In this episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, Jon LaClare sits down with Adria Marshall, founder of Ecoslay, to reveal how an unexpected product idea grew into a multimillion-dollar haircare brand without sacrificing quality, sustainability, or its handmade roots. Ecoslay began when Adria, a software engineer struggling to find the right products for her curly hair, started experimenting with natural ingredients from her local farmers market. After she sent her handmade flaxseed gel to a YouTube creator, the product went viral—taking Ecoslay from zero to 1,000 orders in fewer than 15 days. Adria explains how her engineering background helped her approach product development and business growth as a series of problems to solve. She also shares why she refused to let contract manufacturers change her formulas, how Ecoslay scaled its handmade production, and how its memorable food-inspired product names helped create a cohesive, recognizable brand. The conversation also explores Ecoslay’s multichannel strategy across its direct-to-consumer website, Amazon, wholesale, Google, Meta, SEO, and organic social media. Adria explains how Amazon supports product discovery while the company’s website allows Ecoslay to own its customer relationships, personalize future marketing, and generate repeat purchases through its recycling and rewards programs. Adria also reveals how each advertising platform contributes differently to the business. Amazon consistently generates a return on ad spend above four, Google Search averages around three, and Meta produces a less-direct but important impact on organic traffic, website sales, and Amazon performance. She explains why accurate attribution matters, why retargeting is just as important as prospecting, and why looking only at a platform’s reported ROAS can obscure its true value. Finally, Adria shares the video content that performs best for Ecoslay: concise, product-in-use demonstrations that show the product’s texture, application process, and final results. She also explains why trusted salon professionals are becoming more effective than traditional influencers—and how she protects her personal time through morning routines, scheduled self-care, exercise, faith, and firm boundaries around her weekends. In today’s episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, we cover: How Ecoslay generated 1,000 orders in fewer than 15 daysHow an engineering mindset can help founders solve business problemsWhy Adria rejected contract manufacturing and kept production handmadeHow memorable product names and cohesive branding increase customer connectionWhat Ecoslay has learned by working directly with local farmersHow the company’s B Corp values, volunteer work, and community hiring support long-term growthWhy Ecoslay treats Amazon as a product-discovery channelHow recycling and rewards programs move customers toward the company’s websiteThe different roles of Amazon, Google Search, Meta ads, SEO, and organic social mediaWhy retargeting campaigns are as important as customer-prospecting campaignsHow more accurate attribution leads to better advertising decisionsWhy product demonstrations outperform static advertisingWhy salon professionals can be more credible than traditional influencersHow Adria protects her personal time while leading a team of more than 20 employeesIf you’re building a consumer product brand, managing multiple sales channels, or trying to scale without compromising what makes your product special, this episode offers practical lessons from a founder who has successfully navigated more than a decade of growth. Want to connect with Adria? Visit Ecoslay.com to explore Ecoslay’s handmade haircare products for wavy, curly, coily, and kinky hair. Do you have a brand you’d like to launch or scale? Visit HarvestGrowth.com to book a free consultation and learn how our team has helped generate over $2 billion in product sales.
