How One Failed Product Changed the Way She Built Her Business | Ep. 102 [Anu Luthra]

What does it take to walk away from a successful career in finance and build a purpose-driven brand from the ground up? In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Anu Luthra, founder and CEO of Lumehra, to explore her journey from corporate finance to entrepreneurship and the lessons she learned along the way.

Anu shares how her first product became an unexpected lesson in market validation, why even a great idea isn’t enough if it doesn’t solve a clear customer problem, and how learning to separate emotion from the numbers helped shape the way she approaches business today. She also discusses how her family’s sensitivities inspired Lumehra’s clean home care products and why the company focuses on effective, plant- and mineral-based solutions designed around simplicity, convenience, and purpose.

By listening closely to customers and knowing when to pivot, this conversation offers valuable insights for founders navigating manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, consulting, and cross-border expansion. Anu also shares an important reminder for aspiring entrepreneurs: you don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin; confidence often comes after taking action.

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Transcript

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 0:06

What does it take to leave a successful finance career and build a clean home care brand from the ground up? Welcome to Industry Ignited. I'm your host, Dr. Leanne Aguilar. And today I'm joined by Anu Luthra, CEO, founder, and inventor of Lumera, a Canadian clean living brand creating eco-friendly, non-toxic, plant-based home cleaning products. Anu, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Thank you. Thank you. I'm excited to be here. Thank you, Leanne.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 0:33

Now you began your career in finance in New York and Toronto. What inspired you to leave that world and step into entrepreneurship?

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Great question. Honestly, it was a combination of things. I felt burnt out, but more than that, I always was drawn to being in an entrepreneur, and I always felt out of place in the corporate world. I grew up in a family business, so entrepreneurship was very familiar to me. I saw the hard work, the risk, the responsibility that comes with building something yourself. Even while I was working in finance, I always felt that I was meant to create something of my own. Finance gave me a strong foundation, especially with numbers, discipline, risk, decision making. But I wanted something to build, I wanted to build something that was more purpose. I wanted to create a brand that reflected my values, solved a real problem, and gave me the freedom to make decisions in a more meaningful way.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 1:30

Okay. So was entrepreneurship something that you had thought about for a long time then prior to actually becoming one?

SPEAKER_00 1:36

It was something that was always in the back of my mind. It wasn't something that I um felt was out of bounds. Um it felt as if it was calling me because again, I grew up in a in a family business. So it wasn't something that was foreign to me or you know, where I felt that no, that's not something I could do. Because it it felt like it was a natural step, but I hadn't figured out what that entrepreneurial journey and what that world would look like.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 2:04

Right. Okay. So just what direction and exactly what maybe like products or service that you would, you know, um sell, basically. Yeah. Okay. But then, like you mentioned, having that strong foundation in finance helped you learn the ropes as far as how to manage the business, how to determine risk, like you mentioned.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Yeah, I mean, I think there's an advantage of working in a corporate environment where there's a lot of structure that's built uh as part of your learning experience. Um, but there's also disadvantages for working in a corporate environment for me. But I think in finance, you know, one of the things is that you're very drawn to understanding what numbers mean versus just looking at a number on a you know on a spreadsheet and saying, oh, that's just the return or something. It's it's understanding how did you get that. And I think having that as a background really made me look at uh margins and cash flow and risk in a very different, more meaningful way as a business owner.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 3:10

Right. Yeah, and I think that does give you an advantage. A lot of business owners, I think, don't have that foundation. And so it's not as intuitive when it comes to making those kind of decisions or reading your reports and really understanding what they mean and what uh decisions to make based on off those numbers. So yeah, I think yeah, that's a great foundation to have. So your first product was a laundry hamper, which became a major learning experience. What did that teach you about market validation and listening to the customer?

