Branding, Packaging, and Content That Actually Sells Products with Alannah Connealy

One time I found out one of our manufacturers was charging me way more than someone else that was using some of their raw materials. And so I like made up a person that wasn't me, obviously, and that person had an address. And then I found out how much I was being over, you know, like, like I was getting way worse prices. Then they found out it was me, but by accident they sent all the raw materials to the fake person's address. And we had like pallets of product in the middle of Colorado that I was like, we're not— that's not where you are. Where I am, our warehouse is in Los Angeles.

Hello and welcome back to the Product Boss Podcast. I am Jacqueline Snyder, I am your host of the show, and I'm so excited to have a very special guest here today. I have Alana Keneally. She is the founder of Reina Health and one of the co-hosts of Celluverse Podcast. Welcome to the show, my my friend.

Thank you for having me.

Oh my gosh, so excited that you're here. So we are friends outside of this world, but what you're creating and bringing to the space of healthcare and in the form of a product is so very exciting. So would you mind telling the listeners a little bit more about it?

Thank you. Um, yeah, we help women with their hormones, and so what that looks like is really amazing solutions for hormone imbalances, so like PCOS, perimenopause, menopause, PMS, all things that women go through. They're looking for answers and we, we make the highest quality products for, for those imbalances.

Amazing. So you've created a healthcare company where you're basically, you're creating supplements.

We do. We specialize in transdermal creams, but they're topical supplements. And then we do prescription-grade capsules and then we do supplements as well.

So are you like, did you grow up in this space? Like, do you know all about products? Like, how did you end up in this?

Um, well, my mom's a medical doctor, so I grew up in like the health world and then, um, learned so much from her. She's a pretty amazing doctor in Orange County.

And then, yeah, tell us your mom's name.

Dr. Keneally. I love her. She's my mom. Um, and she, yeah, runs a massive clinic. So she was actually compounding hormones, uh, my entire life. When I was little, I would literally like help her make prescription hormones, like, you know, getting like the materials together, because that's what she did for her patients, which is very pioneering to make hormones for your patients.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, incredible.

Yeah. So, but we do, uh, mostly over-the-counter transdermal creams.

And I always wanted to create like a world, you know, I don't think of it as like products. I think it's like stepping into the Rayna world. What does a Rayna woman look like and feel like? And what kind of bottles does she want to use and feel proud of in her bathroom shelf?

Okay, I love that. So really important here because we could just make medicine or we could just make supplements or products, but you thought about who the Rayna customer is and what the packaging would look like. So could we dig into that a little bit more? Because I think a lot of times when people are coming up with product, they're not fully thinking of the brand, right? Like people will buy based on the bottle and based on the packaging. So how did you, who is the customer for Reina?

For us, it's a very knowledgeable woman, very like, she inspires me. She's very like got her life together, but is very skeptical and like takes her health seriously and is very engaged in that process. So it's not someone that just wants to listen to their OB-GYN 'cause that wouldn't be our customer, right? 'Cause we're kind of a foil to the OB-GYN. DIY your hormones with us. And so yeah, it's an amazing woman, usually around 40 years old.

Did you name her?

Well, Reina in Spanish means queen. So we have like, we took that name as a variation of the word Reina. And so I like it represents the, you know, her, her, and especially, you know, our sweet spot's 40 years old. It's really a transition period where the woman becomes a queen in her life. You know, she's no longer a princess. She's usually had kids. She's gone through her career or whatever she's done in her life. So to us, it's really a crowning transitional period that we focus on.

So good. So then, 'cause the people are, you know, our listeners, they're physical product-based business owners. So they're really thinking the same way where they're thinking, I've got this product and maybe there's a problem out there that we get to solve or they're meeting a need, want, or desire in the market, right? 'Cause if we're gonna come out with a product, we really wanna meet that need. So you saw the need based off of growing up with an amazing mom who's a physician and seeing that, but then finding the ideal customer avatar, What kind of research did you do to really start to feel into her so when you make the decisions for content, packaging, the website, that you feel really aligned with her?

