Got Your Period? Time to Call "Hello Flo"

Like many women, entrepreneur Naama Bloom hated getting her period. It always seemed to sneak up on her, leaving her rushing to the store for an assortment of pads and tampons that never quite filled the bill; until this former software subscription marketer launched HelloFlo, a mail-order tampon and pad service that sends you just what you need, just when you need it -- plus candy. The site is quickly becoming a hit with both girls and women.

"I talked to a lot of moms, and many were panicked about how to bring up this conversation with their daughters," said Bloom. "So this is a great way to get the conversation started, and to empower your daughter with a subscription that she can manage herself."

In March, Bloom launched HelloFlo, offering a one-time, $34-39 Period Starter Kit for girls, plus different packages, including the Low Flo kit with light and regular tampons for 3-4 days, plus a handful of Always pads and pantyliners for 'just in case.' The Medium Flo kit provides a few more, and the Heavy Flo kit focuses on Super and Ultra tampons. With a price range between $14-18, the monthly service is both affordable and practical, and won't leave you with a bunch of leftover products cluttering up your bathroom.

"I think of it as a mixed box of products that I wish existed in stores," said Bloom. "Right now I am only offering Tampax and Always products, but I will be adding organic products as soon as I can."

Bloom originally envisioned it as a service for teenage girls, and set about marketing it via the humorous video "The Camp Gyno." The video, available to watch below, takes a nostalgic look at summer camp and that one girl who got her period first, and became the official educator for the rest of the camp. With a committed crew of workers, Bloom began what would become a 10-month filming process.

"I had no money, so it was a bootstrap business," said Bloom. "It was supposed to be our launch video, but it took a long time to get made. Some people got paid, but not at top rate. Many worked on it for free, because they believed in the idea. We unleashed it, and who knew?"

The video is now an Internet hit, resonating with both women and girls, and opening up a dialogue between parents and their daughters about getting your period.

But Bloom also discovered that HelloFlo was a service even she could benefit from, saying, "As a woman who runs this business and is surrounded by tampons, I am still surprised when I get my period. When I was working at an office, I can't say how many times it just showed up in the middle of the day. I knew it was coming -- you can always kind of feel it -- but I wasn't always prepared."

Rather than trek through the workplace with a jumbo box of tampons or pads, women can now rely on this subscription service to remind them that "Aunt Flo" is about to pop by for a visit, and can pop the supplies in their purse. Having everything in one package also makes sense for the city girl.

"For adult women, the value is that if you are an urban dweller, you get just one small box instead of all of these products everywhere," said Bloom.

The idea to add chocolate treats to each package came from feedback from women who specifically asked for it. Although a few diabetic or gluten-free folks have criticized it, most customers were glad that the service came with candy, with Blooom saying, "It's fun to get a treat every now and then."

Although the business is new, the marketing video has caused it to grow exponentially in the past few months. Bloom was reluctant to share numbers, saying only that her daily business rate would have taken her a few months to hit before the video dropped. But she did admit that its success has caused her to look at HelloFlo differently.

"The first morning I started getting subscribers, I had to run to Costco to buy more boxes," said Bloom. "It hadn't dawned on me yet that I wasn't going to be doing this out of my kitchen anymore. But by that evening, I knew I needed a fulfillment center. I had no idea how many people were seeing this video! Now, I just want to make sure that I find the right place to keep the quality up to snuff."