A new CBD company empowers women to take control of their bodies, their minds, and their careers.
In the 1940s, an ingenious duo formed what the world would come to know as Tupperware. Inventor Earl Tupper and saleswoman Brownie Wise launched the highly acclaimed household brand and the company’s name would soon become the most recognized kitchen brand no mom could do without. Wise’s business savvy and marketing strategy would be what would set the brand apart from everyone else, and Tupper’s lid, patented in 1945, changed the game for food storage throughout America.
The lid’s mechanism made it a difficult sell in the beginning, but Wise saw an extraordinary opportunity and seized it. The Tupperware party, which eventually became a cultural icon, was Wise’s brainchild. In 1951, Tupper hired Wise as his vice president of marketing, an unprecedented position for a woman, says Bob Kealing, author of Life of the Party: The Remarkable Story of How Brownie Wise Built, and Lost, a Tupperware Party Empire.
Amanda Goetz – Founder of House of Wise
Those Tupperware parties are what inspired the creation of the cannabis and CBD company House of Wise (named after Brownie Wise). The company’s founder, Amanda Goetz, was at the pinnacle of her career as vice president of marketing for The Knot Worldwide. The wedding resource company was acquired in 2017, and the workplace upheaval combined with a flurry of other factors—the end of an 11-year marriage and a sudden leap into single motherhood—led to a career deep dive and a whole lot of self-discovery.
Wise’s story is what inspired Goetz to create House of Wise, which is modeled on the Tupperware business playbook of empowering women to move their own financial needle. I had the opportunity to talk with Goetz in an honest interview about how she took control of her life and her career, all while raising three children.
What prompted you to create such an ambitious company?
Three years ago, I had three kids under the age of five, was at the height of my career, The Knot was being acquired, and I was in the middle of a divorce. I had never touched cannabis but turned to it, secretly, out of desperation—and it worked. Removing stigmas and empowering women to take control of their sleep, sex, stress, and wealth became my mission. As I became more educated on the differences of CBD and THC, I started talking to my friends about it and how much it was helping me deal with everything on my plate. The responses were mixed. Here’s what I discovered: The stigma’s still present. The market was confusing. The 1:1 convo was necessary.
Tell us about the Tupperware inspo.
House of Wise was named in honor of Brownie Wise. She created a feminist movement and empire for Earl Tupper. When she asked for more money and an executive seat, he fired her and sold the company a few months later for $16 million in 1958, and Wise got zero. I came across her story while on a work trip to India in March (right as COVID was starting), and I was spending a lot of time contemplating my place and mission in the world. I was reading about women who helped other women, and Wise’s story stuck with me. I knew within a minute that I would call it House of Wise.
Amanda Goetz – Founder of House of Wise
What has been your greatest challenge so far?
COVID. The guilt parents face right now is tremendous and exhausting. We are either neglecting the kids’ knocks on the door to crank out work or slacking on a project to be present for our kids. I try being present and focused on the thing I’m doing and then shut out the other things until a task is complete.
How have CBD and cannabis improved your overall sense of well-being, and life as a mom?
I stopped drinking alcohol at night, which gives me more energy the next day to do the things that help me, like working out. My brain goes a mile a minute and cannabis helps to slow it down. I need the help. CBD helps me to take the edge off at a time where everything is keeping us on edge.
What lyrics inspire you?
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” by Kelly Clarkson. I’m super prolific. But seriously, I’ve been through so much in my life from infertility to miscarriage to divorce to single motherhood to a failed start-up. I’ve learned to grow through every challenge and come out more self-aware and appreciative of all I can handle.
What do you believe makes House of Wise so impactful to women?
I think it’s the first time we are acknowledging that we need help, collectively. Most of the stuff we read and see doesn’t shed light on the shit we all went through to get to the place where we feel comfortable asking for help. Social media is still a highlight reel of influencers, and House of Wise is built on the fact that we all need help in our lives—and it’s available. What I mean by that is help by virtue of offering a supportive group made up of women collectively working towards destigmatizing cannabis. And help in the way of empowering these women to see the potential to make money by being a part of that community. Our Slack channel is full of women supporting women. We cheer each other on for job interviews, anniversary moments, and the #FML channel is just a place to share the real shit we deal with, the stuff we sometimes don’t let our closest people in on.
What one thing do you want women to know about House of Wise?
It’s not an MLM [multi-level marketing]. I’ve been a marketing exec for over 15 years. My goal is to build a company without giving money to Google and Facebook, and instead reward the women who help spread the word and educate their friends and families. Every woman makes $25 to $100 on every product sold. No upfront costs, no recruiting.
What most affected how you curated your collection?
I’ve tried a lot of CBD, and many were not reliable. Some left me groggy or too sleepy in the middle of the day.
What cultivators do you work with to develop your line of gummies and tinctures?
We work with a farm outside of Denver where the hemp is grown in-house.
How has your life changed this last year, and how have you adapted to the ever-growing situation we’re all facing?
I went from living in New York City leading marketing at The Knot, seeing friends, and dating to now living in Charlotte, North Carolina. I’m hunkered down with my kids, waiting out COVID, helping them navigate homeschool, and launching this company in tandem. It’s a lot, but I feel energized by this mission every day so it doesn’t feel like work.
How has having the kids at home and working from home been?
Exhausting. You don’t get breaks. But I do feel like my kids are getting a better appreciation for all I do. They have started to help more and give me space when I need it. We are all learning how to communicate our needs and boundaries better now that we are together 24/7.
What shows have you secretly binge-watched?
I don’t have a ton of TV time, but I love The Bachelor and Mandalorian.
Tell us something readers would be surprised to know about you and House of Wise?
About me? That’s hard because I’m an open book, but maybe the fact that I love to make people laugh. I am very silly the majority of the time. That’s probably the only side of me I tame down for work. About House of Wise? My investors are some of the most badass women around, and I’m so thankful for them supporting me along this journey. Oh, and our sex gummies work … partner optional!
