Leah is a television professional, an award-winning infomercial host and entrepreneur. She is the Founder and CEO of NULASTIN®, a woman-owned direct-to-consumer brand that is disrupting the beauty industry with novel elastin-replenishment products for lashes, brows, hair, and skin. Products feature patented, scientifically proven formulas that are results guaranteed, ethically derived, and made in the U.S.A. The self-funded Company, founded in 2016, bootstrapped all aspects of operation, manufacturing, marketing, and sales, under Leah’s management. NULASTIN is currently on pace is to break $25M in revenue for 2023 and expects to double that figure in 2024 as she enters the retail, wholesale, and international space.
FWM: Tell us about your background. What led you to create NULASTIN®?
I’m a former rodeo cowgirl, turned pro athlete (mountain bike racing) who transitioned to a television personality. Performance products have always been a priority to me.
My true motivator is to inspire others to be the best version of themselves, despite the obstacles life presents. I suffered from Bell’s Palsy facial paralysis, a condition that led to asymmetry, drooping skin, and loss of elasticity. Since then, I’ve also experienced hair loss and the struggles that goes along with it. At age 59, I’ve also seen how aging affects the body. These challenging times inspired me to provide real solutions to others dealing with their own experiences. NULASTIN® is on a mission to deliver elastin regeneration to the world.
The human body stops producing structural proteins such as elastin at puberty. The amount of elastin you have around the age of 20 is intended to last a lifetime. Stress, sun exposure, tobacco use, weight changes, harsh environmental conditions, and aging accelerate the loss of elastin. With hormonal changes occurring around the age of 35, the negative effects of elastin loss reveal themselves with increased scarring, sagging, uneven skin tone, dryness, dullness, sparse lashes and brows, thinning hair, and an inability to regenerate certain tissues and organs. By supporting the body’s natural ability to stimulate the replenishment of elastin, we can delay the negative impact of aging and help people look and feel their best at any age.
FWM: NULASTIN® is disrupting the beauty industry, how did you discover the power of the key ingredient (Elastaplex®)?
This question gets me fired up! Our LASH, BROW, HAIR, and SKIN serums feature an ethically sourced biodesigned elastin protein, which is the foundation for our proprietary Elastaplex® Technology. The scientific formulas were originally developed as a treatment for wound healing and tissue regeneration. It’s quite remarkable that we have been able to incorporate these cutting edge technologies into the cosmetic space. NULASTIN® is at the forefront of elastin regeneration. The simple routine takes minutes per day—and delivers natural, beautiful, ongoing results.
FWM: What unique qualities or advantages differentiate your brand in the skincare and lash/brow growth industry from your competitors?
The flagship ingredient, a DNA protein, is the precursor to human elastin — an amino-acid sequence that promotes stronger, thicker, more resilient hair by anchoring follicles & nourishing the elastin root system. By combining this patented protein with keratin, hair follicles are protected and energized — naturally promoting an increased production rate, visibly improving the hair growth cycle, and dramatically reducing signs of hair loss.
In skin, Elastaplex® Technology functions as the most natural form of human elastin supporting a supple, radiant, youthful glow.
FWM: “What valuable insights have you gained from running a self-funded business?”
When starting a business you need to believe in it so much that you are willing to invest your own time and money. The idea of betting on myself was easy, especially given the proven formulas I was bringing to market. Plus, I knew my capacity and determination to work smart and hard. The insights from this experience that really stand out include full-commitment to perseverance, financial discipline and resource optimization. Ultimately, one needs to develop a keen eye for details, learn to run every aspect of the company, be scrappy and fearless!
FWM: Kindly provide three of the most effective strategies that have contributed to the success of your business.
- Align the company and brand with good people, advanced technologies and cutting edge methodologies.
- Be transparent, honest, and ethical – treat the customer right.
- Deliver on the promise.
FWM: Would you be willing to discuss a standout accomplishment or moment in your career that you take great pride in?
When you say career, are you referring to the NULASTIN business? If so, a standout accomplishment or moment is when I sat down for dinner with my “team.” Having bootstrapped the company, I worked as a solo-entrepreneur from 2016 to 2021, using 3rd party contractors for things I couldn’t do myself. I hired my first employee in 2021 and today, I have 15 full time team members and numerous part-time employees committed to the brand and more importantly dedicated to our customers. It may not sound like a lot, but for me, this shift was transformational. When the group sat down for dinner, along with significant others, and key partners like our fractional CFO and Board of Director Members, the experience brought me to tears. At that moment, everything seemed real and I was so proud of what I’d done, the jobs I’d provided and the impact I was making to other people’s lives, personally and professionally.
FWM: What is next?
NULASTIN has been a DTC brand from day one, with the dream of entering into retail. There were a lot of steps needed before we could make that transition, including hiring one of the foremost experts in Elastin Technology as our Chief Science Officer to uplevel our ingredient deck so it continues to be highly effective and also meets industry clean standards. Our LASH, BROW, and HAIR serums are undergoing new clinical testing for performance and safety and we have plans to expand clinical trials for our SKIN collection. In May, In May, we on-boarded an independent beauty broker to usher us into the retail space and hired a P.R. Agency to amplify our brand awareness. This week we completed a white paper on our plan to transition to full holistic sustainability by 2025 with bold goals to Reduce, Reuse, and Replace. We will be publishing this on our website soon – which is also being revamped to deliver an even better customer experience.
Join the conversation.
