Last Fall I was heading to New York City and I was supposed to go straight to a meeting upon arriving so I was all dressed up and ready to run across town when my plane landed. I only had one pair of pantyhose left at home and I only needed them for that one meeting so I thought everything would be okay. I thought wrong. My flight was delayed, my luggage didn’t arrive with my flight, and my pantyhose tore while I was getting off the plane. Uh-oh.

I wouldn’t have had this problem if I had Hoseanna.com, the first e-commerce
site to feature a flexible subscription service for hosiery and legwear products so busy women can get the hosiery they need, delivered where and when they need it. I chatted with Hoseanna Co-founders, Katrina Carroll-Foster and Tracey Solomon about their new venture:

Natalie: Where did you get the idea for Hoseanna?

Katrina: Because we knew that we would use this and our friends need it! There are various automated services for men, but so few for women. And hey, we’re pretty busy running the world, you know! We asked 450 of our closest friends a few months ago about their biggest shopping ‘pain points’. Buying pantyhose was right up there. We figured why not just automate a nuisance purchase and let women spend more time on things that really matter to them. Who knows what else we’ll add to our collection for Hoseanna this summer! We’re hoping we’ll hear from our customers about what else they want to see available on subscription.

Natalie: Is this your first business venture?

Tracey: We always loved the idea of working together given our friendship, but we had no idea how compatible we’d be as business partners. People often advise against going into business with a friend, but if you have a strong trust factor and a complementary skill set, it just works. At the end of a long day, I get to commiserate over a cocktail with my closest friend and business partner!

Natalie: Can you tell us a bit about trends and styles of pantyhose today? I talk to so many women who hate pantyhose. How have they evolved into something more fashionable than those our grandmothers wore?

Katrina: We’ve been living and breathing pantyhose for the past several months and believe me when we say there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the evolution of legwear. The thing that has impressed us the most is just how much product innovation legwear has seen over the past century. Just 60 plus years ago, women in wartime England resorted to painting seams on their legs to get that ‘polished look’. In the 80’s Hanes®’ clever L’eggs® packaging was introduced to drugstores, SPANX® slimming technology hit it big in 2000, and this year … hello Bootights! (Bootights are one of those things that make you go: why didn’t I think of that?! ) The one area we think has lagged a bit is in innovating delivery to customers. Who wants to schlep to the drugstore or department store every time they need legwear? No thanks. And that is where Hoseanna comes in!

Natalie: And what is a day like “in your heels” as you prepare to launch a new business?

Both: I think it is VERY safe to say as budding entrepreneurs; there is simply no one ‘regular’ day as we launch Hoseanna. That’s what we love! Some days we’re dressed up, downtown and meeting with investors, contractors, advisors. Others, we’re sporting our Jeggings, burning up Skype and cranking through emails. What is a constant each day: a bubbling excitement for the future, strong Americanos, and a long laugh with each other at day’s end over a glass of wine.

Natalie: Thanks ladies and best wishes with your new venture!

I’m honored to be a Hoseanna brand ambassador alongside these leading ladies in the blogosphere :

The Marathon Mom –Nichelle Pace from Style Mom
The Corporate Rookie –Kat Griffin from Corporette
The Uniform Diva –Sara Keagle from The Flying Pinto

Do you want to experience Hoseanna for yourself? Four lucky winners will win a free one-year subscription to Hoseanna! Each winner also wins a virtual style consultation with My Style Pill’s Christine Cameron to help build your best work wardrobe. Total prize packages value: $500. It ends on April 10th so enter today by heading over to the Hoseanna Facebook page. Don’t forget to give them a “like” while you’re there.

How do you feel about pantyhose? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?