L’Avant Collective Founders On Growing An Eco-Luxe Brand With A Cult Following

What began as a new-mom side hustle when L’Avant co-founders Kristi Lord and Lindsay Droz were still working corporate 9-5 jobs has grown into a cult cleaning-product brand, whose elevated laundry and dish detergents have attracted a devoted following and the Goopiest of advisors. Here is how two savvy moms conceptualized, bootstrapped, formulated, hustled and marketed their way to building a delicious-smelling and super effective line of plant-based home cleaning products.

What inspired the original concept for L’Avant when you were both working in completely separate industries? What was it that you weren’t seeing on the market and what were you trying to solve?

Kristi: The idea for L’Avant came about when we were in different industries, and we started paying more attention to the products we were using at home as new moms. Lindsay worked in the medical device field, and her wake-up call came when she was pregnant with her first child and cleaning the floor. She noticed a warning label on the cleaning product, cautioning against using it around pets but no mention of potential harm to a crawling baby. Meanwhile, I had been in finance for over two decades, and my aha moment was realizing that my six-month-old son’s skin issues were linked to various household products, from cleaning supplies to laundry detergent and skincare items.

Lindsay: These realizations pushed us to try plant-based cleaning products, but the options on the market didn’t meet our standards. Additionally, we wondered why something so integral to daily home care didn’t align with the aesthetics of modern homes, especially with the rise of Instagram and Pinterest-worthy content. That’s how L’Avant Collective was born, where we merge home design and style with top-notch performance to provide a memorable, non-toxic, eco-luxe cleaning experience.

Did you both immediately leave your day jobs to dedicate yourselves to L’Avant? Did one of you leave first and then the other? How did you know it was time to commit 100%?

Kristi: Both of us always prioritized committing 100% to L’Avant from the start. It took three years from the initial idea to the actual launch of L’Avant. During that time, we dedicated our evenings and weekends to developing the concept, perfecting formulations, working on branding, and sourcing. As L’Avant product development started gaining momentum as we neared launch in December of 2020, we both decided it was time to leave our day jobs, which ultimately led to the launch.

How did you bootstrap, what was the initial investment you both made and how did you determine how to best deploy personal funds?

Lindsay: We kick-started our venture using our personal savings, with each of us contributing $150,000. This initial investment sustained us for three years of development and well into our first-year post-launch. The bulk of our funds was allocated to essential areas such as formula creation, testing, legal fees, branding, and acquiring components. We were extremely vigilant about our expenditures, constantly seeking suitable partners, vendors, and manufacturers who could work within our budget and accommodate lower minimum orders. Kristi: Frustratingly most manufacturers we initially called required 100,000 units or more to work with them. We had to continue to dig, by asking connections, searching the internet and reading industry magazines until we found boutique manufacturers willing to partner with small start ups – those willing to work with 500-1000 units at a time. In addition, instead of partnering with large, high-overhead marketing and branding companies, we opted for talented individuals. Many of our decisions were based on gut instincts, and if a spending decision didn’t feel right, we refrained from it. Trusting our intuition allowed us to bootstrap our way as far as we did.

Did you hit it out of the park right away with formulations for clean-but-luxe soaps and detergents or did you have to tweak in the beginning? How can those who are looking for this kind of product know whether they are using something watered down or great?

Lindsay: From the very beginning, we understood the importance of having effective formulations for our clean-but-luxe soaps and detergents. Our goal wasn’t just to outperform other green cleaners but to match the performance of leading conventional cleaning products in order to secure repeat business. We found a talented chemist on LinkedIn who shared our passion for making plant-based products perform as well as their conventional counterparts. This chemist had previously worked with top-tier green cleaning brands, making her the perfect fit for our mission.

Lindsay In her previous roles, our formulator faced the challenge of creating natural products at prices ranging from $4 to $8. Typically, this meant using lower-quality ingredients and more diluted formulas. We asked if she could create plant-based formulas to achieve the performance of market-leading conventional products. She indicated it could be done but the higher quality, more concentrated formulas would cost more and fortunately, she accepted the challenge.

Kristi: The formulation process involved countless iterations and testing, spanning nearly two years. We subjected our formulas to third-party lab tests, pitting them against well-known conventional cleaning products such as Dawn, Joy, 409, and Tide. We persevered until we either matched or exceeded their performance. One of our first proudest moments was when we received the lab test results confirming that we had achieved our goal with our dish soap. It was a very difficult formula to perfect and we both knew at that moment that we had created a game changer.

How did you figure out your manufacturing channels, and sales channels? How did you develop this amazing community of L’Avant fans?

Lindsay: To establish our manufacturing and sales channels, we initially leaned heavily on our formulator, who guided us through the early stages. We were novices, unaware of contract manufacturers and fragrance houses. She made the critical first connections, leading us to our initial partners. As we engaged in conversations, these initial contacts introduced us to more connections. Our priority was to find vendors willing to work with our small quantities and align with our mission. This journey involved numerous calls, extensive research, facing rejection, and unwavering persistence in locating the vendors and manufacturers who played a pivotal role in our startup. We remain immensely grateful to these individuals and companies.