SPEAKER_00 3:39

The laundry hamper was definitely a huge uh huge learning experience for me. The concept itself was good, but it didn't sell. Um, because one of the things I feel that it didn't sell is because it clearly didn't define who the customer was and what problem it was solving for the customer. Looking back, it was a great product, but without any purpose. It taught me one of the most important lessons in business today for me, where it's a good idea is not enough. The customer has to immediately understand what problem the product solves and why they, the customer, needs it. Um, that lesson stayed with me. Every product now has to have a very clear reason for existing. Um, what's our purpose? What's the real household problem that we're trying to solve? Whether it's you know, frequent sensitivity, convenience, cleaner ingredients, it has to have a defined um purpose in why we're gonna launch it.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 4:47

Right. So basically solving a problem that doesn't already have a solution or a clear solution, or you're solving it in a way that others haven't solved it before.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Exactly. And and also looking at it from a customer perspective of why do that, why do I need this product versus that product? You know, what makes Lumero's products different than our competitors? And having that understanding before we really go down the road of launching a product is is extremely valuable.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 5:17

Yeah. So does that lead you to more market testing then? Or how are you finding out that information on what customers consider valuable or needed?

SPEAKER_00 5:26

A lot of it is understanding the market and the highlights and really looking at what customers want. And we get that through one-on-one conversations with customers. We've done a lot of consumer shows. We reach out to a lot of our customer base and we ask those questions. Especially, we just recently did a consumer show about uh two weeks ago. And one of the big things that I always try to do, you know, yes, introduce our line, introduce our products to new customers, but I want to listen and I want to hear what their issues are, you know, why they love the products that they currently use, or why they don't love the products that they currently use. What are their challenges about their laundry detergent, their dishwasher detergent, whatever it is, because they're gonna give you the answers. You just have to be willing to listen. As a small business, we don't have the resources to do in-depth market research. We don't. So we have to look at other ways to get what customers and our customers really are looking for.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 6:29

Yeah. And without that internal bias is what I'm hearing too. Because often people fall in love with their own ideas, their own products, and don't really listen at that deep level. Um, because if you're listening at that deep level to a customer, you're actually willing to pivot, you're willing to change your product or service and sometimes abandon the direction that you're heading in.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

Absolutely. That's what the laundry hamper really taught me as a big lesson is that as much as it was something I was very, very emotionally attached to, because it was something that you create, especially as your first product, the the numbers don't lie. And you have to be willing to take a very um unemotional look at your products. And right that was the wake-up call of saying, well, it's a great product and it's a great product for me, but that is not that is not a business.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 7:21

Yeah, right. And that you said something I think super important there. It's like the numbers don't lie. And if people learn how to look at those numbers and understand the numbers, I mean that's the language of business, right? It's it's numbers, tells you, gives you a lot of information and it it removes the the emotion out of it too. So you're making decisions based on solid data, not on how you feel or how you what you think or the love of your own product, basically. Absolutely. Yeah. But you have to be objective, right? You have to be willing to separate yourself from from that emotion at the same time and really believe the numbers too and understand, you know, how to make decisions according to what they say. Yeah. So now moving into your next products, how did your family's skin and sensitivities lead you towards creating cleaner laundry and home care products?

SPEAKER_00 8:12

I started essentially with the home care, with the laundry products, is because it was a personal impact in my life. My daughter and husband have tremendous amount of skin and scent allergies, which as a result made me look closer at the products that we were using every day. Laundry detergent being one of the biggest products because it touches everything clothes, bedding, towels. You know, so it's really impacting your daily life. And for us, um, you know, because we have a personal impact to what type of laundry detergent we used before Lumera, we want to make sure that, you know, it it made sense for us as a family. And that personal experience really pushed me to create products that were simpler and cleaner and made without like heavy fragrance, bleach, dyes, or additives. Um, so for us it was yes, you know, even though I was working at that same time, working on the laundry hamper, there was an aspect about the laundry detergent, which just almost felt like it was a natural progression.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 9:15

Right. Yeah. And you had a a strong why too. So your story and your purpose was strong there. And that helps connect people too and helps differentiate your products when you do have that strong why for creating something.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Absolutely. And the lesson with the hamper still resonates today for me. And when like our first uh lottery detergent was our tea tree powder. And it, you know, at that point, even when I was sort of developing that uh detergent, we did look at it from a perspective of like, you know, how do we get the cleanest ingredients we can? How do we get products that are still going to perform? And what is the format of the product? And those things had to be answered without realizing I was answering those questions. You know, it was like, okay, I'm coming up with the powder through growth and understanding the changing market. That's also changed, but that is part of the process of developing now.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 10:10

Lumera's mission is clean, simple living. What does that mean in practical terms for your ingredients, packaging, and product design?

