Frances Tang @ Come&gone created an after-sex clean up solution for women
Come&gone is an after-sex clean up solution for women. No more ninja rolls off the bed, dripping, ruined sheets, or perpetually gooey feeling. Our mission is to normalize and solve, the everyday awkward and taboo encounters (with a dose of humor).
I stay motivated by… constantly connecting with other inspiring founders.
Three adjectives that describe me are… quirky, friendly, curious.
The most exciting innovation to me is… everything happening in femtech right now. It is so incredible to see technology being leveraged to solve problems and start conversations about issues that womxn have been facing for decades!
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur? Is having your own business something you always wanted?
When I was younger, I imagined my life as it is in the movies - somewhere in an office high rise, working for someone else. Somehow, even as I was looking for regular full time jobs, I always stumbled upon unusual positions. A majority of my corporate positions have been remote and have required a lot of on the spot thinking. In addition to this, I’ve had SOBS (Shiny Object Business Syndrome) my entire life. I was that person who was always coming up with ideas, but never executing. Once I started executing, I was hooked. I love the problem solving, creativity and constant learning. I love working for a cause and seeing ideas come to life. I never could have imagined this being my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
How did you come up with your business idea? What inspired you?
Come&gone was born out of a personal problem. A really, really personal problem. I was so tired of tactically rolling off the bed, sprinting to the bathroom, hovering over the toilet, and using gobs of toilet paper in an attempt to clean myself up after sex. Every single time I was stuck in the bathroom wiping up what felt like an endless amount of aftermath, I would wonder to myself, why hasn’t anyone come up with a solution for this?! I can’t be the only one to dread the post-sex clean up ritual?! And the distinct feeling of gushing, hours later?? THE WORST.
After hundreds of google searches and mounting frustration, I decided to create the solution myself. The more I spoke with other women about my problem, the product, and how ridiculous I thought it was that there was no hack for this, I realized I wasn’t alone. Many women just felt too awkward and embarrassed to talk about it! This fact alone is what continues to inspire me to move forward and keep going.
What were you doing before this? How did it prepare you for the entrepreneurial life?
I graduated with a degree in communications and, unsure of what I wanted to do, went into food and beverage marketing. I dabbled in a wide variety of jobs, becoming a Polynesian dancer, catering event manager, matchmaker, pastry arts assistant, background actor and wedding photographer (to name a few).
Despite so many different positions, I couldn’t shake the entrepreneurial bug. The first business I started was a pop up date night company, which ultimately evolved into a private event planning company. I then dipped my toes into the cannabis industry, and after my co-founder and I split up, I slowly voiced the idea for come&gone, which had been brewing in my mind for years. When it became apparent that this wasn’t just a “funny idea” and that it was a real problem, I mustered the courage to start the company.
Having multipotentialite and entrepreneurial tendencies has been enormously helpful in preparing me for come&gone. Even though many of the roles I’ve had are seemingly unrelated, there are an endless number of skills I’ve learned along the way that are applicable to what I am doing now. I’m a big believer in trial by fire, and learning by doing works best for me. When I was hopping around industries and stumbling my way through different business ideas, I felt lost, but looking back on it now, I couldn’t have asked for a better education to prepare myself for what I am doing now.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle for female founders? How can we overcome it?
Confidence and perfection.
Many female founders (including myself) tend to harbor uncertainty, especially if they are working on something they’ve never done before. Being a founder can be very intimidating, and this leads to a lack of confidence. The best way I’ve found to overcome the fear is to put on my startup bro hat. What I mean by this, is when I’m faced with uncertainty or lack confidence, I just try to think and make decisions the way a confident, startup bro would. Nervous about emailing that investor? A startup bro would have emailed him yesterday, and proudly talked up the new product ideas. Not sure if you should put in such a large order? A startup bro would place that order ASAP because he knows the world is going to love his product and it’s going to be a hit.
On perfection - I think a lot of female founders tend to want things to be perfect, myself included. This makes it really hard to take action because there are always ways to improve whatever it is you are working on. Knowing and understanding that things can be changed, and the only way to move forward is to put something out there, has helped me overcome this.
What is one thing you find to be true that most people would disagree with?
EQ over IQ.
What are some pros and cons of having (OR not having) entrepreneurial parents?
My father is an entrepreneur, and yes, he knows exactly what I am doing. It has been overwhelmingly helpful as he has been able to act as an advisor and champion for the company and cause. Although he is in an entirely different industry, I’ve been able to learn from his experiences and it has brought us closer. From helping me pick up my first shipment to telling me the things that are hard to hear, the pros have far outweighed the cons. The only cons are that he is able to say “I told you so” when I sometimes don’t follow his advice!