Faraz Kahn started losing his hair when he was 21. Years later, when he was researching business ideas, he focused on his own experience. The result is Fully Vital, a direct-to-consumer seller of anti-hair loss serums and supplements that it launched in 2021.
He and I recently spoke. We discussed the launch of Fully Vital and the lessons learned afterward. Relying on agencies and consultants for customer acquisition is one of his biggest regrets. “Don’t outsource your income,” he says.
The full audio of our conversation is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.
Eric Bandholz: Give us an overview of what you do.
Faraz Khan: I founded an e-commerce company in 2021 called Fully Vital. We manufacture and sell hair wellness products aimed primarily at women over 40. I have been losing my hair since I was 21. I tried pharmaceuticals like finasteride for a decade.
For years, I worked as a web developer and marketer in Los Angeles. In 2019, I decided to change careers and consider opportunities in e-commerce. I focused my research on longevity and youth. I started a podcast and interviewed leaders in the longevity field, but I wasn’t making any money. So I looked at my own hair loss for ideas.
I did extensive research. Many companies sell products. I wanted to offer unique products to a wide audience. I went to international conventions. I flew to Thailand for a conference of hair transplant surgeons and stem cell experts. I learned enough there to realize that the key to hair growth is doing multiple things simultaneously.
In collaboration with doctors and scientists, I developed a serum and supplements for hair growth and density. Then, recently, we launched products to delay gray hair. I hired my friend Dr. Sandra Kaufmann, who has written two books on longevity. She designed the protocol to delay and reverse gray hair. We now have two product lines.
I was new to e-commerce and didn’t know what I was doing. I made a hundred mistakes, but here we are, improving. I have friends in the longevity field who are kind enough to have me on their podcasts. Every time I do an episode, my message gets better. We discuss the science, how we developed our solution, and our target markets.
Part of my challenge is translating that authenticity into direct response marketing and Facebook ads. Our field requires education because many women, in particular, have tried many things for hair loss. We must be authentic.
Bandholz: You offer subscriptions.
Khan: Yes. We have worked on the subscription offer to make it attractive, which involves educating the consumer. Our products take approximately 90 days to see results due to the hair cycle. With education, subscriptions have increased – by around 40% in the last six months. Our goal is to convert 20% of all buyers into subscriptions.
We have focused a lot of our efforts on serum rather than supplements because the margins are better. You need good margins to make advertising profitable.
Bandholz: What would you do differently if you could do it again?
Khan: My biggest mistake was not focusing on Facebook ads, the cash cow for most direct-to-consumer businesses. I didn’t know Facebook and thought I wasn’t good enough. I’m not creative. I relied on agencies and consultants, with no results for these efforts. Our cost per acquisition was over $200, which means negative margins. Then I went to Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas and met people who were profitably spending $10,000 a day on Facebook ads.
This led me to change my vision. I got into Facebook, owned it, and started editing some of our ads. I learned when to change creative, how many hooks we need, and the obstacles in the conversion path. I had to get into the weeds.
I learned about our strengths and differences from other sellers. Our messaging has improved. Facebook’s algorithm changes have forced us to double down on our messaging at every consumer touchpoint.
We tried TikTok Shop, but nothing shakes things up like Facebook. Now I spend most of my time there. Last fall, I retained the services of an incredible creative strategist. She encouraged me to spend more on Facebook. It made a big difference for me to be involved in the details.
Don’t outsource your income. This is my advice to entrepreneurs.
Bandholz: Where can people buy your products?
Khan: Our website is FullyVital.com. I am @FarazKhan1000 on X and @antiaginghacks on Instagram.