Female Founders: Krystal Gillis of Tighties On the Five Things You Need to Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Doug Noll

Not everyone needs to like everything about you. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. No one is perfect. Not everyone will love or appreciate everything you have to offer. But be confident and intentional with who you are and know that every trait you have that someone sees as a downfall, makes you who you are. I’ve had several people (often males) call me abrasive. This used to bother me, but I’ve now learned that this just means I’m incredibly assertive. This is a quality that I love about myself and one of the many that make me good at my job.

As a part of our series about Women Founders, we had the pleasure of interviewing Krystal Gillis.

Krystal Gillis, the founder and CEO of Tighties™ orthopedic activewear, is a seasoned entrepreneur and business leader. Krystal’s career trajectory has been a dynamic blend of entrepreneurial ventures and corporate experience from sales for a large payroll company to founding her first business in payroll software at the young age of 24. After successfully building and eventually selling her first venture, she transitioned to corporate roles in the medical devices sector, contributing her skills at Abbott and Stryker. In 2017, seeking a balance, she took on a consulting role, overseeing the launch of five companies, three products and a foundation before the inception of Tighties™ in 2022 during her work on a product launch for an orthopedic company in San Diego.

As the driving force behind Tighties™, Krystal is deeply involved every aspect of the business from product development and project management to overseeing finances, sales and pipeline management. With a strong focus on health and wellness, she created Tighties™ for anyone committed to an active lifestyle.

Despite the challenges, Krystal finds gratification in the small wins that accumulate to move mountains. Her favorite aspect of the job lies in the daily decisions that contribute to the company’s success. A firm believer in the adage “A rising tide lifts all boats,” Krystal brings not only her expertise but also a compassionate and visionary approach to the business landscape.

With a strong educational foundation, Krystal earned her Bachelor of Arts from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She currently resides in San Diego, California.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

For the last 16 years, I’ve weaved in and out of entrepreneurship and corporate roles. I’ve crossed various industries from human capital software to medical devices to direct-to-consumer hair products. Every step of the way has been a journey full of learning opportunities and chances to uncover who I am, both in business and as a person. After working on a commercialization plan for an orthopedic product launch, I was engaged in the idea of wearable products centered around muscle engagement versus muscle off-loading. From there, Tighties™ was born.

After beginning design and product prototypes, the question became, “How far could a product like this reach?” The answer has been resounding — everywhere! Keeping lifelong athletes active by helping muscle mobility and pain management, offering extra muscle activation and strengthening for busy parents or providing support to younger people looking to optimize their endurance — this is just the tip of the iceberg in wearable technology.

Tighties™ is the first to market in orthopedic activewear for pain management and muscle conditioning, integrating patent-pending adjustable support technology into activewear so consumers experience less pain and more gain in their everyday activities.

Throughout my life, I’ve explored numerous ventures and experiences, all of which have brought me to where I am today. It’s important to embrace the process along the way, because you never know when all of the things you’ve done can bring you to an opportunity that allows you to combine all your expertise and knowledge into one project. The fields I’ve worked in and the connections I’ve made have ultimately taken me on a path that led straight to Tighties™. While this has been the most inspiring and exciting realm I’ve ever been a part of, I think it also had a lot to do with the timing of where I was as a person and my ability to build this company from the ground up.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

Rather than one particular story, it’s been a combination of experiences. I’ve been floored and humbled by the amount of incredible people who are willing to share their own stories, offer feedback and provide support for myself and Tighties™. At the end of all of my meetings, I always try to ask, “Do you know of anyone else that might be helpful for me to talk to?” While it doesn’t happen every time, most people have at least one additional person they can connect me with, and the result of those subsequent conversations has been astonishing. These interactions have led me to business leaders, authors and industry pioneers who have then taken the time to sit down and share words of wisdom, additional contacts and company involvement that helps us flourish.

