Lekha Vyas, Founder of ELVY Lab
Name: Lekha Vyas
Founder: ELVY Lab
Who is Lekha Vyas?
Lekha Vyas is the founder and CEO of men's skincare line ELVY Lab and a former Estee Lauder, Chanel, JLo Beauty, and L'Oreal executive. Lekha decided to launch the brand after working in a female-dominated industry and seeing the gap in skincare catered towards men. With 15 years of experience in her back pocket, she set out to create a non-complicated, vegan + clean skincare routine for men without the intimidation. The brand rolled out in November with four initial products-- a cleanser, serum, moisturizer, and eye cream, each labeled with a number in order of use.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
ELVY Lab is a men's-exclusive skincare line created to take the intimidation out of skincare routines for men. It's a 100% clean, vegan, and cruelty-free 4-product regimen that specifically targets men's concerns including rough skin, razor burn, breakouts and wrinkles.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Being a FoundHer means showcasing true grit to push through the barriers of what's expected from a woman founder and CEO, ESPECIALLY as a leader of a male-focused brand.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I left my very comfortable full time job mid year last year. 5 months before launching my company. It was an easy decision since I physically didn’t have the capacity to do jobs and had to focus on launch and product development during core business hours.
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
I have been in the consumer/beauty space my entire career so along the way I have learned everything about product development to logistics and go to market strategies! Hence launching a brand in such a short time almost came as second nature to me.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
As a new brand, I have hired an external partner to help manage social media for me. Down the line we will make this a full time role. Social media is a forever changing playground for brands. The secret is to constantly do A/B testing to understand what works for your brand and your demographic and make changes accordingly. It is a lot of trial and error so it's crucial to have a good marketing team on board. The daily challenge is managing your cash while learning how to get higher conversions on social media.
How did you land your first client?
Word of mouth and friends!
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
First to all, I think I have chosen the toughest market and category to play in. This means I have to continually test and see what works, and evolve as the market dynamics change. I truly follow the rule that one should be a lifelong student and for that I am always learning from others success and mistakes and apply them along the way to see what works for my brand and my audience. One size does not fit all.
Did you raise capital? What was the process and avenue you chose to take?
Yes I did, and I am continuing to raise more. We are in the toughest economic fundraising climate for startup founders, especially first time female founders. My first check came from family/friends and angel investors, and then via cold outreach on LinkedIn.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
I would make sure I have outlined a solid marketing strategy before launch and have a solid key team hired. This can definitely help alleviate a lot of teething problems early and learn to manage cash wisely.
What are three strategies you use to market your business, grow brand awareness and generate bottom line growth?
Social media, influencer marketing, and brand collabs and partnerships.
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
I don't come from a pure marketing background. I thought I knew what holes to fill but if I were to give anyone any advice it would be to know your own strengths and weaknesses and be honest about it. The saying “Don't bite more than you can chew,” holds true because founders usually try to cut costs and do things on their own. Little do they realize that it is smarter to invest the cash upfront in the right places and do things the right way with the right hires once vs doing it on your own and then fixing it later. I would have hired an interim CMO prelaunch vs doing things on my own. But everyday is a learning opportunity and as founders we need to be agile and pivot as needed.
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