How I Built Resilience: Live with Susan Griffin-Black

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: In this Facebook Live excerpt, EO Products founder Susan Griffin-Black explains how her company pivoted almost entirely to hand sanitizer and hand soap during COVID-19, restructured operations for safety, and prioritized frontline distribution and donations. She also reflects on supply chain resilience, hiring, and how the crisis may reshape personal health habits and self-care.

Main Topics: COVID-19 business pivot to essential products (Priority: 5/5): EO shifted production away from its broader body, skin, and hair care lines to focus almost entirely on hand sanitizer and hand soap in response to urgent public need. Workplace safety and staffing changes (Priority: 5/5): The company implemented daily health checks, social distancing, masks, goggles, and staggered shifts; office staff were redirected into operational roles like e-commerce shipping. Demand surges and operational stability (Priority: 4/5): Susan says the crisis created unusual stability because EO knows exactly what it needs to make, though demand is overwhelming and capacity remains insufficient. Supply chain management and ingredient sourcing (Priority: 4/5): The conversation covers global sourcing challenges, inventory expansion, and multiple alcohol supply options, including EO’s long-term preference for organic sugarcane alcohol from Brazil. Donations and frontline support (Priority: 5/5): EO donates sanitizer to emergency rooms, first responders, local governments, Lyft drivers, and local community sites, with Susan personally distributing products where she sees need. Self-care, wellness, and changing priorities (Priority: 4/5): Susan argues the pandemic is prompting people to slow down, rethink priorities, and adopt practical self-care habits such as tea, fresh air, meditation, and hot showers. Long-term behavior change around health and hygiene (Priority: 3/5): She suggests handwashing and clean hands may become as routine and culturally embedded as brushing teeth, signaling a lasting shift in public health habits.

Key Arguments: EO’s pivot to sanitizer and soap was both a business necessity and a moral response to public need, especially for first responders and healthcare workers. Maintaining worker safety through protocols and reassignments is essential to sustaining production during the pandemic. Increased demand provides a form of stability, even though it is operationally daunting because EO cannot meet all orders. Supply chain risk is being managed through close vendor communication, inventory expansion, and flexibility in ingredient sourcing. The company views donation and direct community distribution as part of its responsibility, not just institutional sales. The pandemic may reset consumer priorities toward health, calm, and meaningful daily routines. Self-care should be simple and accessible: short breaks, fresh air, tea, meditation, and hot water rituals can reduce stress.

Data Points: Production focus: Mostly hand sanitizers, supported by hand soap - EO devoted nearly all production to pandemic-essential products. Work-from-home share: Two-thirds - Susan said two-thirds of employees were working from home while production staff stayed on site. Donation to Lyft: 200,000 hand sanitizers - EO donated sanitizer to Lyft so drivers and riders would be safer. Inventory plan: Quadrupling inventory - The company committed to rapidly increasing inventory in certain items. Product sourcing region: Brazil - EO’s preferred organic alcohol supply comes from sugarcane in Brazil. Interview date reference: Friday, April 10th - The host promoted an upcoming live conversation with Tristan Walker. Local safety practice: Daily check-ins and check-ups - Used as part of workplace health monitoring for on-site staff.

Pivotal Quotes: "we are an excluded employer. Because we're making only hand sanitizers and hand soap." — Susan Griffin-Black: Explaining why many workers were still on-site during the pandemic. "if we're not getting hand sanitizer to first-time responders, then what are we doing?" — Susan Griffin-Black: Describing the ethical urgency behind reallocating product distribution. "Will be like brushing your teeth." — Susan Griffin-Black: Her prediction that hand hygiene will become a routine lifelong habit.

Implications: The episode shows how consumer brands can rapidly retool for public need, while highlighting the importance of safety, flexible supply chains, and community aid. It also suggests the pandemic may permanently raise hygiene awareness and normalize simpler self-care habits.