Page 28 - Entrepreneur-November 2018

MOST DARING
ENTREPRENEURS

Jen Gotch
Founder and chief creative
officer/ Ban.do
Bold move/ Using her fun brand
to talk mental health
en Gotch was diagnosed with
depression when she was 23,
and she’s always been open
about it. “I never felt a stigma
and didn’t keep it private,”
says Gotch, now 47. “There
was just no social media,
so I didn’t have a platform.”
Two years ago, that changed:
J Following a divorce, Gotch
started talking about her feelings
and struggles—sometimes to
the point of tears—on Instagram.
She didn’t think she was doing
anything special; it was just a
cathartic activity. But it proved
powerful for her audience, too—
and her follower count grew to
more than 200,000.
Gotch was happy to play the
role of accidental advocate,
knowing that so many people (and
especially other entrepreneurs)
suffered the way she did. And
earlier this year, she decided to
spread the message even further—
by folding it into her company’s
product offering, releasing a line
of necklaces that read “Depres-
sion,” “Anxiety,” and “Bipolar.”
Ban.do is known for fun—it’s
an online retailer whose products
are often bright, sparkly, pink, and
designed to brighten your day.
So when the necklaces debuted,
some customers were thrown.
“A lot of it was my mistake, not
understanding that people who
follow the brand don’t necessarily
follow me,” Gotch says. “People
thought we were glamorizing
mental health issues for profit,
even though 100 percent of net
proceeds benefit the nonprofit
Bring Change to Mind. There just
should have been more fore-
thought on my part.”
Still, most of the feedback was
positive—each iteration of the
necklaces sold out in minutes,
and customers started sharing
their own mental health stories on
social media. It led the company
to launch a “feel better” vertical on its website, asking the Ban.do Ban.do can stand for more than fun. “We’re charting a new course,”
community to send their personal stories to Gotch. In a single day, she she says. The mental health necklaces will stick around, and she’s
received more than 200 emails. “It was like the universe was telling me taking a hard look at product moving forward to make sure the brand is
to wake up and pay attention,” she says. “This kind of engagement is three-dimensional.
different. It just doesn’t happen.” “We’ve always been about personal betterment and have looked PHOTOGR A P H BY B A N . DO
The response to the necklaces—good, bad, and confused—has at everything through that lens, but it’s become a little diluted,” she
inspired change within the offices of Ban.do. In addition to teaching admits. “We’re just like, Here! Fun! Color! And I don’t want to do that
Gotch that she needs to clear up her messaging, it also proved that anymore. We’ve got a lot more to offer than just cute cups.”

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