Kristi: Creating a community of L’Avant fans hinged on a few strategies. We began by nurturing the community on Instagram and fostering personal relationships with our early supporters. Through direct messages, comments, and handwritten notes on their orders, we allowed our customers to accompany us on our entrepreneurial journey. In the initial stages, our focus was on education, sharing our knowledge about the cleaning products in our homes, and the “why” behind our brand. We discovered that the more transparent we were about our mission and our company’s growth, the more engaged our customers became.

Lindsay: To this day, we personally respond to every direct message and comment. This close connection with our customers revealed that we had not only created effective plant-based cleaning products but also evoked a positive emotional response. Our brand inadvertently brought joy to a mundane yet essential task.

Kristi: Customer service played a pivotal role. By attentively listening to our customers and addressing their needs, we not only created fans but also laid the foundation for enduring relationships and brand loyalty. For example, we did not know that our Fresh Linen scent would become iconic amongst our customers and fans. They immediately started asking for other products that would transcend the scent through their home. We even have customers tell us they spray the multipurpose on their clothes to act as a perfume! We are so delighted by these types of notes. We immediately started working on complementary products to bring to market like candles and room spray. This has allowed us to expand from a cleaning product to a home care product company.

Lindsay: Our focus extended beyond problem-solving, aiming to understand our customers’ perspectives, anticipate their desires for our products, and consistently surpass their expectations. Laundry is the lion’s share in the cleaning product market. We knew we wanted to expand in this area as our customer base grew. We sent out customer surveys for feedback on delivery, performance, scent, and price. We did multiple surveys on Instagram to continue to collect feedback on what they were looking for in a laundry formula. This feedback formed the base discussion with our formulator and helped throughout the formulation process. This approach continuously provides us with feedback and insights that drive improvements and innovation, ultimately strengthening the trust and expanding our fan base within the community.

You have a very special board member. How did this come to be?

Lindsay: We don’t have a formal board since the company is still privately owned by the two of us. Nevertheless, we’ve surrounded ourselves with exceptional mentors and advisors on our journey. Blair Lawson, the CEO of Lunya, and Gwyneth Paltrow, the CEO and Founder of Goop, have been advising us from the outset. Blair, who was formerly the CMO of Goop, was one of the first individuals we pitched our idea to. She provided us with the opportunity to present to Goop’s buying team before our launch. Once we launched at Goop, we expressed our gratitude for the collaboration through an Instagram story/live, highlighting how much Gwyneth had inspired us to create clean living products. To our pleasant surprise, Gwyneth sent us a direct message congratulating us, and our relationship with her began soon after. Both Gwyneth and Blair have played a crucial role in our success by serving as guides, sounding boards, and mentors.

Kristi: In addition to these remarkable individuals, we rely heavily on a formulator for guidance on new products and the ingredients we’re testing. Fortunately, we’re based in Seattle, where the startup community is extensive. We have several advisors who have successfully built brands, and we regularly tap into their expertise for advice.

What has your growth been like? What have the biggest hit products been to date?

Kristi: Our growth has followed a consistent trajectory, with our sales more than doubling each year. What’s remarkable is that this growth has predominantly been organic in nature. We’ve achieved this by crafting a high-quality product that resonates with our customers. We know this because they not only love it but also choose to gift it, share their positive experiences on social media, and come back to repurchase it.

Lindsay: The wholesale channel has also served as a powerful growth engine. Retailers and gourmet grocers such as Bloomindales, The Container Store, Metropolitan Market, Foxtrot, Bristol Farms and 100s of beautiful home and gift boutiques across the country have embraced our product because it offers something unique, and it keeps their customers returning for more. This approach also allows customers to physically interact with the product – seeing, touching, and smelling it before making a purchase. It takes a little of everything these days to grow and by staying firmly connected to what our customers and retailers want we continue to build the L’Avant brand from a very solid foundation.

Kristi: Our fan-favorite product is the multipurpose cleaner. It works on so many surfaces (including glass, mirrors, counters, floors, bathrooms) and turns out is also incredible at pre-treating stains on clothes and upholstery. The daily act of wiping down surfaces is less mundane with a beautifully smelling product that actually works. In addition, we launched a high-performance laundry detergent in 2023 and that is quickly becoming our leading-selling product.

What’s in store for the holiday? What’s next for L’Avant and you two?

Kristi The holiday season is our biggest quarter of the year because of how incredibly giftable L’Avant products are. They make wonderful hostess gifts, corporate gifts, and housewarming gifts. They also make beautiful, unique wedding or baby shower gifts.

Lindsay: A lot of our DTC growth is fueled by customers who receive an item as a gift and then they are hooked and come to our site for more. We release our limited edition Winter Fir line each October in hand soap, dish soap, candles, and room spray. This beautiful, natural fragrance is a fun change out to a kitchen sink or powder room through the holiday season.

Kristi: We have a lot of fun things in the hopper that we are working on for 2024 and beyond – stay tuned!