Plant-Powered Haircare That Went Viral

Summary

Living Your Legacy – Plant-Powered Haircare That Went Viral

Host: Sam (Rudy Mawer)
Guests: Jeff & Ella, Founders of Oomph by Botanical
Date: October 14, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Living Your Legacy dives into the journey of Jeff and Ella, the dynamic couple behind Oomph by Botanical—a haircare brand built on plant-based formulas and authenticity that recently went viral with 8 million product views in a single month. The discussion uncovers the “why” behind their unique viral product, the gritty behind-the-scenes of launching from scratch, and how building a genuine online community fueled both their growth and personal legacy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origin Story & Product Innovation

• Personal Need as Inspiration

  • Ella’s struggle with curly, dry hair in Arizona led to years of trying ineffective, expensive products and salon treatments.
  • The product idea took shape after a trip to Georgia where the climate helped Ella’s hair, prompting Jeff to search for a way to recreate that environment.
  • Jeff: “Me being an engineer, I said, well, yeah, let me get on that. So I went to the drawing board. I looked up natural ingredients that are very effective, that could work to hydrate hair.” [03:00]

• Formulation & Features

  • They combined keratin, collagen, a blend of oils, and essential oils for both scalp health and hair growth, resulting in a lab-tested product suitable for all hair types.
  • Jeff: “We made something that works for all hair types. Got it lab tested, made sure it was safe for everybody. It passed with flying colors. And we said, I think we're onto something.” [03:43]

2. The Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster

• Building Amid Scarcity

  • Launched the product with overdrafted bank accounts and pressure to sell enough to fund a proposal trip.
  • Ella’s established social media following (“my boos”) was key to their successful pre-launch sellout.
  • Ella: “They came and they really helped support us. So they got us sold out for our presale and we were able to afford our proposal trip...” [04:43]

• Growth & Challenges

  • Early days included frustrating losses, like having to discard misprinted labels despite tight finances.
  • Jeff: “We made everything in small batches at first and we had to throw away $120 worth of labels. I'm like, we only have $80 worth of ... and we just threw that away on labels.” [06:00]

• Measuring Success

  • Recognizing how progress doesn’t always feel apparent day-to-day, even as numbers double.
  • Ella: “You feel... you don’t see the progress... and then you’re like oh, whoa. Like you said, we doubled. And it didn’t feel like that at the time.” [05:47]

3. Turning Virality into Impact

• Ups and Downs of Going Viral

  • Not every viral video converts to sales; a 4-million-view video brought in zero sales at one point.
  • Jeff: “Oh, it's great. That's what we wanted. But then, oh, no, we got zero sales. And then you realize, what are we even doing?” [08:50]

• Sticking With It

  • Importance of resilience and adaptation when things don’t work as planned.
  • Jeff: “It's always something you don't know that’s going to hit you, and you just have to get through it.” [10:14]

4. Branding & Product Authenticity

• Standing Out from White Labelers

  • Jeff emphasizes the importance of putting genuine soul and intention into your product.
  • Jeff: “If it’s just a label, then that’s nothing. It needs to have soul, you know, you need to fully back it and understand everything in it.” [11:00]

• Personal Touch

  • Jeff began using the product himself, realizing its versatility and value for all family members.

5. Building Community & Content

• Consistency & Vulnerability on Social Media

  • Ella credits her success to consistent posting and authenticity—sharing both struggles and victories.
  • Ella: “You’re going to have videos where you spend so much time on it and then it won’t get the views…” [12:20], “Just be yourself. Post the bad stuff. If anybody hates it, it’s like seven people. There's billions in the world.” [14:10]

• Power of Raw, “Ugly” Ads

  • The posts that perform best are often the least polished, most relatable—waking up, sharing real emotions, imperfect appearances.

6. Legacy & Mindset

• Meaning of Legacy

  • For Ella and Jeff, legacy means modeling growth, vulnerability, and togetherness for both their family and their audience.
  • Jeff: “You don’t have to be perfect first before finding your perfect person or your perfect product...” [15:51]
  • Ella: “I want to leave a positive legacy for our family.” [15:39]

• From Humble Beginnings to Impact

  • They started from living together on a mattress topper; now they’ve grown a business and a family.
  • Jeff: “We started sleeping together on a mattress topper on the floor of a tiny apartment... Now we’re in a pretty decent house. We have a business, we have a family that’s growing.” [16:34]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Replacing an Entire Haircare Line:
  Jeff: “This has replaced every one of her hair care line, except for our shampoo and conditioner... If it replaces 9 out of 10 of what you use at home, then we’re just going to make that as efficient as possible.” [07:10]

