Demond Crump knows what it’s like to launch a business and see it falter. He knows the pain of losing everything financially, plus the embarrassment of seeing a company fail and the impact on others. It’s a feeling that he let other people down, he said. But he wasn’t going to let those difficult circumstances get in the way of trying again.
“We stayed focused by eating right, exercising and surrounding ourselves with people that loved us,” Crump said. That perseverance paid off, and today Cump is CEO and co-founder of Reign Premium Sanitary Napkins.
“Reign was worth the risk for us because, for the first time in business, we knew there was a purpose that was bigger than the money,” he said. “Healthy monthly cycles and helping with incontinence issues was far more important to tackle than the fear of whether we can do it again.”
Reign Premium Sanitary Napkins offers sanitary napkins and panty liners for women and young girls. “Our products are infused with the Nobel Prize-winning material, Graphene, and our super-absorbent absorbency system designed to keep our women and young girls comfortable and dry,” the company said.
In 3.5 years, Reign has turned a $6 product into $15 million in total revenue.
“I have to be honest. I go through a lot being a man who is passionate and relentless about sharing the Reign experience told through the eyes of our customer base,” Crump said. “Women mock me. They feel like I shouldn’t be sharing anything about this product, ‘Why is a man the CEO?’ Through all of these hurdles, none of these things breaks my spirit of moving Reign forward. I am so proud of what we have been able to do with no big-box store sales or shelf space, no big social media following.”
The company has big goals on the horizon. It is expanding into Africa, Mexico and Canada and is exploring Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Liberia and Grenada as well. It has set a goal of 277,778 customers per month, which would make it a $100 million company.
Crump’s company is FDA-registered, certified by the National Minority Supplier Development Council and the National Veteran-Owned Business Association and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. It was recently featured in Essence and Femi, and Rolling Out magazine hailed Reign as the No. 1 family-operated sanitary napkin company in the U.S. Crump recently hosted the E-3 Summit in Atlanta for 600 entrepreneurs that came from around the U.S. to learn the ins and outs of being an entrepreneur.
“One of my biggest accomplishments is having a reputation for being honest and transparent in the business world among my colleagues and peers,” Crump said. “Telling my story and how we are succeeding without being pompous and pretentious is one of my biggest accomplishments that I am proud of more than any award or news article.”