I don't know. I mean, I make it for myself. Like, I would never make a product or sell a product that I wouldn't use. And I just felt like everything out there felt very just boring. So when thinking about like packaging and design, I'm like really always mixing art and design with health. That is my sweet spot. Like, that's my— what feels like a flow state is when I'm mixing medicine with art. And so the packaging is— I think it's beautiful. We have custom molds from, you know, that custom mold bottles take a year to make. So it's very intentional, but you know, you only have one life. I don't want to put out a half-assed product. So yeah, just taking the product seriously. And I don't know, I just love like packaging and logos. I've always loved colors and I just love pictures and I don't know, just the art of it all, of packaging and product. I've always been interested in it.

Amazing. So when you started, did you have an audience to sell to? Did you have customers to sell to? Like, what was that very, very beginning when you were like, okay, I need to get my product in front of people? What did you do?

I just started making content right away. Yeah, I just— I like, if we didn't have customers, I would just make videos until we had a customer. If I saw an order come through, like, I wouldn't go to bed until I was like, we're going to find people to buy this product because it's amazing. So I just started making content myself on social. Yeah, TikTok, Instagram, you know, putting stuff out there. And, and then until we got big enough, I hired people to make content. Also, I think it's like a certain level, you don't want to always have the founder be the face of it. It just can feel a little small. Yeah, I think if you're always the face of it, it felt a little not serious in a way. So I kind of stepped back after a few years of doing a lot of the content. I step in once in a while because I like to just get in that, like, talking to the customer mode. What's, what's clicking with people? What's not? What's a little edgy? What's a little not? So pulling in and out has kind of been what I do now.

What kind of content do you think is really helpful, right, to the ideal customer? So what kind of content are you creating that's really pulling in the person who's never seen or heard about your business before?

The only type of content that really converts is before and afters.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, like showing before and who you can be. Mm. So we, yeah, I mean we make all types of content 'cause I think it's not always about a conversion, it's about the brand and the world and it's just like kind of infomercially at some point when you're always doing before and afters. But in terms of actually getting a sale, the best easiest way to do is do a before and after. Yeah. And just explaining like this is who you are now and this is what you're gonna feel after you use the product.

What kind of content goes viral for you?

A lot of before and afters. Visually. Visually showing a woman, just even basically, she's in menopause, she's hot flash, and then afterwards, this is how you use the cream and this is what you'll feel after kind of thing. But we do a lot of science. I've always felt like we just need to tell more facts. I feel like unmet women's health, it feels very cloudy and you don't know where to turn and where to look. And I just thought, let's just stick with the facts that we know. And I think when people hear the truth, resonates in their heart and their soul that they know it's true. And I've always wanted to stick to more science and facts.

Yeah. So listen to her podcast because you're like, let's talk science and facts. Did you create the podcast to drive customers to Rayna?

No, no, no. Yeah. I have— I don't really do— like, I feel like I always just do what I desire, feels right, but never like— I don't know. I probably need to get more like business-oriented. But the podcast is for my next business really that I'm working on, but it's still in the women's health world. And it's, I just have a lot I wanna make. You know, I have like one life, so I'm like, someone was like, you're not focused. I'm like, you're not doing enough. Like, I seem extra because you're not doing that much, you know? So it's for my next business.

Great, you have like so many ideas and action takers. So what would you say is sort of like one of the craziest things that happened having a product business that was just sort of something that you're like, oh gosh, this happened and we get to get through it?

Oh my gosh, I mean, millions of stories. One time I found out one of our manufacturers was charging me way more than someone else that was using some of their raw materials. And so I made up a person that wasn't me, obviously, and that person had an address. And then I found out how much I was being over— I was getting way worse prices. Then they found out it was me, but by accident they sent all the raw materials to the fake person's address. And we had pallets of product in the middle of Colorado that I was like, we're not That's not where you are. That's not where I am. Our warehouse is in Los Angeles.

Okay, so it was sort of like trying to mess with or figuring out the negotiation of cost.

I think they did it by accident.

Okay.