• On Entrepreneurs’ Expectations:
  Jeff: “It’s definitely going to cost you a ton more money than you expect. A ton. And being an engineer, I have unbelievable spreadsheets to track... but you’ll be stunned at how much tape costs or boxes.” [09:40]

• On Mindset During the Journey:
  Jeff: “If you have a $500 setback when you’re just starting, I mean, that’s going to be a $500,000 setback in the future. But you need to be the person to say... how do I move past this?... I could be mad about it, or I can fix the problem and carry on.” [10:14]

• On Video Virality:
  Sam: “It’s often the ones you don’t think are good or plan that go crazy every time.” [12:35]
  Ella: “Those ones just do really well because you can connect to someone right away because there’s a lot of people out there... You can see that they can become happy because they are like you.” [14:10]

• On Authentic Community Building:
  Ella: “Being vulnerable online has helped me grow my audience… So now it’s really cool that I have a product that can help them too, with their hair and their confidence.” [08:03]

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Important Timestamps

• [02:15] – The personal problem that sparked product development
• [03:00] – Jeff’s engineering approach and formulation process
• [04:43] – Launching while financially stretched and leveraging social support
• [06:00] – The harsh realities and unexpected setbacks of bootstrapping
• [08:50] – Viral moments that led to zero sales and rethinking strategy
• [11:00] – Differentiation beyond white labeling and product authenticity
• [12:20] – Ella’s key to social growth: consistency, authenticity, thick skin
• [14:10] – The power of “ugly” ads and relatability
• [15:51] – The couple’s definition of legacy
• [16:34] – From mattress toppers to business owners: their origin story

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Where to Find Jeff & Ella

• TikTok Shop: Botanical Shop
• Website: Botanical Shop (Shopify)
• Socials:
  • Ella: [@ellaboo]
  • Jeff & Oomph by Botanical: [@botanicalshop]

“Put a little oomph in it.” — Ella [17:35]

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Summary Takeaway:
This is a story of persistence, authenticity, and personal growth fueling both a viral brand and a meaningful legacy. Jeff and Ella’s journey underscores the importance of solving real problems, building community through vulnerability, and maintaining resilience—lessons invaluable for any aspiring or seasoned entrepreneur.

Transcript

[Sam]

Joining me today is Jeff and Ella and they have a viral product. When I say viral, they got 8 million product views just last month. How'd you do it?

[Ella]

Consistency. Being able to not compare yourself to other people. Be kind to yourself during the process because you're going to have videos where you spend so much time on it and then it won't get the views.

[Jeff]

I think it's really important to be in touch with the product yourself. Why do you want the product it needs to have?

[Narrator]

Ella and Jeff are the passionate founders behind Oomph by Botanical, a hair care brand created to restore confidence and natural beauty from the inside out. Through their plant based formulas and uplifting community, Ella and Jeff are helping people restore hair and reclaim self love.

[Jeff]

We want to be able to show that you don't have to be perfect first before finding your perfect person or your perfect business or your perfect product or anything. Is that you start where you start today and that's what it is.

[Sam]

Next question. Product innovation. Right? Like a lot of people choose to white label now. Whatever. You obviously have this idea in mind. Talk about someone that wants to really create a unique product like that.

[Ella]

I'm telling you.

[Sam]

It spans the globe.

[Jeff]

Like a super high cold Internet Elvis.

[Podcast Intro Voice]

Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. It's not over until I win the living your legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has been. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan Open Chicago with the league. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream.

[Sam]

Hello and welcome back to another episode of Legacy Makers. Joining me today is Jeff and Ella and they have a viral product. When I say viral, they got 8 million product views just last month. Pretty crazy, right? So let's dive into it, guys. Welcome to the show. Thank you.

[Jeff]

Thanks for having us.

[Sam]

So tell me, obviously it's hair care, but tell me about the product. Why is it going viral? What makes it unique?

[Jeff]

Yeah, just start with I. How your hair used to be. I mean it was.

[Ella]

Yeah, so I grew up straightening my hair because I didn't like my curly hair and that caused a lot of damage. And so we live in Arizona. So on top of that damage, my hair was really dry in the desert and so it used to break out a lot and I used to wear wigs and I went to different salons and we spent so much money and time.

[Jeff]

It was thousands of dollars on different products. None of them worked. She couldn't ever fix her hair. Years and years of years of trying and Hours at the salon for her hair type. I just felt really anxious. Yeah, she'd be there until after midnight and nothing could fix it.

[Sam]

Yeah, well, I always say great products come from problems.

