Anne Butterly, CEO and Founder, Easydry
Anne Butterly is the CEO and Founder of Easydry. Anne's mission is to create a range of innovative, eco-friendly textiles to revolutionise industries that depend upon cotton, plastic and foil. One of her most successful products is the Easydry disposable towel, a biodegradable/compostable towel that replaces outdated cotton and inefficient, traditional laundry. The Easydry towel was launched almost fifteen years ago and has achieved coveted FSC Certification. Since then, the Easydry product range has expanded, and Easydry has grown to have a presence in more than twenty countries and to save millions of gallons of water globally each year.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
I love using LinkedIn. It is a fantastic platform to access information across industries, companies and countries. It is also a really great way to build connections through the shared network.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I am the CEO and Founder of Easydry. I have a passion for innovation and the environment, and I love to create sustainable products that out-perform what is currently on the market.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
I love to problem-solve. My role is to create innovative and sustainable solutions to problems in sectors like salons, gyms, hotels and retail. My passion is creating a new product and bringing it to the market. This allows me to be creative in areas from product development right through to marketing.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
My mother, a former teacher, always endorsed education. My father, an entrepreneur, always wanted me to work for myself. I managed to follow the valuable advice from both parents. I went to college, got some commercial experience in other companies and then founded Easydry. This combination of education, life experience, and entrepreneurial spirit led me to set up my own company.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
Driving change motivates me. I have a passion for the environment, and I love to create innovative sustainable products. I also love to build strong relationships around the globe with like-minded people who inspire me. I constantly look at industries and ask: "is there a simple, better way to do this?"
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I am very proud of founding Easydry over 15 years ago. I have launched an innovative and sustainable range of products that are driving change around the globe. My range enables our customers to save water, energy, time and money while offering increased levels of hygiene.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
I am very sociable, and I love to connect with people. My preferred way to connect is to be introduced to people through my network. My first instinct is to work out how we can help each other and to forge a genuine connection. For me, it is not about the number of connections; it is about building genuine relationships. Some of the people I met when I founded Easydry are still connections and customers; I believe in building long-term working relationships.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Determination, enthusiasm and integrity. I have a passion for learning which keeps me driven, open to change and innovation.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I wish I'd had more confidence in my own knowledge and skill-set at the beginning of my career. These have served me well. I wish I had known that I could look to others for guidance but that I could rely on my own intuition to make decisions.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I really admire creative individuals who have taken an idea and brought it to the market; to have the drive to see it through and launch a new product and category is extremely rare. I love industry disruptors: Dyson, Apple, Uber, etc. I am inspired by people who look at what is currently there and manage to change the industry completely.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I love to travel. Travel really does broaden the mind and change how we think. I am passionate about photography and nature. My family and friends are really important to me, and I love to build long-term friendships.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
In a lot of ways, COVID-19 has been beneficial for Easydry. A large number of companies and consumers are now more aware of the need for hygienic and sustainable alternatives. The demand for Easydry products has increased in all sectors globally. Hygiene and sustainability are the new five-star gold standard!
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Mentorship has always been close to my heart. At the beginning of Easydry, I had a mentor from Enterprise Ireland who helped me to set up the UK as my first international market. Since then, I have taken part in programmes like Vital Voices, which promote mentorship, female entrepreneurship and empowerment.
These programmes and networks have been invaluable. Peer-to-peer mentoring has been essential over the last 12 months, plus executive coaching. This goes back to my passion for continuous learning; I believe we should never stop learning and growing.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Always follow your passions. In life and in business, it is important to do something you love and that you care about. Once you have identified what that is, it is crucial to learn as much as you can. I love to be educated on the areas that are important to me. If I am talking about sustainability, I like to educate myself and keep up to date with the most recent reports, trends and products.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
People sometimes have unrealistic expectations. They don't fully understand how much work or time something will involve. That is why it is crucial to do something you love in that way; you will always find more time and energy when you need it.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"We are not made wise by the recollection of the past, but the responsibility for our future" - George Bernard Shaw.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
I love industry disruptors like Dyson, Apple, Netflix and Tesla. I love the innovation, drive, passion and creativity that these companies show.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
For me, the question is: have I built a business and legacy that I can be proud of? People, the planet and profit are always at the heart of what I do. There is no point in building a huge company that destroys the planet. I focus on the Triple Bottom Line. Will I leave the world a better place than I found it? I hope so.