My name is Stacey Hollands, and I am the proud CEO & Founder of Australia’s Leading Clean Beauty Brand, Lust Minerals. I am a Beauty Therapist by trade and I worked in the beauty industry for 8 years prior to starting Lust Minerals, at the young age of 25. Aside from business, I have two beautiful children and an amazing, supportive husband. I am on a mission to provide clean beauty products to the lives of 1 million men and women worldwide by empowering them to control what they put onto their skin and into their body.
When did you start your business?
Lust Minerals was founded in 2014 with an initial $10,000 investment, determined to redefine the beauty industry, by proving that mineral makeup and natural skincare has the high performance power to change your skin, your life and leave the planet a better place. At Lust Minerals, we have a firm belief that one should never have to compromise their health for results, and that is why I made it my mission to bridge the gap between cleaner alternative beauty products, and effective, performance driven formulations.
What was the inspiration behind starting this business?
The inspiration came from a personal, and challenging experience in my life that transformed my perspective and furthered my knowledge about the impact that chemicals and toxins can have on one’s health. In 2011, my father’s cancer diagnosis awakened me to the harsh reality that we only get one life, and that exposure to chemicals can lead to so many health issues. I immediately wanted to substitute the products that I was using and replace them with cleaner alternatives, and beauty products were a challenging replacement. Whilst there were plenty of clean beauty products out there, few married “clean” and “high performance” to deliver real results for consumers.
Growing up I also suffered from breakouts, which left me feeling self-conscious as a teenager. Being in the beauty industry, I found so many girls like me that were seeking help with their skin, and little did they know that using conventional makeup products that didn’t allow the skin to breathe was in fact making the breakouts worse.
At the time, I also noticed that many of the mineral foundations in the market seemed expensive and unaffordable. I remember thinking why should mineral makeup only be accessible for those who could afford to pay $90 for a foundation. I was determined to bridge this gap and provide a cleaner alternative to women worldwide, without sacrificing their health, and without sacrificing on the quality and results of the product.
What are you most excited about in your business?
I am most excited about establishing a beautiful community, and supporting both men and women worldwide to make long-lasting positive changes as I know their future selves will thank them for it. Community is what truly fuels my passion and receiving feedback about our clean beauty products and how we have positively impacted people’s skin and their self-confidence makes this journey so worth it. The countless reviews on our website, some even accompanied by photos of our incredibly beautiful customers holds immense significance to me. Seeing these individuals proudly showcase their experience with Lust Minerals fuels my drive, and reminds me of what I do everyday.
What has been the most challenging thing about starting your business?
Challenges have always presented themselves to me as opportunities for learning and personal growth. However, there were certainly moments of self-doubt when I embarked on this journey.
During the launch of the brand, I was wearing all the hats and single-handedly managing every aspect of the business. Balancing this immense workload with my role as a beauty therapist and being a mother was not a light task. I was also up against some pretty big, well-known brands and at times felt like a small fish in a big sea. However, at the same time, this just motivated me to want to work harder.
Throughout the entire journey, my greatest challenge and blessing in one, has been the immense responsibility I feel in fulfilling my vision of educating as many people as possible about the benefits of choosing cleaner alternative beauty products, which will ultimately inspire them to lead a cleaner lifestyle too. I take this mission very seriously, and I am very committed to bringing this to life which means that I need to be constantly improving, growing and evolving myself as the brand does too.
This commitment requires a lot of investment in my own personal growth and journey to ensure that I can continue to lead the brand from the highest level of integrity.
Although it’s incredibly hard to switch off at times which can be difficult when balancing motherhood and business, I feel that it is an amazing blessing that after nearly 9 years, I am just as passionate and excited to wake up everyday as I was when I first started.
What advice would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?
I have 4 pieces of advice that I would give to someone thinking about starting a business.
1. Understand your community and target audience. You need to be able to understand what they want and what they need and what their pain points are. You, as a brand, can then develop products or services to solve their problems.
2. Get clear on your purpose, and what your point of difference is and lead with integrity.
3. Honesty- Stay true to who you are as a brand, and your values – dare to be different.
4. Keep your finger on the pulse with the industry trends and always think ahead – otherwise you may fall behind.
Why did you enter the AusMumpreneur Awards?