[Jeff]

You need a solution. She went to Georgia, we both went for a wedding. And she said, my hair likes it here. It's moist. Is there any way we can bring this to the desert? And me being an engineer, I said, well, yeah, let's. Let me get on that. So I went to the drawing board. I looked up natural ingredients that are very effective, that could work to hydrate hair.

[Sam]

Hair.

[Jeff]

I said, well, why stop there? Let's start to repair that damage. Let's use keratin, let's use collagen to help support the root of your hair. Let's use different oils with different densities, different properties. You get UV protection, you get different vitamins that help hair growth. And then even our fragrance is all natural essential oils that help the microbiome of your scalp and your hair and promotes even more hair growth. And we made something that works for all hair types. Got it lab tested, make sure it was safe for everybody. It passed with flying colors. And we said, I think we're onto something.

[Ella]

And I saw results like first using it. Yeah, of course, after trial and error.

[Sam]

So let's talk about that journey. You know, when was this moment and where are we now? How long is that?

[Jeff]

So from April, we had the idea to make the product. I went to the drawing board, we spent a lot of time working on the formula to make sure it was the perfect ratio so you could use it every day without it being sticky and tacky. And it ended up actually working for me and growing in my facial hair. And I was like, wow, we have something for the whole family. With mixed hair. All she has to do different is add water to her hair. Then July, we did our first launch. And this is when I was going to propose to her. We had nothing in our bank accounts, as any startup businesses tend to do. Our cards were overdrafted, our banks were screaming at us, and we already had the plane tickets booked. And we said, if we don't sell the rest of this product, we're going to get off this plane, I'm going to propose to her and we're going to sleep on the streets. That's just what's going to happen.

[Ella]

And thankfully, before April or July, when we came out with the product, I was building a following on social media for the last three years. So when we did our pre launch, all of my, I call them My booze. They came and they really helped support us. So they got us sold out for our pre sale and we were able to afford our proposal trip, which he surprised me and our daughter and yeah, dream wedding.

[Jeff]

She said, I had a dream that you proposed to her under a waterfall. And it's like, funny enough because that's where we're going.

[Sam]

So. So that was okay. And then, so fast forward now, you're selling hundreds of products, right?

[Jeff]

Yeah, we have over 150 five star reviews. We sell mostly through the TikTok shop. We also have it on Botanical Shop on TikTok. We also have Botanical Shop, our Shopify store. And in the first quarter of this year, we've been able to do more than we did all of last year, so.

[Sam]

And what was that entrepreneur journey? Been like that, you know, crazy year, Right.

[Ella]

Lots of ups and downs, lots of frust. Because when you're in it, you feel. You don't see the progress.

[Sam]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ella]

As much as when you step out and then you're like, oh, whoa. I like you said, we doubled. And it didn't feel like that at the time because you are really hard.

[Sam]

On yourself when you always have more costs and expenses coming out the woodwork.

[Ella]

Like you're spending more than making. Yeah, yeah.

[Jeff]

There was one time when we were just trying to figure out labeling on our bottles because we made everything in small batches at first and we had to throw away $120 worth of labels. I'm like, we only have $80 worth of. And we just threw that away on labels. So there's little hidden expenses and you just have to power through it. And before it was like, if only we could wake up to a sale. And now we'll wake up to a couple and still be like, if only we could wake up to a million sales. So one day the bar keeps moving, you know, as you go through the journey.

[Sam]

How do you see this product in the next five, 10 years?

[Jeff]

I see it being a major hit. We already have a lot of people who love it. We haven't had anybody hate it. And we can keep adding on to what people want. Some people say, give us a travel size. Yeah, let's work on it. It's like, do something for men. Do something for facial hair. Because I use it in my facial hair. Do his and hers. We just launched a brush recently, so it gives us room to grow and develop and then work on the back end systems to make sure we can help as many people as possible with their different hair type.

[Sam]

Yeah, love that and during, you'll expand into different products.

[Ella]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

This has replaced every one of her hair care line, except for our shampoo and conditioner, and that would be amazing. But at this stage, we really want to focus on being able to push the one product that does so much. If it replaces 9 out of 10 of what you use at home, then we're just going to make that as efficient as possible. Different brushes, different styles, and. And go from there.

[Sam]

Got it. And let's talk about, you know, the. The year.

[Jeff]

Right?

[Sam]

So you've talked about some of the challenges already, but how did you envision that first year going? Are you happy with where you are?

[Jeff]

Like, it's funny because I think we did more than we expected right away just because of how many things we've tried in the entrepreneurial journey. This wasn't like the first business. This wasn't the first attempt at selling something. This is the first physical product that we've done. But just to see the reception of her audience was beautiful. Yeah.

