The Taboo Trifecta

Our latest Freakonomics Radio episode is called “The Taboo Trifecta” (You can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes or elsewhere, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above.

Serial entrepreneur Miki Agrawal loves to talk about the bodily functions that make most people flinch. That’s why she’s building a business around the three P’s: periods, pee, and poop.

Below is a transcript of the episode, modified for your reading pleasure. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, see the links at the bottom of this post. And you’ll find credits for the music in the episode noted within the transcript.

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[MUSIC: Beckah Shae, “Mighty” (from Mighty)]

Miki AGRAWAL: I’m in the business of taboo. My job is not to be afraid to talk about things.

Things like …

AGRAWAL: It absorbs at least two full tampons’ worth of blood, so you don’t have to change halfway through the day.

Things like …

AGRAWAL: If a bird poops in your face, would you take a piece of paper and wipe it with paper or would you wash it?

And things like …

AGRAWAL: The way I consider myself as a feminist is the fact that I’m solving a problem for women. If that’s not feminist I don’t know what is.

Our guest today on Freakonomics Radio …

AGRAWAL: My name is Miki Agrawal and I’m the CEO and co-founder of THINX.

And what’s her advice to would-be fellow entrepreneurs?

AGRAWAL: I always ask them three questions to answer. Question number one is, “What sucks in my world?” And question number two, “Does it suck for a lot of people?” If it sucks for just you, then maybe you’re just a diva and go screw yourself. But if it sucks for a lot of people then it’s an opportunity. And question number three, which I think is the most important to ask yourself, is, “Can I be passionate about this issue, cause or community for a really long time?” Because it does take 10 years to be an overnight success.

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Miki Agrawal, 38 years old, is an entrepreneur and a striver and, perhaps most of all, a disruptor. That’s just how her family does things.