VAROJ's Vanessa Lengies on Building a Startup

VAROJ's Vanessa Lengies on Building a Startup main image

VAROJ is a Southern California-based startup that is focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the retail industry. By partnering with celebrities, designers, and merchants and their preferred causes, VAROJ (https://www.varoj.org) provides an online shopping arena where consumers can purchase clothes and accessories that include a donation to a specific charity, and then share their selections through digital conversations.

The company was founded by three bright, young individuals: Rick Garcia (CTO), Frankie Scanlon (Operations), and Vanessa Lengies (Outreach). I conducted an interview with Varoj’s head of outreach Vanessa Lengies to find out more about the business idea development and the team’s transition from idea to action. Below are my findings:

1. Who developed the idea for Varoj? Where did the idea come from?

VAROJ (meaning “goods” in the universal language of Esperanto) is essentially a marketplace we’ve created to sell good goods: products that are both good in quality and good for the world! At least 10% of the retail price of each product we sell is donated to a good cause elected by the designer.

Before deciding on the name of the business and its exact model, the simple idea for a “give-shop” came to me organically while living with my best friends and roommates Frankie, Rick, and Jeffrey in sunny Venice Beach, California.

I had been living in Venice for eight years after moving from Montreal to continue acting. I always encouraged my friends to come live with me in the “beach shack” which for eight years was a revolving door of characters that were my friends. This year my “squatters” were different: all men and all ready for entrepreneurship.

Frankie has worked in advertizing for years and was looking to start his own business. Rick has years of experience working as a senior tech executive and was willing to work tirelessly, but now on his own project, and Jeffrey, who has the design chops of young hip (and legal) Martha Stewart, was looking to be more creative in his work. This year I was hired to be a recurring character on Fox’s Glee. With Glee averaging 12 million viewers per episode, it felt like I had been gifted this opportunity to reach and impact a huge demographic of people. I wanted that impact to be positive of course, and I wanted to make it a team effort involving my friends.

As a team, we wanted our impact to support a humanitarian cause. The four of us each had a cause in mind that we were individually passionate about for personal reasons, which helped us see the value in not having to choose one specific cause and instead finding a way to successfully support them all. What we developed from this is a fundraising channel for a plethora of good causes using a curated online shopping experience to incentivize giving.

VAROJ is the marketplace where good goods become good.

2. How did you know it was a good business idea?

First, it just felt right, making a business for the purpose of good.

Second, when we started researching existing e-commerce businesses we found many notable successes to inspire us, and found none quite like us. Most of these were ‘flash sale’ sites (which we decided to stay clear of) with the idea of slashing the MSRP price of their products. They can afford this because being online allows them to skirt many overhead costs of a normal brick and mortar shop. This was great news for us because it meant that we could have the donation amount in the regular price of the product without having the consumer pay any more then they would elsewhere.

We then dug around for “flaws” in these existing e-commerce sites, searching for all the ways we could improve upon their business models to bring consumers the best of the best in online shopping, while incorporating our unique “shop-give” intention.

3. What previous experience did the team have in developing a startup?

Truthfully… none, and that has been one of the most exciting part of it all!

Acting is the only “job” I’ve ever had. Frankie and Rick were both at the top of their fields and wanted to take the reigns on something new, and that’s why, even without previous experience in starting our own business, we are excelling with VAROJ.

We have developed this beautiful sleek user-friendly website and mobile app, we have 60 (and counting) merchants, designers, artisans, and celebrities with fabulous products benefitting a wide range of good causes, we have a growing team of passionate employees, and it’s all a product of a simple idea and five months time.

4. Did you reach out to any startup resources (funding, networks, etc.) or do you plan to? If so, which ones and why?

Without knowing it we started our company at the wave of a technology boom in Venice Beach! (It is now commonly referred to as Silicon Beach). There are startup companies popping up literally everyday. We found a Venice startup meeting that we have been attending to network with our fellow Venetian entrepreneurs. It has fashioned this wonderful sense of community that I don’t think we could have found elsewhere. Paralleling this resource, this year will be my second attending The Nexus: global youth summit in New York City. This time I will be presenting VAROJ.org to the group. This summit is a meeting place for the world’s young and innovative philanthropists and social entrepreneurs, and I would be fibbing if I said that Nexus wasn’t a big inspiration for creating Varoj.org.

5. Have you discovered anything unique about operating a startup in LA?

Having never operated a start up elsewhere, it’s hard to say, although I can imagine that the fast paced culture of Los Angeles inspires us to work fast and hard to achieve our goals.

6. What were your first steps in turning the idea into action?

It was really Frankie who heaved the first (and hardest) push to get the ball rolling. With his administrative and detail-oriented background, he initiated all steps necessary to legitimize VAROJ. He had us licensed, trademarked, and certified to do business online nationwide. He found us lawyers and accountants to make sure we were by the book from conception on.

7. Anything else you would like to add?

Yes! I will add this: starting your own business is what I can imagine having a baby must be like. It takes every single second of your time, every single inch of your attention, and every ounce of your love. You are the only one who can stand it, until it can stand on its own. And it will change your life forever.

About Lori Weiss

Lori Weiss recently got her MBA from HEC Montreal, where she was recently awarded the Global Citizenship Scholarship for her Campus Abroad trip to Russia. She has been involved in many activities at HEC Montreal, including her role as International Affairs Director for the student association and as an HEC Montreal team member for the Rotman CSR case competition. Prior to pursuing her MBA, Lori acquired five years of work experience as a Communications Manager for a Canadian Immigration law firm. Lori enjoys blogging and maintains her blog, Lori’s HEC Montreal MBA Experience, during her studies.