Miki Agrawal’s Focus on Innovation Brings Ongoing Challenges and Rewards
Miki Agrawal’s life is a richly textured tapestry filled with colorful threads. Dedicated to disrupting the status quo wherever she finds it, Agrawal has started three successful businesses based around breaking traditional taboos. Her two well-received books have delved into her firsthand experiences in carving an unconventional path through life.
And yet, disrupt-her Miki Agrawal’s personal side is equally intriguing. Her husband Andrew is her strongest supporter, while also wearing a creative collaborator hat. Agrawal’s son, Hiro Happy, has given her life a new dimension, while keeping her grounded amidst the whirlwind. Her friends form the nucleus of her vibrant social network.
Finally, her twin sister, Radha, has served as her business partner and creative counterpart. Taken together, Miki Agrawal’s family and business colleagues each play a role in an evolving journey that unfolds every day.
Gaining a Diverse World Perspective
Born in Canada, Miki Agrawal combines Japanese and Indian heritage with a French-Canadian flair. Radha, her identical twin sister, shares Miki’s adventurous spirit and entrepreneurial mindset.
Miki Agrawal’s business world exposure began at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In 2001, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and Communications from this well-regarded institution.
Like many other young graduates, Agrawal landed a job in New York City’s financial industry. Working as an investment banking analyst at the international Deutsche Bank, she was understandably shaken by the 9/11 events.
Setting (and Accomplishing) Three Key Goals
Miki Agrawal felt a need to reassess her priorities, and she realized that she wanted to make a positive impact on the world. She also defined three key goals, and within a few years she had met each one.
Interestingly, the resolution of one goal provided a segue into the next one. “Life has been willing to guide me in the right direction as long as I was willing to let it,” she reflects.
First, Agrawal played professional soccer for the New York Magic. After two injuries banished her to the sidelines, she decided to switch to video production work. Faced with extremely unhealthy on-set meals, she developed an idea for a super-healthy pizza brimming with fresh, unprocessed ingredients.
Despite having little cooking experience, Miki Agrawal decided to open a gluten-free, farm-to-table eatery in New York City. The restaurant debuted in 2005, and its three metro area locations continue to thrive under a business partner’s management. Agrawal derives great satisfaction from speaking with gluten-allergic customers who can finally enjoy a hearty pizza again.
Miki Agrawal’s third goal was to start a business, and this creative entrepreneur likely had multiple options on the table. By this time, Agrawal had become known as a disruptor who always searched for opportunities to shake up the status quo. She was especially fond of breaking societal taboos and inventing her own solutions to common problems.
In 2008, Miki Agrawal and two partners debuted Thinx, a line of sustainable women’s underwear designed for use during a woman’s period. Since then, the company has introduced other related products. In addition, Thinx sales help to fund donations of reusable pads for Ugandan schoolgirls.
Miki Agrawal Revamps an American Bathroom Ritual
Miki Agrawal’s newest business idea was borne of her complete disdain for ordinary toilet paper. She has long felt that the little tissue squares do not clean the body efficiently, and they can contribute to several uncomfortable medical conditions. In fact, toilet paper magnified Agrawal’s physical problems while she dealt with the effects of her hyperthyroid condition.
In addition, she stresses that widespread toilet paper use creates negative impacts to the environment. Putting it into perspective, toilet paper production destroys 15 million trees every year.
Fortunately, Miki Agrawal was able to ease her discomfort by switching to a bidet. With her multicultural background, she was familiar with these efficient devices that clean the body using a minimum of water and no toilet paper. In many countries, bidets are a common fixture in private home and hotel bathrooms.
Launch of the TUSHY Bidet Attachment
Not surprisingly, Miki Agrawal decided that bidets were the solution to the United States’ two-pronged toilet paper problem. This self-described “serial disruptor” decided it was time to completely redesign Americans’ toilet usage.
To bring bidets to the American consumer market, Miki Agrawal launched TUSHY in 2014. This growing company markets the affordable TUSHY bidet attachment that installs on a toilet in about 10 minutes. One TUSHY use requires only about a pint of water, and elimination of toilet paper means there is zero negative environmental impact.
TUSHY began to generate profits in 2017, and in 2021 the Company offers an expanded product line. Although TUSHY products have historically been sold via the company’s website, retail sales plans are under development.
As TUSHY’s sales continue to grow, Miki Agrawal is helping to improve sanitation in underserved Indian communities. Through a partnership with Samagra, TUSHY has donated funds to bring hygienic latrines to the people who need them most.
