Entrepreneurial Support —P.O.P: Passion, Originality & Perseverance

I couldn’t let Women’s History Month go by without a nod to the sports bra and its entrepreneurial history. Undergarments have been known to reflect the sociopolitical climate of their eras. And when designing for women’s breasts the tension between function and fashion has always been paramount.

These days, especially, the line between under and outer garments is getting very blurred. The most recent fashion week in Paris displayed this fact quite clearly.

So I shouldn’t be surprised by the significant impact of the sports bra, but I am. It amazes me to this day. It is an outstanding example of how a good idea — in this case a timely and relevant product idea — can create and fuel a successful, culturally significant venture...one that endures, grows and matures into its own industry, sparking social and cultural shifts. This is the potential and magic of an entrepreneurial endeavor.

From a single idea in my head to a multi-billion dollar industry, the sports bra has become a significant player not only in women’s history but also very much in women’s future. You might say the sports bra has supported business for decades.

More significant to me than the economic power of sports bras, however, is the product’s influence and impact in women’s sports. (Think today’s WBA, for instance). As most are now aware, being active increases not only physical health, but mental health as well. In the instance of team sports, experiencing the dynamics of teamwork is an important, even essential life lesson. All over the globe the number of girls and women participating in all levels and forms of sports is significantly increasing due to having this essential piece of equipment. (Yes, a bra can be “equipment.”)

Further evidence of the significance of the sports bra can be found at the moment in Paris, France in the Musee du Luxembourg. For the summer Olympics a distinctive German design firm has mounted an exhibit extolling and showcasing the role of design in sports equipment. The first sports bra, Jogbra, is featured.

Back here in the U.S. there is even a non-profit, The Sports Bra Project, that gets sports bras to those that cannot otherwise obtain them. This wonderful organization has sent bras all over the world. The gifting of this piece of essential athletic equipment better enables girls and women participating in sports and on teams, facilitating all the positive and empowering effects available to be learned from such an experience.

And further to all of the above — economic, athletic, design or cultural impact — the sports bra has deeply influenced women’s fashion; think athleisure.

IMHO, the entrepreneurial business model is the most straightforward and sincere form of trade, of engaging in “business.” The exchanging of goods and services has always existed; it is a natural thing to do. The simple bartering systems of the past were the first entrepreneurial relationships. They have evolved, of course, becoming more sophisticated and complex. Global. The essential attributes of all need-based entrepreneurial ventures are timeless: Passion, Originality and Perseverance. Entrepreneurial endeavors are often the testing ground and launch pad for the creative evolution of enterprise as well as economic and societal expansion — from sports bras to Space X.

No longer simply an acronym for “Point Of Purchase,” The POP factor is essential. Any successful entrepreneurial activity will have grown from the seed of a solid, good and original idea. When the endeavor is fed by passion and perseverance, courage and vision — it blossoms. Or should I say it pops?