SadieB Personal Care, a female-led University of Utah student startup, will launch eight hair shampoos and conditioners in 507 Target stores and on the Target website starting this week.
Co-founder and CEO Sadie Bowler is pursuing a degree in marketing from the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. She started working on SadieB with her sister Abby when she was in middle school. That’s when her passion for hair and the growing awareness of damaging messages in the beauty industry came together. During her first year of college, she started her company with 16 products, including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body spray, with support from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a top 10 ranked entrepreneurship program at the University of Utah. I raised it.
“It’s a surreal feeling to see our product featured in Target,” Bowler said. “This is exactly our vision and we are amazed at the fact that it has come true so quickly. We believe that women can do anything and that empowering women is so powerful. That’s what we hope to show girls. That’s evident in our story, and we’re thrilled that our products and message are so relatable to girls.”
Sadie Bowler and her sister.
During a camping trip, Bowler and her sister envisioned a brand created to meet the needs of girls and support their lifestyles and interests, rather than focusing on appearance. They had an idea for the Adventurer line, one of the four product lines that would eventually make up SadieB.
Months passed and she kept thinking about the idea.
“My dad is an entrepreneur, so he always asks questions and pushes us to be creative in solving problems,” Bowler said. “I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen counter with Abby and my dad asking us, ‘So, do you want to do this?’
With support from his family, the Lassonde Institute for Entrepreneurship, and the University of Utah, Bowler decided to pursue his idea. She earned office space at Lassonde Studios through the Company Launch program, coaching, peer networking in the Lassonde Founders Residential Scholarship Program, and also had the opportunity to advertise at events around campus.
All University of Utah students have the opportunity to participate in the many programs offered by the Lassonde Entrepreneurial Institute, from workshops and makerspaces to the residential community of Lassonde Studios. The institute also offers Lassonde for Life, a program open to all University of Utah graduates, and a unique business creation master’s program for graduates who need personal support to grow their businesses. I’m doing it.
“SadieB is a great example of what students can accomplish as entrepreneurs at the University of Utah,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Institute for Entrepreneurship and associate dean of the Eccles School. “She went from an idea to launching products in stores nationwide in just a few years. We look forward to seeing her company continue to grow and for Sadie to achieve great things in her career.” I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
The SadieB product assortment can now be found in over 500 Target stores and online.
SadieB takes an approach to product creation that we call “Girl Care.” It combines physical and mental hygiene, focusing on functional benefits that promote personal growth and uplift girls. The company is a public benefit corporation and is in the process of achieving B Corp certification for social and environmental impact. Their products are salon quality with natural ingredients that are clean and safe.
To keep girls’ voices at the heart of the company, SadieB has created a Girls Advisory Board to consult on product development, social media, brand messaging, and more. The company is also partnering with Girl Up, a movement that advances girls’ skills, rights and leadership opportunities, to help launch new mental health education and resources.
Bowler spent three years building the brand and perfecting the product formulation before launching in May 2022. Just one year later, the opportunity to bring her product to Target came sooner than she expected.
In March 2023, Bowler and her sister met Saalt founder Cherry Hoger at an event for female founders. They noticed her brand and its strong social impact and were excited to introduce themselves. They sent products to her and her five daughters.
About a week later, Bowler received an email from Hoeger with a photo of her daughters holding the product and a caption telling her to contact Hoeger’s target broker. With her help, Bowler created a presentation and met with target buyers.
“The conference call went very well,” Bowler said. “Then there was radio silence. Two months later, a 15-minute call with a Target buyer appeared on my calendar. Abby and I felt that was just enough time for him to say no.” I did.”
That wasn’t true. Their products will be in over 500 Target stores in less than a year, and buyers have expressed that SadieB will fill a void at Target as the only brand in hair care specifically aimed at Gen Z girls. .
“Being immersed in the beauty industry at a young age made it clear that the messages that I had to look a certain way to be considered ‘good enough’ were having a negative impact on my mental health. ” Bowler said. “Like many girls my age, I have struggled with anxiety, but realizing I needed to focus on self-development changed everything.”
Bowler hopes SadieB will become the number one personal care brand for girls. She also wants to make a real difference in the mental health crisis girls face by providing resources and actionable steps for preventative mental health care.
“I have to make a conscious decision every day to be kind to myself, to avoid making mistakes, to learn quickly and to take care of my mental health,” Bowler said. “I need SadieB’s message just like any other girl.”
For more information about SadieB, visit sadieb.co. Also, check out our products on the Target website.
About Lassonde Entrepreneurial Institute
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is the University of Utah’s national hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The first program was delivered in 2001 through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, an Eccles School graduate and successful mining entrepreneur. The institute currently offers thousands of students the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Programs include workshops, networking events, business plan competitions, startup assistance, innovation programs, graduate seminars, scholarships, community support, and more. All programs are open to students of all majors and backgrounds. Lassonde Institute also manages Lassonde Studios, a five-story innovation space and residential facility for all students. For more information, visit lassonde.utah.edu.
