Why does anybody want to join something? They do it because it represents something that resonates with that person. For Zyrra, that something is our culture and our “why.” As the CEO and co-founder of that culture, that stems in part from why I’ve worked to create this company. In other words, my personal “why” impacts everything about who works with me, and who joins us in any capacity (Fit Specialist, Hostess, Supplier, advisor, investor, employee, board member, etc.)

As a guy, my “why” is not a problem I have with bras – I don’t wear them. My “why” is the same as the day I got involved with the Zyrra concept. It has to do with the responses from the 500 women I spoke with about their bras. I realized (1) there are a lot of women who are suffering every day, and (2) they don’t have any real solution to that suffering. I believed that I could help and that this was an opportunity to revolutionize something big.

So I took a sewing class, learned to sew, and spent several years sewing prototypes and building software, finding suppliers, and finding people. Along the way I learned something else: direct selling, done right, is an incredibly powerful selling channel, both for scaling a company and for positively affecting many lives.

We won the Mass Challenge competition at the end of 2010, and the criterion for the judging was simple: IMPACT. I do what I do every day because I believe that we can make an impact, a big one, helping women everywhere feel better and stand taller. We do this by providing opportunities to set goals, connect and be part of an inspiring culture, and to earn money. Oh, and we also make beautiful bras that fit and work better.

That’s my why.

By Derek Ohly