[Ella]

Because I love that I built my audience trying to help them make a better, positive mindset because I dealt with a lot of negativity. And since I'm still learning how to grow, I thought, you know, be vulnerable online has helped me grow my audience and helping them better themselves on the inside. So now it's really cool that I have a product that can help them, too, with their hair and their confidence.

[Sam]

And what would you. What was during that year the biggest old crap moment? Like, in a bad way, like, and then in a good way. So a moment where you're like, this isn't gonna work or it's failing or it's falling apart, man.

[Jeff]

I think the biggest falling apart was we just said, oh, if only we get a viral video and then we have 1 hit, 4 million views in one video.

[Sam]

I was gonna ask the positive old crap moment.

[Jeff]

Oh, it's great. That's what we wanted. But then, oh, no, we got zero sales. And then you realize, what are we even doing? We are throwing money at the wall. We are throwing time at the wall. We aren't getting to where we need to be.

[Sam]

Opportunity. Right. You know, views not turning into anything.

[Jeff]

Nothing's turning into anything. And then we say, okay, well, what starts to work? And the oh, yes. Moment is, you know, we still get to work with positive influences like yourself. Expand our circle. And.

[Ella]

And together.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah. And to expand together. And just remember, okay, it's fine. It normally takes people a lot longer. We just hate people come in and say, oh, you Already made sales. That's great. I'm like, yeah, I like that.

[Ella]

Stepping out of. Of the outside and being like, oh, no, we are doing good because we're our toughest critics.

[Sam]

Yeah, of course. What would you say to anyone listening trying to launch their own products?

[Jeff]

It's definitely going to cost you a ton more money than you expect. A ton. And being an engineer, I have unbelievable spreadsheets to track. You know, every single expense. But you'll be stunned at how much tape costs or boxes.

[Sam]

So, yeah, boxes are always a show. And I have. I have some physical product brands with celebrities, and it's like the box in a packaging is as much as the product costs me.

[Jeff]

Yeah. And then the people get it and they use the box for 13 seconds, but they wouldn't buy it without the box. But then they're upset about the price. I'm like, look, I am too. I'm with you there.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

It's just going to be way more difficult than you expect for reasons you don't expect. That's my biggest thing. It's always something you don't know that's going to hit you, and you just have to get through it. A lot of our journey, too, like she said, with positivity and mindset, is how do you get over these hurdles and how do you handle them? If you have a $500 setback when you're just starting, I mean, that's going to be a $500,000 setback in the future. But you need to be the person to say, all right, how do I move past this? We got to just move on to making more money. Again, there's nothing I can do. I could be mad about it, or I can fix the problem and carry on.

[Sam]

I love that. Next question. Product innovation. Right. Like a lot of people choose to white label now, whatever. You obviously have this idea in mind. Talk about someone that wants to really create a unique product like that.

[Jeff]

I think it's really important to be in touch with the product yourself. Why do you want the products? There's a lot of people that they do the white labeling. Yes. There's probably some good formulas out there, but there has to be some reason it's different. It has to have some personality into it, and it's going to be your baby. What makes you different? If it's just a label, then that's nothing. It needs to have soul, you know, you need to fully back it and understand everything in it. Why is this better than everybody else? You have to have something different.

[Ella]

Be passionate about it.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah. I get too passionate about it sometimes selling it. I get into every single ingredient. It wasn't even for me. Yeah, right.

[Ella]

Well, thank goodness he started testing it for himself too, because then he was like, oh, wait, I can use this too. And I could not have made anything near what he does. So I'm really grateful.

[Jeff]

Just funny enough, we just got off a yacht, I jumped in the ocean and then we sprayed. Oof. For a funny video. And my hair actually looks okay for just getting out of the ocean. Yeah, like, this is. This is just ocean 30 minutes ago. So.

[Sam]

Okay, next question. On the social media side, a lot of entrepreneurs listening. They'd love to get. What did we say at the start?

[Jeff]

8 million just last month on a product.

[Sam]

On one product page in the last 30 days.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Ella]

Yeah.

[Sam]

How'd you do it?

[Ella]

Consistency, being able to not compare yourself to other people. Be kind to yourself during the process because you're going to have videos where you spend so much time on it and then it won't get the views and then you'll.

[Sam]

I'm telling you what's funny is it's often the ones you don't think are good or plan that go crazy every.

[Ella]

Time that happens for me. So just post. Don't be hard on yourself. Don't care about what people say because there's always going to be something negative. I get plenty of it and just got to keep going and learning trends and stuff and.