From Business Owner to Published Author
Miki Agrawal has shared her entrepreneurial journey in two best-selling books. Both works appeared on Amazon’s best seller list. In 2013, she shared her brand of entrepreneurial advice in “Do Cool Sh*t: Quit Your Day Job, Start Your Own Business and Live Happily Ever After.”
In 2019, Miki Agrawal published “Disrupt-Her: A Manifesto For the Modern Woman.” Here, she explores 13 areas of life that offer limitless potential for disruption that leads to personal and/or business growth.
Numerous Professional Awards and Accolades
With her fearless attitude and numerous achievements, Miki Agrawal has garnered multiple awards from respected global organizations. This successful social entrepreneur has been recognized by the World Economic Forum and The World Technology Summit.
Agrawal has also earned awards from well-regarded business organizations. To illustrate, in 2016 INC Magazine named her one of its “Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs of 2016.” During that same year, Forbes named her to its “Top 20 Millennials on a Mission” roster.
Finally, Fast Company included Agrawal in its “Most Creative People of 2018” list. As might be expected, Miki Agrawal’s many awards have led to many speaking engagement invitations.
Enjoying a Satisfying Personal Life
After every fast-paced workday, Miki Agrawal heads to her oasis of calm, a converted red brick church in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. She shares this unique residence with her husband Andrew and their son Hiro Happy. Agrawal has emphasized many of the building’s historic features while modifying other parts of the structure.
For example, the striking stained-glass entryway is the gateway to several apartments. Several of Miki Agrawal’s friends live on the same floor, leading to plenty of opportunities for evening get-togethers. In addition, she values her friends’ support and inspiration that help her to keep moving forward.
How Motherhood has Enriched Her Life
For Miki Agrawal, becoming a mother has given her a more well-rounded perspective. She has loosened her focus on perfectionism and has embraced the joy Hiro Happy brings to her life.
“I feel like I’m just an enhanced, happier, more joyful version of myself. I now really prioritize the things that matter and let the small things go (for the most part), and just really choose to be happy.
“Because ultimately, my baby is such a sponge for energy, and he can really tell if I’m being authentic. So it’s just having to let go of any kind of frustration and be really in the space of openness and joy and glee when I see him. Every time I do, I’m genuinely filled with such authentic joy.”
Keeping All the Balls in the Air
On the surface, Miki Agrawal appears to “have it all.” She has built several successful businesses and is a published author. Agrawal’s multiple awards and speaking engagements have increased her visibility in the business world. Not surprisingly, she has been asked about mentorship opportunities.
This modern Renaissance woman readily acknowledges the positives in her professional life. At the same time, Miki Agrawal shares that meeting multiple demands on her time, and living up to others’ expectations, has its challenges. Every day, she strives to balance her many commitments with her personal well-being.
Miki Agrawal’s Focus on Self-Care
For many successful women, juggling career and family responsibilities is an ongoing challenge. With well-planned work projects often becoming derailed, and unexpected family issues popping up daily, self-care is an elusive goal that falls by the wayside.
However, Miki Agrawal’s life does not mirror that trend. In fact, she adheres to a multi-part self-care ritual that nourishes both her body and mind. “Self-care includes making sure my body is healthy… doing a little bit of working out, even 20 or 30 minutes, three or four times a week. I also eat really healthy.”
Miki Agrawal also counts regular massages among her “must have” self-care practices. “I get a 90-minute massage once a week, which I think is so important. I think people should prioritize body work over going out one night. I don’t spend money on coffee, so I put money towards regular body work and it’s so worth it.”
Finally, Agrawal shares her thoughts on mental and emotional self-care. “I think self-care really means doing that which lights you up. The thing that makes you wake up with excitement — to learn, to grow, to improve, to be with people who really see you and love you for who you are. A big one for me is community, and having great love in my life and a beautiful child, and really loving what I do.”
Miki Agrawal’s IVF Journey Begins
With Miki Agrawal’s penchant for blazing new ground, her decision to embark on an in-vitro fertilization (or IVF) journey is a natural progression. On July 19, 2021, Agrawal officially began this complex regimen, which is scheduled to last for two weeks. She is excited to begin the IVF process, and she retains a sense of gratitude regardless of the outcome.
Miki Agrawal has embraced disruption in every aspect of her life. She looks for ways to turn obstacles into opportunities, and she’s not afraid to break down cultural norms in the process. As she begins to write the next chapter, she encourages other women to do the same.
“We should be shifting culture and moving the world forward. With such a short amount of time on the planet, why should we care about what other people think when we know we’re acting on integrity and really trying to leave the world a better place than we entered? I just want to show everyone that we can be disrupt-hers of our own lives and help make the future better!”