You know, I don't think it was malicious, but it was just really funny that like, that's where it had to end up.

Yeah, you're like, in Colorado, what do I do with this stuff?

Yeah, it was really funny. But I mean, there's millions of hardships. There's just challenges every day. You know, you're just trying to, you know, knock out problems every day like a ninja.

Yeah, like a ninja. So what advice would you give someone just starting out in the product space?

I think just really getting connected to what you're about to sell and why you love it more than anyone. Like, I truly believe you can sell any product if you want to. Like, if you love it, you can sell anything. You know, it's just feeling like very close to that product in a very intimate, like, soul level. Um, because business is hard, life is hard, and so you're not going to stick with it if you don't feel like this true connection with whatever that object is.

Yeah, I call it finding your why. Yeah, so it's like, what's your why? Because when things get really hard, when things are sent to Colorado and you're like, ah, like I just want to give up, it's— you got to go back to your why. So the why could be about the customer, the why could be for you, the why, you know, but it has to be deep enough that you could ride the waves of entrepreneurship.

Yeah, there's just—

what's your why?

What's my why? I really just want to give like women better answers. I don't know, I feel like we're sold short all the time and don't know where to turn, and everyone's got a different opinion. So I feel like we have the ability to literally change women's lives and their health, and that's the greatest gift. Because what is that? More time with your family, more time with your parents, more time with your, you know, your kids and stuff. So there's really nothing more important than our biology, in my opinion.

Yeah, 100%. So, and then for you, what's your vision moving forward, just for you, Alana, being an entrepreneur, moving through this space? Because what I really believe is that entrepreneurship can be the vehicle to our vision, right? To freedom, to finding our purpose in this world, and then the freedom that we get to have on the other end. So what do you, what do you see for yourself moving into the future?

Well, I think, you know, I've been like a product person, but we're moving in more a tech direction, like building more software, which is outside like what I've been used to, because we do like creams, you know. So that's where I guess getting stretchier in, in that way of building, um, software.

Yeah.

To, to help women. But it's just, yeah, that's what I'm looking forward to. I think I love creating and I like following the desire I feel, you know. I love every desire leads to the next desire, and I get so excited every day, like, what's, what next am I going to want to make? Oh my gosh, the world's, the world's waiting for this, you know.

So good. One thing I do teach people is I talk about their bestseller, what they're known for. So when you were starting your business, did you start with one product, multiple products, or like, what did you want to be known for that still continues to be your bestseller today?

Yeah, I wish I just started with one product, cuz it's simpler, it's easier. But it wasn't an extension of me. Like, I feel I'm very multifaceted, and I couldn't do that. Like, it's so much easier if you're that person that can just sell a creatine gummy. Like, life is easier, and you can get like a $70 million run rate, like, and that's just with one SKU. Like Armor Colostrum, they— what are they on track to do, like $200 million with two SKUs?

Yeah.

But ultimately, you that's not my song to sing. So we didn't start with one product. I think we had started with maybe 10 or something, but our bestseller is progesterone. It's the most underutilized drug in the world. It has no toxic downsides. It can help breast cancer, MS, men can take it. So for that reason, it's our bestseller. We're a progesterone company, but we also do other hormones because to me it's like, well, progesterone's not the only hormone. You gotta look at DHEA, thyroid, pregnenolone. I guess in good faith with myself, I don't just sell one product, but I think you should be focused and focused on what you really want to like hunker down on.

Yeah.

Because if you're doing everything, it's just, it's really hard to be stuck in a customer's mind.

Yeah. Um, well, what you're doing is kind of, I talk about, so it's either hero product or core collection. So your products are sort of that idea of core collection, or I'll talk about this in skin regimens, right? So if somebody's selling skin cream. It's like they want the toner and the cleanser and the hyaluronic acid and whatever it is. So it sounds to me like you created a core collection.

Yeah.