[Sam]

Well, I do think there is a formula, formula to it as well, often. Right. Like, you know, even what we teach on the ad side of virality is, you know, what's the hook, what's the thumbnail, what's the first second, what's the controversial statement? All this intriguing angle where they're like, what the heck is that person doing? Right? So what are the sort of things you're doing in those first few seconds or what are you planning around the videos?

[Ella]

I had to remind myself that when people are watching, they don't know me because I remember a lot of times I'd make content thinking like, oh, they know who I am or what I'm doing. So learning, like, you have to watch your video as like a stranger. Even like turn the sound all the way down too. That helps because a lot of people watch without sound and it's like, if I watch this, am I interested? Is this entertaining? Is this shocking? Is this gonna make me stop scrolling or is it like really slow and you're like just getting started and there's no cuts. It doesn't look good.

[Sam]

You know, I think it's funny because when everyone starts videos, when they're in their early days, like, I did this 10 years ago, first thing you say is, hey, I'm Rudy More. And I. It's like, you know, that's how everyone starts and you learn that's not what you should be doing for. So, you know, maybe if it's inside a course or something, you can do that. But for social, it's like you gotta hit right in, right in the face in the first half a second to hook them in.

[Ella]

Yeah, I think that's a good point too, is learning how to. You can't try to learn to not be so scripted and perfect, being yourself. People will like that more and relate. And that's how I really built my audience because I did not care about what I put online.

[Sam]

And so let's talk what a couple of the top videos. What are the trends you've noticed in those videos that help them be successful?

[Jeff]

I think the ones that we've seen, they're. It's like the ugly ads. They're just us. It's just authentic. It's me looking like this, my mustache all crazy. It's. It's her just waking up. It's something that's very relatable. It's just, here's us. She's had some videos where she's just like crying because she's sad or she's upset or she. And then you have others where she's super bubbly and super happy. And those ones just do really well because you can connect to someone right away because there's a lot of people out there that are. They're frustrated, they're lonely, they're sad. They're also days that they're happy. They can see that they can become happy because they are like you. So there's some videos that everyone wants to look like the powerful person who pushed the boulder up the hill and made it. Well, no one is just that guy all the time. They want to see who the person was broken down and how they overcame it. There's a journey always. So just be yourself. Post the bad stuff. If anybody hates it, it's like seven people. There's billions in the world. If they have more influence than you, then that sucks because you're trying in there. Yeah. You know, good.

[Sam]

Last couple of questions. On the legacy side, what does legacy mean to you?

[Ella]

Legacy. I mean, I just think of wanting to leave a positive legacy for our family. Right. Because we both grew up with not really the most perfect homes. You know, nobody's perfect.

[Jeff]

But we want to show great togetherness. We want to be able to show that you don't have to be perfect first before finding your perfect person or your perfect business or your perfect product or anything, is that you start where you start today. And that's what it is.

[Sam]

Love that.

[Jeff]

And that you can keep going, grow together. And that's the legacy that we give for her audience. That's what she did for years before, is just show growth. I lost a lot of weight. She had a lot of mental struggles from a difficult childhood that we're able to overcome and learn how to communicate better. And we're still not perfect. We still struggle. We still get anxious all the time right now. And that that's okay. And that you can move forward. Good.

[Sam]

And last question. What will they learn from your episode that they maybe didn't hear about today?

[Jeff]

I think something that's really important for folks, and this was a mindset I used to have, is that people who've made it had a leg ahead and they started with something. We started sleeping together on a mattress topper on the floor of a tiny apartment with a sofa with broken wires hanging off of it. And now we're in a pretty decent house. We have a business, we have a family that's growing.

[Sam]

Well.

[Jeff]

We've been able to focus on our health and just continue to move on and continue to impact people's lives. And that's just wonderful. So you don't have to start from something. You don't have to be ahead. You may not be, you know, Mr. Olympia, if you didn't start when you were a teenager, but you could still be very fit. For instance, you can still get somewhere great. So continue. Now, what's your life going to be like in 30 years?

[Sam]

Good. And last question. Where do they try the product or find you?

[Jeff]

So, yeah, we are on Botanical Shop on everything.

[Ella]

Yeah. And I'm Ella Boo on everything. So y' all will find us. Yeah. Put a little oomph in it.

[Sam]

Good. Love it, guys. Well, that's a wrap. Another episode. As always, keep working hard. Build impact and leave a legacy. I'll see you guys.

[Jeff]

Thanks so much, everybody.

[Sam]

Sam.