Female Founders: Barbara Zabawa of Pursesuitz Pocketwear On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
I would like women to realize that they are not wedded to social norms, like having to carry a purse or giving up their last name during marriage. I want more women to question the status quo and to seek alternatives so that they can feel more independent and free.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Barbara Zabawa, the founder of Pursesuitz Pocketwear, an innovative line of stylish tank tops that offers a versatile, comfortable solution to the lack of functional pockets in clothing for women. Zabawa was inspired to create Pursesuitz Pocketwear to empower women to venture out with confidence knowing their essential items are secure, but still accessible.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I am an attorney by trade. I have my own law firm that specializes in health and wellness law. Years ago one of my cases made its way up to the US Supreme Court. It was my first time stepping into the Supreme Court in Washington DC, and so I didn’t know what to expect. All the lawyers on my legal team met the morning of our oral argument at a law firm on K Street. We were told to leave our bags at the law office as bags were not permitted inside the Supreme Court hearing room. When we all arrived at the Supreme Court security checkpoint (two female lawyers and the rest male), the male attorneys sailed right through but when security asked me to show my identification, I was empty handed. My ID was in my purse, which was back at the law office. At that moment, I realized that had my suit had functional pockets, I would have been able to breeze right through security like my male colleagues, who always have functional pockets in their clothing. I vowed to change this someday. I started Pursesuitz, LLC (because your “suit” should be your “purse”) in January 2020 with the aim to help women venture out with security and confidence by offering clothing with functional pockets, or as I have trademarked, “Pocketwear.”
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I think one of the most interesting stories is when I first started, I hired a consultant to moderate some focus groups of professional women. COVID19 made these focus groups more challenging as most could not occur in person, which means that the attendees couldn’t feel or try on the prototype Pocketwear. Nevertheless, we held virtual focus groups of these women and asked for their feedback about the initial prototypes, which consisted of the Pocketwear Tank Top and a stylish blouse to wear over the top of the tank. To my surprise, a number of the women in these professional groups were not looking to give up their purse in a professional setting. They liked the idea of the tank top with functional pockets, but more for travel and venturing out. It was from these focus groups that I decided to pivot and focus solely on the Pocketwear Tank Top.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Recently I was at a travel trade show exhibiting my Pocketwear Tank Tops. A producer of a YouTube travel channel asked to film me talking about my product. I obliged, but the whole video shoot was unscripted. As a result, we had a lot of retakes. During the final retake, everyone was getting tired and we were all hoping this would be the last time we’d have to record the video. I felt like my monologue was going well, but then my nose started to run like Niagra Falls. I didn’t want to stop filming though, so I tried to discretely wipe my nose as though I was doing an excited gesture about my tank top. When I watch the video, I can see the exact moment when I was trying desperately to stop my nose from running, but I think most people won’t notice (I hope).
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My husband, Branden Zimmerman, who knows how to sew. I am a lawyer, and I have zero sewing skill. All I had when I started Pursesuitz was an idea. I had no proof that it would actually work. So, I asked my husband to sew a prototype based on a very crude drawing I sketched on a legal pad. He did, and I was happy to learn that my idea just might work. My husband has been my biggest cheerleader since, and I am forever grateful for his encouragement and support.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
I think the idea of founding a company is daunting, and there is an assumption that doing so means trying to juggle a lot of other responsibilities, such as family, errands and other life goals. Women as a group already juggle a lot, whether they work full time or not. The prospect of having to juggle even more probably discourages a lot of women from even trying to pursue entrepreneurship. There are also very few resources that provide a roadmap on how to start a new venture. I tried to change that with my book The Tug: Finding Purpose and Joy through Entrepreneurship, available on Amazon.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
I think offering more affordable and better childcare and eldercare options is critical, as women are often tasked with the bulk of these duties and those duties are exhausting. Relieving women of some of the worry that goes with caring for children and elderly parents can free up energy and time for more women to start ventures. Also, women who have started ventures need to embrace being a role model and help other women see a pathway to entrepreneurship.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
Despite the perception described in my previous answers about entrepreneurship being demanding, it does offer freedom in ways that regular jobs cannot. A lot of women yearn for creativity, control and freedom. Entrepreneurship can give women those opportunities which can be infectious to those in her innermost circle, such as her children, parents, and significant other. Most of all, people, including women, crave purpose. Entrepreneurship offers a way to find and tailor your purpose so you can live life with joy and leave a lasting legacy.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
I think Silicon Valley and tech startups, which are dominated by male founders, leave this impression that entrepreneurship is for the young, especially young males. They can take big risks because they have less to lose. If a founder starts a company before they have a mortgage, kids, and other financial obligations and health concerns, they can take bigger risks and spend countless hours working toward their goal. But that is not the only path to successful entrepreneurship. Becoming the next Apple, Facebook, or Google is not the only definition of success. Contrary to popular belief, founders can move at their own pace and can define success in their own way. Success may only mean that you are making a difference in the lives of others, something that can’t be measured in dollars, and can be done on a very part-time basis.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
I think founders are generally restless and always looking to do more. There are plenty of people who long for down time on a regular basis. Their job is a means to pay the bills, and their true joy in life comes from their avocations, not their vocation. Founders strive to find purpose and meaning in their vocation, and entrepreneurship gives them the creative space to do just that.
Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. You control your timeline.
2. You control how, when and if you want to raise money.
3. You control the definition of success.
4. You have the right to pivot.
5. You have to know your customer, but it may take a while before you really understand who they are.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
The women who have purchased the Pursesuitz Pocketwear Tank Top have told me the product is liberating and has become a staple in their wardrobe. My product empowers women to venture out with security and confidence because they know their essential items are safe from pickpockets, but still accessible. My product is helping women pursue different adventures with less worry and more enjoyment, which fills me with joy.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would like women to realize that they are not wedded to social norms, like having to carry a purse or giving up their last name during marriage. I want more women to question the status quo and to seek alternatives so that they can feel more independent and free.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I am a sucker for rags to riches and underdog stories. Those stories represent the very definition of everyday miracles, but with very hard work, faith and tenacity to make those miracles happen. As an entrepreneur, it can be hard sometimes to maintain that tenacity and faith. As a result, I would love to meet someone like Oprah Winfrey or Sylvester Stallone, people who, to me, have some of the best underdog stories of all time.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Barbara Zabawa of Pursesuitz Pocketwear On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.