Meaning for the problems that you have, you can mix and match these products and put them together, knowing though that your best seller is a progesterone. So that's kind of like— call it like the Beyoncé or the, you know, the lead singer. So it's the one that stands out, it's the one that can really drive the business forward, but then it gets to be supported by the other products.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

And we're not going to do a lot of other products, you know, we're just going to double down on— are people saying to you like, do you guys like a lot of guys?

Are they pushing into men? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I would love to do testosterone. It's a great business, but our branding speaks to women too.

So no, that's, that's the answer I want, because people are always going to be like, you know what you should do? And I'm like, don't let them shit on you, right? Oh yeah, like, you know what, you know who you want to serve, you know your customer right now. It doesn't mean down the road you can't expand to men and men's hormones, but right now you're doing something Totally.

I think that the easier route is owning a sector and then rolling, like, expanding from there once you've really dominated that section.

Yeah.

So we probably are one of the biggest hormone, like, over-the-counter hormone companies, you know, in the US, and we're not gonna really, yeah, go out into other sectors. We're not gonna do a multivitamin. We're a hormone company.

Yeah.

So we just do hormones. We want to be known for the word hormones, you know.

Yeah. And that's so important. So So for our listeners out there, the idea here is that you think and you realize that when you're known for something, you can make millions and millions and millions of dollars and you can have an impact. And so it's not this need to have to serve everybody, even though everyone needs hormones. It's not the idea that you need to have a gazillion products, or like you said, do supplements or like edible vitamins.

Yeah.

It's the idea of you sticking to what you're known for because you could be highly successful. Yeah.

Our products are still pretty niche, so, um, it's just about getting those less niche. Yeah. Yeah.

So advice to physical product-based business owner out there, someone who's doing this, or whether right now they're listening in their basement or their workshop or their studio, or they're packing boxes and shipping to their customers, what's some advice you could give them?

Well, I think like, I think the logo and words, the word of the company, like the, what you call it is more important than people think. Like sometimes people are like, I think I'm just going to go with this company name. And I'm like, that is not a good name. Like you have to have a word that you want to look at every day, say every day, look at on your emails every day. You know, you gotta have pretty words, pretty things surrounding yourself. So those little things. But yeah, I mean, I packed all of our orders for the first like year of our company. It's brutal. So you gotta have the things that you really like about your business, like the logo and the words.

You were just like looking at the bottles, you're like, "Oh, I gotta love this logo." They're beautiful.

Oh yeah, absolutely. The images, everything's gotta be— I think those investments really pay off.

They do. And I think sometimes people get really complicated in the way that they spell things or they use other, you know, like, French words and it's hard for people to spell. So you really wanna make it easy for people to remember the name. Do you know how Goop came to be?

No.

Okay. This is really cool cuz we were talking about Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop. Goop was Gwyneth Paltrow, GP, and she heard that the ooh sound like Google was a really popular like sound for people. So she just basically took her initials and put the ooh in between and that's how we got Goop.

Yeah, that's crazy. Well, you know, like for product businesses, I just think it matters like even running, running through like an entire cycle. Like if you're gonna be in retail, like think about that from day one. Um, these details, you just don't wanna redo 'em and it, you know, yeah, you can update and stuff, but I know that's like trivial advice, but I actually think just people, they kind of wanna use maybe AI for their logo. I'm like, no, get a graphic designer. Yes. Like get someone that that's their craft because you'll just be taken seriously. It looks more reputable, trustable, and people wanna buy it.

Yeah. Yeah, you know, yeah, I always say look like a million-dollar or $10 million business even if you don't. Yeah, have the funds. Like, you want to present in a certain way even if it's just you packing boxes behind the scenes and shipping everything. You're like, I'm the shipping department and I am the customer service, but you really want to appear like a multi-million dollar brand so that people trust the product.

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.

All right, well, thank you so much. How can people buy from you, follow you, listen to the show?

Um, I mean, our website's reina.com, so that's pretty simple.

R-E-I-N-A.com.

And then I'm on Instagram and Twitter and LinkedIn and all those things.

Amazing. Put it all in the show notes. All right, thank you, my friend, for being here, and thank you for what you're doing in the world for women and our health.

Thanks for having me. Bye.