-consumer) brands, where we put out wild and inventive videos that are highly shareable, bringing people into our world and into the top of the funnel. We are taking bigger creative risks as our company grows, and that feels really good.”
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