$100M BRAND STORY

The $50K Toilet Sit That Built a Brand

How do you make people care about toilets? You make them laugh first.

That’s the strategy behind Who Gives a Crap (WGAC), the irreverent Aussie-born brand that turned the humble roll into a global symbol of conscious commerce. The hook? They donate 50% of profits to build toilets and improve sanitation for the 2.3 billion people who live without them.

And yes, their co-founder literally sat on a toilet for 50 hours during their Indiegogo campaign until they hit their $50K goal. Spoiler alert: they did—in 50 hours flat. From that moment, WGAC became more than a TP brand. It became a movement.

Are They Funded or Bootstrapped?

WGAC launched with pure grit and crowdfunding magic. For nearly a decade, they stayed independent, growing a sustainable, profitable DTC engine with recycled and bamboo TP as their hero product.

In 2021, they raised their first-ever $41.5M Series A from mission-aligned investors like Verlinvest, but only after proving that purpose-driven businesses could grow and give at scale.

Their Origin Story

Simon Griffiths turned down a consulting job at McKinsey to chase social impact. After years working in the developing world, he was struck by a simple yet shocking truth: lack of sanitation kills more people than many diseases we hear about—but no one talks about it.

The solution? Sell a better toilet paper and use the profits to fund toilets. Together with co-founders Danny Alexander and Jehan Ratnatunga, WGAC was born: a design-forward, eco-conscious, and fun-as-hell brand on a mission.

Core Customer Base

WGAC has nailed product-market-mission fit with:

• Millennials and Gen Z who value sustainability and humor

• Parents seeking plastic-free essentials

• Conscious consumers who want easy swaps for everyday items

• Businesses and offices going green

Their customers don’t just buy—they brag. People literally post pics of their TP on Instagram. It’s that good-looking.

How Did They Grow So Sustainably?

1. Hockey Stick During COVID

During the March 2020 toilet paper frenzy, WGAC's daily sales hit 27 rolls/second. Within days, they had 500K people on a waitlist, and rather than chase profit, they prioritized their existing subscribers, reinforcing trust when it mattered most​.

2. Humor-Driven DTC

They turned a commodity into a conversation piece. From “emergency rolls” to punny packaging, their product is optimized for word-of-mouth and bathroom virality.

3. Global with Local Ops

Though production is mainly in China, they run redundant supply chains across multiple continents and have teams in Australia, LA, and the Philippines. This allows for 24/7 ops and quick adaptation to disruption.

4. Empathy-Centered Brand Ethos

Simon said it best: “We’re in the business of delight.” Whether that’s customer support, design, or social mission, delight is baked into the business model.

Key Milestones

• 2012: Launched via viral Indiegogo campaign (raised $50K in 50 hours)

• 2016: Donated $1M+ to sanitation charities

• 2019: Expanded to the UK and US markets

• 2020: Built a 500K+ waitlist during COVID panic buying

• 2021: Raised $41.5M in Series A funding

• 2024: Surpassed $11M in donations and scaled globally

Their Influencer Marketing Mix

WGAC doesn’t do typical influencer marketing. Instead, they:

• Encourage UGC (user-generated content) with witty, colorful packaging

• Partner with climate orgs and comedians who align with their tone

• Turn customers into evangelists (especially during high-visibility moments like COVID)

They also launched creative collabs like the Play Edition (featuring whimsical characters on wrappers) and Poetry Rolls—elevating design into art and making TP a conversation starter​.

Their Marketing X-Factor

Copywriting and creativity. Period.

From viral launch videos to a full-page ad printed during the pandemic that doubled as emergency TP, they’re the kings of turning limitations into laughable moments. Their secret sauce?

• Treating their creative team like an in-house agency

• Empowering every department to “brief in” to creative

• Prioritizing surprise, delight, and delightfully weird design

Takeaways for Wellness Brand Operators

• Design for joy—even boring products can spark delight with the right design.

• Subscription is utility + experience. Let customers pause, skip, and adjust easily.

• Purpose can scale—if baked in early. Start with a mission model that’s sustainable and investor-viable.

• Copywriting is your silent salesperson. Invest in it like a growth channel.

• Run toward pressable moments. Be bold, funny, or vulnerable—but above all, be shareable.

Did WGAC story inspire you?

P.S. Thinking about implementing some of these strategies in your own brand?
Let’s talk.

The Weight of Purpose

Lately, I’ve felt this quiet heaviness.

Not burnout exactly. But a deeper kind of friction.

Purpose has been sitting heavy on my heart.

I’ve been questioning a lot of the things I used to move through on autopilot — routines, roles, even the kind of work I’ve said yes to without hesitation. Much of it is starting to feel... hollow. Like the energy I’m putting in isn’t matching what I get back.

And I’ve realised: I can’t ignore that anymore.

I’m at a point where I don’t just want to create things that work. I want to create things that mean something. Not just perform well or check a box — but carry essence. Depth. Truth.

At the same time, I get it. Alignment isn’t always convenient. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do. The world doesn’t always wait for perfect clarity or ideal timing.

But doing misaligned work every single day?

That’s a slow soul death.

So I’ve been reflecting on what truly matters to me. The thread that keeps coming back is this:

If you care deeply about the sacredness of the human body, you’ll naturally care about the environment.

Because how we treat ourselves mirrors how we treat the world.
Disconnection from self leads to disconnection from nature.
Internal chaos creates external misalignment.

I care about wellbeing. Holistic wellbeing.
Wellbeing that sees the human experience and the planetary experience as intertwined — because they are.
One cannot thrive without the other.

This isn’t just about work.
It’s about what we’re working toward.
And who we’re becoming as we build.

Which is why I’ve shifted how I work too.

Right now, I’m only working closely with founders who are led by purpose.
Founders who are obsessed with their product — not just for product’s sake, but because they know what they’ve built can truly change people’s lives.
Product people who now need that product in the hands of more people, at scale, without losing the soul of what they’ve built.

If that’s you, or someone you know — I’d love to hear from you.

And for everyone else feeling the weight of purpose in your chest right now, I see you. You’re not alone.

Until next time,
Kunlé

P.S. If this resonates, feel free to forward it or reply. These aren’t just ideas — they’re shifts that shape how we build, how we live, and how we show up.