Cutting To The Chase - GRIT Ed. 8 | The Relentless Pursuit - Magazine - Page 18
Cutting To The Chase
“I’M STUBBORN AND ALWAYS SEE
THINGS THROUGH, SO AS MUCH AS
WE’VE EXPERIENCED CHALLENGES
ALONG THE WAY, QUITTING WAS
NEVER AN OPTION.”
CUTTING
LINDSAY LORUSSO
TO THE CHASE
CEO and CO-Founder of nudnik
Next Founders, 2018
ENTREPRENEURSHIP USED
TO MEAN HUSTLING AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BUT THE
PANDEMIC TAUGHT LINDSAY
TO WORK SMARTER, NOT
LONGER, ESPECIALLY
BECAUSE SHE HAD TO
BALANCE WORK WITH HER
KIDS.
As the CEO and Co-Founder of nudnik - a producer
and online purveyor of contemporary kidswear and
one of the country’s leaders in a circular fashion,
Lindsay Lorusso views herself as an entrepreneurial
builder. From building a business to building a
family and a future, the flexibility and freedoms of
entrepreneurship allow her to keep her children as
her first priority, a luxury only pursuing her own
venture could have afforded her.
Growing up with a family full of entrepreneurs,
taking the relentless path of entrepreneurship felt
comfortable, albeit not easy. Lindsay’s father co-owns
one of Canada’s largest privately-owned companies,
Wasteco - and it was while she was working for him
that she began to understand the impact she has on
our planet as a result of our “throw-away” culture
was having on our planet.
18
MARCH 2022 | NEXTCANADA.COM
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s
data, 17 million tons of textile waste ended up in
landfills, making up 5.8 percent of the total MSW
generation, in 2018.
Like with many startups, Lindsay’s business has
pivoted a few times, but the initial goal has remained
the same; to make contemporary products from
waste — that won’t end up as waste — at scale.
“I’d seen greatness achieved around me, and I wanted
the same for myself. I dream big. I always have.”
Lindsay has always considered her company an
innovative circular business that diverts waste
from landfill and transforms it into contemporary
products that last. She and her twin sister, Alex
Lorusso, launched nudnik with kidswear because
it was the perfect place to start considering that
textile waste is astronomical. Though it felt like a
good place to start; it led to pigeonholing nudnik as
a ‘fashion brand’, without a lot of readily available
funding options.
“I’m stubborn and always see things through, so as
much as we’ve experienced challenges along the
way, quitting was never an option.”
Most of the funding for nudnik came through good
old-fashioned sweat equity, in conjunction with
grants and awards. Graduating from NEXT Founders
in 2018, Lindsay was able to use the knowledge and
support she gained from the program to further
sculpt nudnik into the shape she wanted.
“There is so much room for innovation, and that excites
me! I truly believe waste is our greatest resource today, and
nudnik is a standout model of circularity, only achieved
through collaboration, partnership, and a steadfast
mission to far exceed current industry standards.”
Because the nudnik vision has always remained
consistent, it’s kept her and her team focused. Whenever
faced with a challenge, Lindsay will chip away until she
either breaks through or breaks around the problems that
arise. She believes one has to wholeheartedly believe in
what they are doing in order to preserve their goal.
“The little voice in my head says things like, ‘you can do
this! You can be a leader in this space. Your ideas have
merit. The hard work will pay off.”
Building a business is not for the faint of heart. It can
be hard not to take failures personally, but you have to
develop a strong exterior and become resilient. If you
can, learn and grow from a ‘No’ and look at it as an
opportunity, and if you can’t, put it behind you and move
forward.
This is especially true for innovators. There will be people
who won’t understand what you’re trying to accomplish.
You’ve got to brush them off and not let their opinions
deter you. Lindsay’s advice is to surround yourself with
people who think outside the box. Be comfortable with
admitting fault, learning from it and moving onward and
upward.
With new partnerships in place, five new products in
development, launching nudnik’s own signature prints
and planning to extend its size range for 2023, Lindsay
and nudnik are looking forward to a knockout future.
Lindsay’s Definition:
Entrepreneurship
[än-trə-p(r)ə-nər-ship]
noun
:Entrepreneurship is the process of converting a
dream into something tangible.
GRIT | THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT
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