We recently connected with Giuliana Schwab and have shared our conversation below.
Giuliana, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My purpose came to me in an “ah-ha!” moment, and that moment was years in the making.
I’ve always been creative, loved painting and making “cool stuff.” I pursued art in college studying art direction and graphic design, and ultimately began a career in publishing designing magazines. Creating the visuals on the page, working with talented photographers, illustrators, stylists, editors, writers… the list goes on, was an amazing experience and taught me a lot about how to collaborate, direct and ultimately create a finished product. I did this for many years and then chapter 2 — my husband and I had a baby.
You see the world a bit differently when you have a kid. Things that you never thought about come into focus. For me, it was how to keep my child healthy and safe. (This is a very common theme amongst us parents.) At the magazine I was introduced to silicone as a material in cooking products. I remember loving the feel of it that first time holding a spatula. And the colors! It really spoke to the designer in me. A spatula was a work of art in my eyes. As a parent, I was becoming increasingly aware of the news about toxic chemicals in plastics. My kitchen was flooded with bottles, cups, bowls… all made of plastic. All being used by my baby. So chapter 3 happened — my best friend and I started talking at a party.
We both had kids the same age and it was time; we were going to make safe, sustainable products out of silicone! No more cheap plastic leaching chemicals, breaking down, over flowing in landfills, not being recycled… no more! We were going to make safe, non toxic, beautiful, long lasting products for our kids and everyone. My term – cool stuff.
Our company was born (along with a few more kids) back in the mid 2000’s, and my work, passion, purpose is still kicking today.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the Creative Director of GoSili, the company I co-founded with Stacey Feeley (bestie) back in 2007. In this role, while juggling the harder part of being an entrepreneur, I design and oversee the production of our products. I also direct the creation of assets for our brand and make sure all aspects of marketing and sales speak the same visual language. GoSili is a company on a mission, to reduce waste and eliminate the use of single use plastics. It’s an amazing experience to see where the pain points are in the market, and come up with cool solutions how to improve things. When we started GoSili, our kids line Silikids, was our first venture. Stacey and I were both new moms and it was non stop brainstorming how we were going to create new solutions for every product we were buying. One of our first products was taking a glass Evenflo baby bottle and “skinning” it with our Siliskin, which was a silicone cover to protect the glass from breakage. The Silikids line is close to us as it was our first and we did it for our kids (and everyone else’s.) I also used to say that Silikids had to be cool and beautiful. We were not a brand of teddy bears and rainbows (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but rather we were unique, bold and joyful. Plus, if it was lying around all over my kitchen I had to like the way it looked!
Since then GoSili has expanded, grown with our kids you could say, and now we offer all kinds of drink ware and accessories made from 100% silicone, for all who want an alternative to plastic. Where ever there’s a plastic cup, it can be replaced by a silicone one in my eyes. And that silicone cup will last for a very long time. I still use the same prototype samples i made 12 years ago everyday.
That’s what excites me. We’re still here, still doing what we love and it feels like the awareness has caught up. I don’t explain what silicone is and why it’s sustainable as much. Now the conversations are about how to prevent micro plastics, health and closing the loop. It’s amazing how much innovation is out there and how creative the solutions are.
We are working on a new line that is very different yet totally the same and as usual 100% silicone (that’s all I can say for now!) So here I am, still designing, creating and loving making some cool stuff.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Staying positive and optimistic is definitely a quality all entrepreneurs need! There are so many challenges involved in starting and building a business, it’s sometimes hard to see past it. But having that blind optimism helps you get through those tough days! Also loving what you do. For me my skill to design from conception through completion is a passion. No matter what it is, as long as you are doing what you love, even though it might be hard work, you’ll have the energy and persistence to keep on doing and improving. But my journey would not have begun without having my business partner Stacey. She’s the perfect compliment to me. I knew that there were things that I couldn’t do, didn’t want to do, or could not do well. I think it’s important to know your own strengths, and if at all possible, surround yourself with people who are excellent at what they do.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
The business of sustainability is multi layered and growing. There are so many companies creating new products, processes and systems that I believe, working in synergy as a team, we will reach our goals faster. For GoSili, we are always looking for new opportunities where single use plastic dominates. We continue to create new solutions in silicone which takes us back to the basic idea of reuse. Convenience has led to excessive consumption and we know that the foot has to come off the gas (literally.)
We love hearing from people and businesses. We get questions about recycling a lot. We do indeed recycle all silicone, reach out if you need help with that. We do want to help combat the single use plastics in our world. Reach out if you have info on that. Basically, we want to promote and be a part of the solution. Partnering, collaborating and being a voice amongst the innovators and creators is our goal and we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gosili.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gosiliproducts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gosiliproducts/
Image Credits
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so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
