From Grey to Arey

with Allison Conrad, Co-Founder and CEO of Arey

About this episode

Today, Lee is joined by the Co-Founder and CEO of Arey, a company that is providing the solution to grey hair! When Allison Conrad started going grey, she took a deep dive into the reasons why, and what she found surprised her as much as it will likely surprise you. Arey is the 12th company that Allison has been involved in and the 3rd she has founded, so in this episode, she shares some of the key takeaways from her career journey to date. She also explains how Arey products work and the difference they are making in people’s lives, as well as her hopes for the future of the hair care industry.

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In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

[03:01] What her upbringing was like in a family of doctors.
[08:56] Factors that made her realize she didn’t want to pursue a career in the corporate world.
[14:42] The hobby that turned into her first entrepreneurial venture and her experience of doing her MBA at Stanford Business School.
[18:49] How she found her way into the beauty industry.
[25:50] The discoveries that Allison made when she put her researcher hat on after finding her first grey hair, and how these led to the founding of Arey.
[28:34] How Arey products enhance scalp health, the “inside-out, outside-in” approach they have adopted, and the people who will benefit from their products.
[34:44] The mindset shift around grey hair that she hopes will become commonplace in the future.
[40:04] Challenges and successes that she has experienced on her journey with Arey.
[46:20] Her advice for how to approach capital raising (hint: relationship building is key!).
[50:29] What the future holds for Arey.

To Find Out More:

Arey

Allison Conrad on LinkedIn

Lee Greene on LinkedIn

Evermill

Equipt

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Quotes:

“I dabbled in the types of things that all kids do but didn’t really fully understand entrepreneurship, or that it was a path I could take, until years post-college. It wasn’t something embedded in me as a child.” [0:07:13]

“There’s one gene that causes gray hair that scientists have identified. It counts for about 30%.” [26:35]

“If genes are only accounting for about 30%, what are the other factors causing gray hair? A lot of it is attributed to oxidative stress and things that are lacking in people's diets.” [0:28:34]

“The scalp ages six times faster than the face, and we’re not doing enough for our scalp health and helping to slow that aging process. I really think the future of haircare is how skincare was ten years ago.” [0:29:46]

“We’re seeing more research and interest in gray hair as more a sign from the body of things that are lacking, not necessarily this inevitable thing we just have to deal with.” [0:31:00]

“We are helping people to feel better, have more confidence, potentially get less cancer from the toxic chemicals they could be using.” [0:31:40]

“It’s an ‘inside-out, outside-in’ approach.” [0:32:24]

“We’re trying to meet people in their lives and in their habits which makes this something that they can easily add to their routine.” — Allison Conrad [0:33:49]

“Some people can see up to 80% repigmentation and it takes a minute. It takes three to four months to start seeing results and we see the best results coming in at six months to a year.” [0:35:44]

“We want people to embrace gray a little bit more.” [0:39:09]

“Make sure you get a warm intro. Find somebody who knows somebody. Do your research; know if they invest in your category, in your space, [and] in the stage that you’re in. You can set yourself up for more success that way.” [0:46:22]

Read the transcript