Written for EO by Kirsten Quigley, the founder and CEO of LunchSkins, a company that manufactures dishwasher-safe reusable bags, and new recyclable and sealable paper bags for food on-the-go. Troubled by the ongoing reports of plastic waste ruining our environment, Kirsten transformed her passion into a business. She shares the twists and turns along her journey so far, how she reinvented her business, and why she’s feeling particularly positive about her future today. 

Entrepreneurship is a contact sport. I’ve weathered plenty of ups and downs, lost key customers, survived production disasters, endured the rising cost of goods, and watched the market flood with competition—and that was just in my first six years! But recently, I’m feeling particularly strong and optimistic because I think we’re finally on a sustainable growth path with a winning set of products … and it feels so good.

Let’s rewind to just a few years ago: I had watched my consumer product company grow from a home-based startup to a multimillion-dollar brand in just three years.