“I can do this better” are the words that would inspire Utah entrepreneur Jaye Genung to create the industry-leading heated apparel company, Gobi Heat®. You see for Genung, constantly being cold was part of her identity; “My eyes are blue, and I’m always cold,” she told The Story Exchange. 

The mission of Gobi Heat® is to deliver warmth and comfort through heated clothing for all needs, both indoors and out. Prior to Genung grabbing the industry by the horns, the heated apparel industry lacked options specifically tailored to women, a delta her company has since bridged. Now, women can press a button and get instant warmth from their stylish and comfortable heated clothing while running errands, watching hockey practice, or hiking in variable weather conditions.

“Our apparel gives back control and freedom in cold temperatures,” said Genung. “Gobi Heat’s groundbreaking technology fights back at the restrictions of cold weather and allows you to keep pursuing your goals and passions amidst the cold—whether it be outdoors or even indoors.”

Inequality in heated apparel design wasn’t the only driving force behind Genung’s desire to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams. After two decades of working and witnessing gender inequalities in pay, promotions, and treatment of women in corporate America, combined with her frustrations with a lack of female representation in heated apparel designs, Genung had had enough. She knew this was her sign to take the leap into designing products women everywhere could benefit from.

Jaye Genung is one of the many women in business that took action to find a better solution to the problems we face every day in different aspects of life. Her story serves as a motivation to women everywhere to trust your instincts, believe in yourself, and that if you want something done right, sometimes you’ve got to do it yourself. Genung herself told The Story Exchange that, while receptive to the advice of her trusted male colleagues and husband, she makes the final decision in what happens. “Ultimately I’m going to speak up and say: ‘No, that’s not the way. Here’s what we’re gonna do.’”

Jaye’s ambition to design products that would lead to a better quality of life reached further than she could’ve imagined. Not long after the initial launch, Genung would come to learn the health-related and work wear needs for warm clothing for people in warm and cold climates all over the country, offering unexpected aid to individuals who needed it most.

At its core, Gobi Heat® was created with a conscious effort to design products specifically for women and their tastes, rather than making a “woman’s version” of a men’s heated jacket commonly seen in the industry at the time. Today, Gobi Heat® is not only a successful heated apparel company changing men and women's lives, but a true testament to the power of women in business.