120. HiBar Founders Nora and Jay Schaper and Ward Johnson

By All Means

Nora and Jay Schaper are serial entrepreneurs with a big idea: rid the world of single use plastic bottles—starting in the bathroom. Experts told them salon-quality shampoo couldn’t be produced in solid form, but that only made them more determined to come up with a winning formula. They did, and HiBar launched in 2018. The line, which has grown to include face wash and deodorant as well as solid shampoo and conditioner, is now sold in more than 10,000 stores. To date, HiBar says it has eliminated nearly 5 million plastic bottles and conserved over 800,000 gallons of water. To turn their product into a successful business, the Schapers partnered with an entrepreneur experienced in consumer brands: Ward Johnson, who built and sold the pet food brand, Sojos. A fourth founder is no longer involved. We talk to the three partners about the challenges of building a mission driven business, from engineering to marketing. “People who are committed to sustainability are willing to make sacrifices…but don’t mess with my face and hair,” Johnson says. “We realized quickly: the product needs to not just be sustainable, it needs to perform as good or better than salon quality, professional grade products.” Following the conversation, we go Back to the Classroom with the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business where Jason M. Pattit is a professor of management. He talks about the added challenge for mission-based businesses. “There’s a dual tension that happens in the growth phase where you’re trying to scale quickly, which may mean sacrificing mission.”