I was nominated 3 years ago by a friend, and since then have entered every year since. I love the opportunity to be able to connect with like-minded people, and it’s definitely something I look forward to year on year.
What did you enjoy the most about being part of the awards?
It’s so empowering to be a part of a thriving community of mothers in business. The opportunity to connect with fellow Mumpreneurs who are on the same journey juggling the balance of motherhood and entrepreneurship is so inspiring, and also somewhat comforting. I also love the opportunity to celebrate the beautiful chaos of being a mother in business with one another. It’s at times challenging, but having people who are on the same journey to lean on and support each other is a blessing.
What surprised you most about the awards?
I think what comes to mind is the extensive coverage and recognition the brand and I received from first being celebrated by the beautiful Ausmumpreneur Team for being a finalist to then being recognised as a winner, they truly do share all the achievements on multiple platforms which is such a honour. They do also give you a lot of opportunities to be involved. I was a judge last year which was an amazing experience, and this year Lust Minerals donated products to the goodie bags, and now I am getting an opportunity to share more of my journey and my experience which is incredible, and I hope it supports other people and encourages them to get involved next year.
Additionally, another thing that surprised me in the best possible way is how many other mums are in business as being an entrepreneur, and even a mother, can sometimes feel lonely, but by attending and building a support network, together we can navigate this journey and build a long-lasting relationship even beyond the awards.
How did the awards help you in your business?
Attending the awards was incredibly empowering, and hearing the stories of fellow mumpreneurs’ left me feeling truly inspired. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of running a business so gaining new perspectives is incredibly valuable.
Forming new connections with people who share similar values is another takeaway that has supported me.
What advice would you give to other mums thinking about entering the awards?
I would definitely encourage them to do so. It’s an incredible opportunity to be a part of a supportive community of people who understand the challenges and wins that you face as a Mumpreneur.
The only piece of advice I would give is to not put people on pedestals, especially as I know these types of events can be daunting at first, however through my experience, I learned that these incredible women were just everyday mums like myself. We are all on the same journey.
What has been the best thing about starting your own business?
The whole journey has been such a blessing. Each day I wake up with so much passion and purpose. Beauty and helping others have always been two of my biggest passions so to be able to combine these two, and to get up and have the opportunity to make a positive difference everyday is really fulfilling. I love that I am designing a life of meaningful work, whilst living my dream life with my beautiful husband & kids. The learnings, the opportunities it’s given me, as well as the relationships formed throughout are all things I am so grateful for.
What’s happening next in your business?
As a brand, we are continuing to heavily invest in developing new products, and reformulating existing products to ensure we are pioneering the most effective clean beauty products on the market.
We are also wanting to keep educating ourselves on sustainability as I am conscious that what we are doing today, has an impact on generations to come so I want to work together to protect our planet, so we can all co-exist to our fullest potential without harm.
Another focus for us this year is to partner with organisations and charities that align with our values and give back to them as part of our corporate responsibility. We recently partnered with Share the Dignity, an organisation dedicated to ending period poverty. This cause is particularly close to our hearts as we are a female dominant business. We recently donated $2.00 from every Sale on the 28th of May which was World Menstrual Hygiene Day and for the month of June, were collecting essential items to support women in need, aiming to provide them with the dignity and resources they deserve. We are dedicated to making a difference, and I look forward to continuing to support organisations that align with our values.
Lastly, we are currently working on launching an exciting Educational Platform behind the scenes. I can’t announce too much of this (just yet), but we really just want to give back to our community as much as possible, and I’m so excited for them to see what we have in store for them in 2024 with this in mind.
Follow us at @lust__minerals and @stacehollands to stay up to date!
What are your big plans for the future?
Our goal is to expand further into the international markets to share our message of clean beauty with the world. It is also within our future plans to be stocked into a large beauty Retailer as we want to be readily available for our customers worldwide.
Our skin is our largest organ, and absorbs almost everything that we put onto it, so I’m really looking forward to educating, empowering and inspiring so many other men and women worldwide to make the switch, and to join our clean beauty community.
What is your website and/or social media links?
@stacehollands