I don’t know why, but the willingness of these already busy humans has been surprising and delightful to me. More often than not, someone knows someone who can help, and with each new interaction, your experience gets deeper, better and more layered. Years ago, a good friend of mine said to me, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” The support I’ve witnessed from others is a true embodiment of this and I now say it to myself daily.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

As have many other entrepreneurs, I’ve made plenty of mistakes throughout my career. Most of them didn’t feel funny at the time, but I laugh when I look back now. All I know is that the things you overthink tend to turn out just fine and even make for a great story — I once accidentally said “love you” to a CEO at the end of a phone call out of habit! With time, everything passes. Since Tighties™ is still very much in its early stages, I’m not laughing at any mistakes quite yet, but I’m sure I’ll be able to report back down the road with a funny one we made along the way!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Thankfully, there have been a lot of tides rising my boat throughout the years. It’s no secret that developing products and launching a company is hard. I think it’s crucial to raise awareness of the importance of building a team who can help you tackle your mountain, one step at a time.

While there have been many helping me, my family has by far been my backbone — my dad in particular. Listening to my rollercoaster of triumphs and defeats has been his lifelong job, but he has been working double duty over the last few years. I call him to help me problem solve; I call him crying when things get hard and when I achieve my biggest wins. He always has a calm tone, acts as a sounding board and reminds me that, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” I can trust him to be transparent with me when I might need to evaluate my behavior or attitude. Being a founder and CEO is abundant with joyful moments and extremely hard times — both of which are equally important in the journey. My support team inspires me to acknowledge those hard times and announce to the world, “This is overwhelming, but tomorrow I’m going to take one more step up the mountain!”

Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

20% of companies have women founders. What is holding women back?

While the answer to this question is complex (and infuriating!), I think the simple way to look at it is that the state of our current society is restricting women and minorities from launching businesses and following their dreams. The general population is blissfully unaware of the true discrepancies in access to funding, mentors and tools necessary to become a female founder. 20% is an overwhelmingly terrible number to consider as progress.

However, where there’s a downfall, there’s also an opportunity for change. There is so much room to raise awareness around these issues and help people step out of their comfort zone to encourage, support and fund women founders. This starts with leaders taking the time to dig deep, reflect on their own inherent biases and ask themselves, “Am I paying attention to the still prevalent issues women are facing? And am I going out of my way to help fix them?” If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

I highly recommend the documentary, “Show Her the Money.” The film highlights these struggles and discrepancies that female founders face and is working hard to make these conversations mainstream — something we should all be working towards as a society.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

While I think every single human should be doing something to address these obstacles, I would like to focus on what can be done today: females need to become founders, and then they need to bring other females and female allies with them on the journey. Once they become successful and have the means, they need to put effort and money back into supporting more female founders. When I started my career, it often felt like females were pitted against each other. While this has certainly changed over the years, there’s still a long way to go. We must continue to strive for success, but then turn around and lift others up.

It’s important for people to work on policy or raise awareness of certain issues, but the fastest way to make change is to be the change. The only way we will truly see significant impact is if we tackle this mountain together, one female founder at a time.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder, but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Outside of my passion for the next generation of women rising, females should become founders simply because they’re good at it. According to First Round Capital, companies with at least one female founder outperform companies with male-only founders by 63%. While it’s ironic that we have to hustle harder for money, let it be a source of reassurance that we’re wired for success. Females are proven to be more collaborative, make decisions with more deliberation around risk and have the tendency to operate more efficiently. The proof is in the pudding, which is why we must focus on lifting up female founders and providing them with the same resources and tools to thrive that we give men.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

Myth: The hardest part of being a founder is securing funding. While funding your business is undoubtedly challenging, it’s achievable. What proves to be even more difficult is establishing the necessary support network to endure the journey. Renowned successful women such as Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, often emphasize the isolation and loneliness that can come with building a prosperous company. Anticipate and accept this solitude as a natural part of your growth phase in both your career and life. People focused solely on financial aspects or friends who aren’t wired the same as you may not comprehend or relate to your experiences. Seek out a team that genuinely supports you throughout the process and actively connect with like-minded individuals facing similar challenges. Events like the Women’s Venture Summit can serve as valuable and affordable starting points to build a network of people doing the same things they’re doing.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

The main trait that it takes to be a founder is persistence. Where there’s a will, there’s a way and there are multiple paths to get there. A founder needs to have the audacity to persist — if you don’t keep going even when it feels impossible, it won’t matter.

