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1. Identify and Fill a Gap in the Market: Scarlet by Red Drop was founded on innovation, offering products and period care information tailored to the unique needs of young girls beginning their periods – a market that, according to Monica, has been largely overlooked by larger companies.
2. Listen to Your Customers: Monica believes that actively listening to customers – by directly asking about their motivations and pain points – helped Scarlet by Red Drop uncover that size and preparation were key drivers of purchase, leading to a significant and immediate increase in revenue.
3. Prioritize Empathy in CS: Elise views every customer interaction as an opportunity to provide compassionate, empowering support – Scarlet by Red Drop recognizes that behind each inquiry is a young girl and her family, and prioritizes empathy in their customer experience philosophy.
4. Meet Your Customers Where They’re At: Scarlet by Red Drop’s customers are teens, tweens, and their parents. Elise believes the company’s success in communication and accessibility is driven by its multi-channel approach – leveraging social media and customer support platforms like Gorgias to engage with customers across email, text, and support forms.
5. Be Passionate, Work Hard: While E-Commerce lowers traditional barriers to entry, Monica maintains that true success still requires a standout product, smart marketing, passion, and relentless hard work – realities often hidden behind the polished image of online brands.
The period care market for young girls was largely overlooked by major feminine hygiene companies. Motivated by her own real-life experience, Co-Founder Monica Williams launched an E-Commerce brand dedicated to empowering tweens, teens, and their families with tailored products and resources. Discover how Monica and Operations Strategist Elise Raher are transforming the period care space at Scarlet by Red Drop – providing innovation, empathy, and support exactly when their customers need it most.
Meet Co-Founder Monica Williams and Operations Strategist Elise Raher of Scarlet by Red Drop!
Scarlet by Reddrop is a FemTech Co that empowers girls from within so that they can grow into powerful women. From the first period to the last, the company celebrates womanhood with products that fit their bodies, a distribution model that removes the stigma, and a social network that grows the girl.
As a mother to an infant daughter, Monica’s daily concerns revolved around diapers and pacifiers—she even ran a company specializing in the latter. So, when her god-sister Dana (and future co-founder) first suggested creating a period-positive product for young girls, Monica admits, “even though I am a doctor, it was impossible to imagine that my child was going to have a period.”
That perspective shifted a decade later when she reconnected with Dana, who had been working with a classroom of fifth-grade girls, on the topic. “Half of them had already started their periods,” Monica recalls. “One girl even thought she was dying because she didn’t know what a period was.” In response, Dana had begun making small purses for the girls to use during their periods.
With Dana’s deep understanding of the issue and Monica’s expertise in supply chain, fulfillment, and distribution, the two took a closer look at the market and discovered a major gap: there were virtually no products designed specifically for young girls to use in classroom settings. In 2019, they co-founded RedDrop, recently rebranded as Scarlet by RedDrop, to fill that need.
Originally based in Atlanta, Georgia, Scarlet by Red Drop relocated to Southern California due to the impact of COVID-19 and ongoing supply chain disruptions. The team now consists of seven full-time members who are supported by 22 part-time employees and contractors.
How Proactive Customer Service Grows an E-Commerce Business
From day one, understanding their customers' needs has been a top priority for Scarlet by Red Drop. Early on, the team sent thank-you emails that included an invitation to chat about why customers chose their products—those interested simply replied “yes.” Remarkably, around 70% responded, eager to share their experiences. “We actually called these customers and asked why they were buying our products,” Monica explains. “It turns out that size and preparation were what was selling more than anything else. Just asking our customers about their true pain points completely catapulted our revenue overnight.”
Multiple Channels and How Scarlet by Red Drop Meets Customers Where They’re At
When it comes to communication and accessibility, Elise attributes the company’s success to its use of multiple channels. “We have a lot of interaction on social media—Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok,” she explains. The team also uses Gorgias as a customer success platform, enabling them to connect with customers through email, text message, and support forms.
