Simon Huck, Judy: Preparing for the Unexpected – Well Made E117

The very nature of an emergency is that you don't know when it's coming. It's this vast unknown that paralyzes most people from making plans for worst-case scenarios. Simon Huck, CEO and co-founder of Judy says that people who are unprepared often fall victim to thinking that emergencies could never happen to them or being overwhelmed by all the preparation that has to be done. Judy’s emergency kits and preparedness content are setting out to change that. 

Judy launched weeks before the spike in coronavirus cases in the U.S. On one hand, a pandemic is certainly a worst-case scenario, so the prevalence of an emergency is not hard to imagine. But on the other hand, Simon and his team had a huge responsibility to build a genuine brand that isn't fueled by hysteria, but instead, guided by facts.

In this episode, Simon shares how bite-sized guidance plays a huge part in preparedness, how COVID-19 affected their supply chain, and plans for expanding their product line.

Sixty percent of American families have no emergency plan or supplies in place. Simon shares exactly why we're so unprepared (0:24). Judy isn't the first emergency kit on the market, so they did a lot of research, talking to people to find out why they don't have plans or equipment for emergencies. It wasn't surprising that people either think they won't encounter an emergency, or that the task of preparation is too overwhelming. What was surprising was the type of disaster people are most worried about (6:48)

Launching during a pandemic meant that the Judy team had to be extra sensitive and aware of their unique responsibility during this time (10:15). The good news is, Judy isn't just an emergency kit. Information is a huge component of Judy's offering. The team sends out free texts with preparedness tips to a list of folks taking incremental steps (14:28)

Simon talks about how his background in entertainment management led him to creating Judy (29:27). He shares the relief organizations that helped to inform the kit and what you can do to give back, even when you're not the one affected by a disaster (26:52). COVID-19 had effects on the Judy supply chain, just like it did on most others, but that didn't slow them down. Simon shares plans for new products that they're developing (28:57). Finally, Simon dishes out some PR and marketing expertise, sharing guidance on influencer marketing, brand evangelists, and celebrity endorsements.

Also mentioned on this episode: 

• Bill Gates's TED Talk: How we must respond to the coronavirus pandemic
• Obama era preparedness documents: Trump team failed to follow NSC’s pandemic playbook
• 2019 FEMA National Preparedness Report