Today we’d like to introduce you to David VanHimbergen.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have worked for Procter & Gamble (P&G) for 17 years. I graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Management Information Systems and started with P&G right after college in their IT department. Most of my time in IT was spent as a Business Analyst either supporting corporate finance or brands. After 8 years, I switched career paths and moved into Brand Management supporting our Crest and Oral-B businesses. From 2012 to 2014, I moved to Minneapolis to assist our Target sales team and lead shopper marketing for P&G”s laundry, household cleaning, and pet businesses.
In 2014, I moved back to Cincinnati to lead Global Innovation for Tide. In this role, we saw the opportunity to test different business models and conceived the idea that would ultimately become Tide Spin. Charged to emulate the startup world, our team pitched Senior Leadership on the idea. They agreed to a small seed investment to build and run the operation for at least 6 months to prove out the model in Chicago. In order to get to market quickly, we worked with experienced partners (including our Tide Dry Cleaners franchise partners) that would allow us to get an MVP-level (“minimum viable product”) service up in running within a few months.
In September 2015, I began traveling to Chicago weekly to build the operation and assemble the team. We partnered with 1871 (one of the nation’s largest incubators) to help staff the team and became a member company so that our team was fully immersed in the center of Chicago’s startup culture. By December, we released a small beta version of the service where we learned important lessons to factor in to the full release through the app store in February 2016.
Tide Spin has been serving Chicago now for just over a year and building a loyal base of followers. The management team has grown to double to support a rapid month-on-month growth.
Has it been a smooth road?
Any new venture is never smooth or a straight-line. We’ve encountered our fair share of obstacles along the way. Below are a few that I’ll spotlight.
Assembling a team with the right mix and diversity of skills is a significant feat for any startup. However, our team was built from scratch with a broad range of backgrounds. Trying to bring the team together to support a new business that was expected to be up and running in 45 days was quite challenging. Different from P&G, there were no on-boarding or training guides. No firmly established culture or values in place. And no group of peers to sympathize with during the ramp up period. We had to build everything from scratch taking the best of what P&G had to offer but tailoring it based on our personalities and vision we had for the business. This takes time to build and was messy for the first 6 or so months before we finally got into our flow.
I think the most important thing in a new venture is that you have to embrace the messiness and uncertainty that lies ahead. If you spend too much time trying to predict and solve for outcomes…you will be too slow because you will inevitably solve for things that aren’t problems. You need to balance discipline with a “good enough” attitude.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Tide Spin is an on-demand laundry and dry cleaning deliver service.
Tide Spin exists to lighten your load by doing your laundry and dry cleaning for you. With our on-demand service, we make it easier and faster than you ever imagined. With just a few clicks in the Tide Spin app, we’ll pick up your clothes, take them to be cleaned by Tide-trained professionals, and deliver your folded laundry right back to you – freeing you up for what you need to do, or better yet, what you want to do.
We are proud to be a shining example of the future of corporate innovation (“intrapreneurship”). It’s an example of leveraging the passion of a few individuals and all the assets and competitive advantages of a large company to innovate like (and as quickly) as a startup.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely. Chicago is a critical factor in our success. Not only is it a great market for customers…Chicago brings resources and expertise (like 1871 and amazing tech dev talent) that have been critical enablers.
Pricing:
- Wash & Fold (laundry wash, dried, and folded in machines) is $1.59 per pound.
- Delivery is free if you select our 8-hour windows (9am to 5pm) where we pick-up and drop off at secure locations like with a doorman or in a package room.
- We also offer scheduled, evening pick-ups direct to your door for $5.99 per order.
Contact Info:
- Address: 601 S. La Salle St.
Suite 610 - Website: www.tidespin.com
- Email: support@tidespin.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tidespin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TideSpin/
- Twitter: @TideSpin
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tide-spin-chicago-4
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