How Scarlet by Red Drop Prepares for Peak Season
Scarlet by Red Drop sees a boost in sales during the back-to-school season. “One message we want to communicate is that period supplies are school supplies,” Elise explains. “Since preparedness is such an important part of what we aim to do in every interaction with tweens, teens, and their families, we really want to help young girls prepare for going back to school.”
The team reflects on past challenges to identify areas for improvement and create opportunities for growth. Cross-department communication is also essential during this busy period. “On both a weekly and daily basis, we’re communicating on stock levels, customer feedback, and outgoing messages, so that everyone is in the know at any point in time, ensuring that there are as few surprises as possible,” Elise adds.
“We look at every interaction that we have with a customer as a way to create a supportive and empowering experience,” says Operations Strategist Elise Raher, reflecting the company’s CX philosophy. With the understanding that behind every ticket is a young girl, Scarlet by Red Drop is committed to delivering compassionate and empathetic support to both her and her family.
Going the Extra Mile for Every Customer
Because period care is such a sensitive and personal topic—especially for young girls—the customer success team adopts a “go the extra mile” approach in every interaction. “It’s about how we can make this the best experience possible and show empathy for the person on the other end,” Elise explains. She also emphasizes the team’s focus on educating customers and their families about the Scarlet by Red Drop products.
Fostering Innovation at a Period Care Company for Young Girls
“We were really founded on innovation,” Monica notes. “Even though there are 6,000 girls a day that start their period, bigger companies have not thought about innovating around the fact that girls of that age have different needs.” To ensure they continue meeting the expectations of young customers, the company actively listens and engages with them through social media.
Monica’s Key Priorities and Goals
Looking ahead, Monica’s top priority is growth—and she sees retail as the company’s next major step. “As we acquire customers on DTC based on the information, education, and products we provide, we know that a certain percentage of them would prefer to go to a store when they need it,” Monica explains. “Our biggest goal is retail expansion so that we can get in front of as many people and support as many girls as we possibly can.”
Monica’s Advice for Aspiring E-Commerce Entrepreneurs
“In many ways, E-Commerce democratizes wealth,” Monica says, noting that you don’t need a large amount of capital or an Ivy League degree to break into the space. However, she emphasizes that success still depends on having a great product, effective marketing, and a strong work ethic. The polished image projected by many brands doesn’t reflect the reality behind the scenes. “The grind – I don’t think people truly understand it until they’ve actually done it,” she adds.
What excites Monica and Elise most about E-Commerce? Potential
Can’t live without tool?
Monica: Shopify
Elise: Shopify is the foundation of making money, but on a daily basis, Slack to make sure we can all communicate despite going in a hundred different directions.
Key hiring trait?
Monica: Passion and resourcefulness.
Elise: Passion. In startups, you’re doing so many things on a daily basis, but if you feel passionate about the work, you’re willing to do just about anything because you know why you’re doing it.
AI or no AI?
Monica: I’m pro AI.
Elise: Everything with moderation. We’ve had a lot of success with many different uses of AI. And coming from the customer experience world, you just never want to replace that human interaction.
Recent book or podcast?
Monica: Do the KIND Thing by Daniel Lubetzky who founded KIND bars. I’ve read the book a couple of times specifically because I met him – he was very nice and encouraged me to. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I realized that there are some very useful kernels in here.
Elise: I recently listened to the GOOP podcast with Gwyneth Paltrow. She was interviewing Gregg Renfrew who is CEO and founder of Beauty Counter. She was talking through burnout and boundaries and how she had to completely rebuild Beauty Counter after they kicked her out. I just really love hearing about those entrepreneur stories, because they are interesting, bumpy, and anything but smooth sailing.
#1 challenge as a leader?
Monica: Staying organized because there is still such a wide variety of things that I am responsible for and have to get done with people waiting on me. Getting everything done is still such a challenge for me.
Elise: My background is in HR and Operations, so I’m bound for the rest of my life to feel like I’m herding cats. So it’s just continuing to make sure that I’m moving the needle forward – bringing value every day is my main focus.
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