Blueland Co-Founder Sarah Paiji Yoo on Reimagining the Role of Work as a New Mom

9 to 5ish with theSkimm

When Sarah Paiji-Yoo became a mom, she started rethinking her serial entrepreneurship life she’d led since leaving Harvard Business School. She loved it, but early-stage startup building isn’t exactly a walk in the park. If she was going to hustle again, it had to mean something to her. Meanwhile, she was learning about the effects microplastics in our water have on us (spoiler alert: it’s scary stuff). Naturally, the serial entrepreneur in her was hungry for a solution to both of these issues. She found it in her plastic-free cleaning product company, Blueland.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Sarah shares:

• The classic new-mom research rabbit hole she fell in
• Why she hid from her in-laws that she wasn’t working for a year after having her son
• How having unclear choices as a consumer and mom led her to found Blueland
• Why recruiting her #1 pick for the Head of Product was crucial to Blueland’s success
• The difficulty of being a sustainable business while being beholden to outside investors
• Advice for listeners who feel too small to make an impact (hint: no action is too small)

Psst…this episode of “9 to 5ish” is brought to you by New York Life. Their financial professionals can help you navigate life’s decisions, big and small.