Galyn Bernard and Christina Carbonell are the cofounders of Primary. As early employees at Quidsi, they previously led marketing for Diapers.com and went on to launch and manage nine additional ecommerce sites in categories such as toys, home, and children’s clothing. Before that, they held marketing roles at Kraft Foods, Cole Haan, and the Walt Disney Company. Both are graduates of Harvard Business School. Galyn earned her undergraduate degree at Princeton and Christina at the University of Pennsylvania.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
We like to point out that many of the things our moms said to us as kids have influenced the kind of leaders we are now. They include: “Be true to yourself”, “Give it everything you’ve got”, and “Treat others the way you want to be treated”. As leaders, we stay very focused and true to our vision. We work incredibly hard and enjoy rolling up our sleeves. And as tenacious as we are, we believe that how you treat people matters. Our moms are pretty smart.
How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at Primary?
We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to work at Quidsi (parent company of Diapers.com) from its beginnings as 1-800-Diapers through the acquisition of the company by Amazon in 2010 and beyond. We learned everything we know about ecommerce and building a successful company there – most of all, that inspiring customer passion and offering unexpectedly great service is everything. When we looked at the children’s clothing market through the lens of our experience at Diapers.com, we felt there was a massive opportunity to make it incredibly easy to buy and re-buy the clothes our kids wear every day.
What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at Primary?
Every heartfelt note we get from a customer is a highlight – whether it’s because they have a child with sensory challenges who likes our simple, soft clothes without scratchy tags, or because our green PJ set made their dino Halloween costume possible. Another huge highlight has been building an amazing, talented, diverse team we love working with every day. Challenges have been learning things that were new to us… like how to raise capital, and how manufacturing works so that we can deliver amazing, quality clothing every time. But we like challenges!
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
For aspiring entrepreneurs… If you have conviction in an idea, just get started. You can dip your toes before you take a huge leap. Try something, learn, and keep going. For women interested in a career in ecommerce… get ready to roll up your sleeves and learn the practical, tactical ins and outs of an ecommerce business – whether it’s digital marketing, learning SQL to analyze data, or learning about the supply chain for apparel.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
To believe in ourselves. To pursue our ideas, our vision, and our goals with relentless passion. And that being part of a team of talented people working together to build something and solve problems is a reward in and of itself, regardless of the outcome.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
In addition to being entrepreneurs running a fast-growing startup, we are moms with two kids each and a lot to juggle. Two things help us most with work/life balance – focus and supporting each other. Focus sounds simple, but it’s hard. Learning which things really matter takes experience and perspective, and staying focused takes discipline. But we think it’s the most important way to maintain balance and to ultimately be successful. Having a business partner is also essential – we share and balance the workload, and support each other as we navigate both work challenges and personal priorities.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
We have charted our path without thinking too much about the fact that we’re women doing it. However, we are cognizant that many people naturally, even subconsciously, tend to seek out others like themselves – whether they are deciding who to hire or whether to make an investment. This can result in a natural challenge to change the landscape to better reflect our diversity. What can we do? Keep crushing it, and help one another whenever we can.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
Marc Lore and Vinit Bharara, the founders of Quidsi, have been exceptional role models and mentors to us. They encouraged us to pursue our vision (and many others with entrepreneurial aspirations), and they helped to open doors for us, especially as we started fundraising. When people ask us about networking, we always encourage them to start with the people who know and believe in them the most, and branch out from there. This helps to ensure that introductions and connections are authentic and meaningful.
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
We greatly admire Michelle Obama for being true to herself and for her strength and integrity. Malala Yousafzai for her incredible courage and commitment to help others. And our moms for teaching us the basic values that make us who we are today.
What do you want Primary to accomplish in the next year?
In the coming year, we want to continue to build the best possible experience for buying and replenishing baby and kids clothing – one that helps every kid to shine, and makes life easier for busy parents. We also want to continue building one of the best places to work – where talented people are working together to create something meaningful and having fun doing it!