Nancy Duitch is a California-based entrepreneur who has been working at the cutting edge of health, wellness and beauty for years. She entered the infomercial space at just the right moment, and began incorporating CBD into her products before the craze really took off. Her interest in innovative products and cutting edge technology have resulted in Sera Labs. Her company produces more than twenty products that are now sold in drug, grocery and retail stores across the country. One of her biggest successes to date? Sera Labs’ strategic partnership with Nicole Kidman. Today the CEO is continuing to expand on her company’s success while also making time to mentor young women and help raise a new generation of women to the C-Suite.
Duitch’s story, as told to The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project:
Both my brother and sister passed away in their early 20’s due to Long QT syndrome, a heart condition that I also inherited. Once I learned from my doctors that I could not have elective surgery, I was determined to do everything in my power to live my healthiest life and look my best. I have been involved in the health, wellness and beauty industry my entire career but founded Sera Labs to help others do the same. It has been a very important personal goal for me to redefine the beauty, health and wellness industries with solution-based products that will produce results without the need for surgery or other drastic measures. Bringing innovative, luxury- quality products with cutting edge technology and superior ingredients to consumers at affordable prices has always been, and will continue to be important to me.
There are many aspects to success for me. The first is having an attainable vision, seeing it coming to life and doing it all with purpose, integrity and with transparency. This will give you the best chance of success. Remember, never give up or you will never have the chance to be successful. And, of course, it is important to give it everything you’ve got and stay focused at all costs to achieve your goals. Are you really ready to work for it, and possibly fall down a couple times? Successful people see their mistakes as opportunities to learn, not as failures. Finding success also means understanding the importance of creating a team that compliments your strengths and has skillsets you may not inherently possess.
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I have been fortunate to be at the forefront of the explosive Infomercial and CBD industries at the right time. One of my biggest successes was having the opportunity to be responsible for the retail launch of the Ab Roller, which generated about $334 million in one year. Seeing our CBD skin care line Seratopical become a brand at some of the major retailers was a huge success, as was creating a robust online presence and, of course, our strategic partnership with Nicole Kidman which was inked in December 2020 and would not have happened without the successful acquisition of Sera Labs.
When I founded the company in 2018, I set a goal to be acquired within two years. In 2020, our company proudly met that goal when we were acquired by CURE Pharmaceutical. Today, I get to continue leading Sera Labs while also serving as the Chief Strategy Officer for CURE. The C-Suite has come a long way from being a “boys-only” club when I first started my career. With determination, persistence, and some great timing, I have continued to remain at the top.
I have been very open about the fact that often my largest challenge was being the only woman sitting in the boardroom. At the beginning of my career in the 1980’s, I was dismissed for being a woman time and time again. When I first entered the field of business, I was told to get a “Mrs. Degree.” Today having held several executive positions in highly successful companies, I have proven that gender does not dictate my capabilities, intelligence or success.
Female executives were sparse when I started my professional life, I did however have a wonderfully progressive mentor, Earl Greenberg, who was one of the great leaders in the consumer product goods/ direct marketing industry, as well as the entertainment industry. Earl taught me to disregard those who discriminate against me because of my gender and that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman in business as long as you’re performing to the best of your ability.
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He continued to push me in my career and urged me to ignore those who told me I was less capable because I was a woman. One day, he told me something that affected the rest of my career. He said, “At some point, you will see it won’t make a difference that you’re a woman or a man in business as long as you are producing the kind of revenue you’re capable of.” Turns out, he was right! It just took a lot of broken glass to get here. Today it’s very important for me to mentor young women and reinforce to them that there are no limitations to their career or success.
Another fantastic mentor was Peter Spiegel who is a brilliant marketer and taught me the meaning of looking at everything through the eyes of the consumer. He also taught me patience in testing every marketing concept. We never know what will work since the consumer is smarter than we are, as they know exactly what they want.
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