There have been many times over the last six months where I’ve questioned myself and wanted to give up. But then I let the feeling pass and wake up the next day recharged to keep pushing and achieve greatness. That’s where success comes from — every person who has been in my shoes has had doubts but ultimately maintained the will to keep going.

It’s important to remember, doors will close, so you have to find the window. And then your window will close, so you have to find the crack. Keep looking for solutions and persist.

Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

Understand that you’re fighting against these biases but don’t let it slow you down, let it inspire you. It can feel overwhelming to know that you must work exponentially harder than your male counterpart but take it as a challenge to pave the way for future generations. Remember that it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them, so if you put your head down and keep working, you’ll find your way.

If you’re raising money, educate yourself on the stats behind the dollars available to you. I found a huge sense of relief when I heard how many more “no’s” females were getting compared to men. I also dug deeper to understand what dollars to expect when I got a “yes” compared to my male counterparts. It’s easy to work with numbers once they’re identified. For example, if I have to present to 15 more contacts to get to a “yes,” and upon that “yes,” I will only receive 35% of the funds a male would get, then I need to figure out exactly how many people I need to present to in order to get the dollars I’m aiming to raise. Though it’s more work and an unfortunate reality, it makes my journey controllable by me and my effort, not the bias society places on me.

Journal. Write down your losses and your wins. When you experience a big loss, you can go back and remember that it’s just the valley to the next peak on your journey. Eventually, the valleys don’t hit as hard or hurt as much because you know a peak is on the horizon. And when you’re at your peaks, it’s important to remember where you came from.

Build YOUR team. From the personal support team to the internal company team you build, choose quality over quantity. There can be pressure to bring someone on as an advisor, investor or employee because of “who” they are or where their experience lies, but stay true to your instincts on what is a good fit for you and your company. Think about who is truly going to support you and be confident in those choices.

Not everyone needs to like everything about you. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. No one is perfect. Not everyone will love or appreciate everything you have to offer. But be confident and intentional with who you are and know that every trait you have that someone sees as a downfall, makes you who you are. I’ve had several people (often males) call me abrasive. This used to bother me, but I’ve now learned that this just means I’m incredibly assertive. This is a quality that I love about myself and one of the many that make me good at my job.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

This is a work in progress and a task that should never end. We all have a responsibility to decide what we’re going to contribute to society and never stop. Make it your mission to keep going and keep helping, no matter how high up you might get.

For me, my passion is around empowering females. Providing mentorship, connections, resources and money to help women succeed. Right now, that’s centered around talking to others about the lessons I have learned as a female founder, as well as supporting organizations like The Stella Foundation. I hope to expand that contribution year after year.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would be passionate about inspiring a movement that encourages individuals to introspectively examine the motivations behind their actions and, in turn, propel them to become people of action. It’s about instigating a mindset shift where individuals actively consider the impact of their choices and behaviors.

This philosophy holds resonance for women in business who often find themselves going above and beyond. The envisioned movement seeks to take this ethos to the next level, pushing for proactive engagement and a commitment to being part of the solution. While the exact blueprint for inspiring a movement of this sort may not be fully formed, the core idea revolves around fostering a collective understanding of the responsibility we all bear in shaping a positive and impactful world.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in business, VC funding, sports, and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the U.S. with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I previously mentioned Sara Blakely as a pinnacle of female founder success. I admire her drive, passion and unapologetic nature. She’s loud and proud of who she is, and she did it all on her own. We both live in California, so I’m hoping our paths actually do cross one day!

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.