SPEAKER_00 10:18

Great questions. From for us, clean simple living is removing what's unnecessary. It applies to our ingredients, packaging, and actual product experience. From an uh ingredient perspective, we focus on plant and mineral-based ingredients and avoid things like synthetic fragrance, dyes, bleach, phosphates, sulfates, and other additives that um, you know, many customers are trying to avoid. From a product design perspective, it means making products that are easy to use and fit in real life. That is one of the reasons we're moving towards tablets versus powders, specifically because they're pre-measured, compact, mess-free, and convenient. And that was one of the things when we started our powders. Um, you know, at that point, people weren't so focused on the format of a product versus what we're finding now is customers want convenience. They still want quality, they still want clean ingredients, but convenience is a huge part of their decision making. Um, so that's that's sort of like the progression of where we're going with like even the format of the products. With packaging, we're always thinking about how to reduce waste, avoid unnecessary plastic. The goal is always to make you know, all our products from start to finish feel simpler, cleaner, uh calmer, and more intentional. Okay, right.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 11:43

And like you said, you're really intentional about avoiding toxins, synthetics, palm oil, sulfates, phosphates, bleach, and dye in your products. And and so are your products, are they the single use? Are they like the pods and the single-use type products?

SPEAKER_00 11:56

Our tablets are they're single use in the sense that like our products are, for example, like our tablets are, even though they're single-use tablets, there's no plastic film around them. So that that was intentional. We could have gone down the road of doing a pod or a laundry sheet, which is cheaper, but again, it it's not who we are. We're not gonna take down take a road that doesn't make sense to us. Doing a tablet does take longer to develop is a bit more expensive because there's nothing holding the product together. Pods and sheets are very easy to make, but again, intentionally we look at who we are as a company and ensuring that both environmentally we're standing up to our principles with purpose and really looking at it from that perspective, we could not have done pods.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 12:48

Got it, right? So it doesn't, it's conflicts with your mission. Is that and yeah, is what I'm hearing, right? So you started, I think, with powders, is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 12:57

Yes.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 12:58

And then you you expanded into tablets and and kitchen products. What customer insights drove that evolution?

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Um, a lot of it was what we're finding with uh, you know, customers are looking for convenience. And that's why you have, you know, if you look at market data as much as we could get market data, regardless of the brand, regardless whether it's a natural product or a conventional product, if you look at just the format of the product and liquids are still the top-selling format, but then after that, pods and sheets are rapidly growing. And part of that reason is because of convenience. And that we wanted to take that data and say, yes, there's a convenience factor, but how do we make it better? Right. And that's why we took the tablets.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 13:45

Yeah. And they're pre-measured. So I'm guessing, you know, the clients or customers are are saving on product based as well, if they're just using the amount that they actually need and not overusing the product. And it's yeah, more convenient, like you said, it's cleaner. I mean, I use the the liquid detergent still, and it's like messy, and uh always end up with like sticky liquid, you know, residue around the bottom of the little cup. And and uh yeah, so I I I get that. But the tablet form you're saying it's avoid you're not using the the plastics and it's uh more environmentally friendly and and more friendly to sensitive skins and stuff as well.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Yeah, I mean, I think one of the part of the challenge that we have is um where people are not familiar with why pods and sheets are not environmentally friendly. And so part of our challenge is really educating customers on what's the difference between if the format is the same, meaning convenience is the same, but right environmentally it's completely different products. So we have a challenge where we really have to take the time and educate customers on that pods and sheets, whether again natural or conventional, they're all made with the pretty much all made with a plastic film called polyvinyl alcohol. And we really talk about that impact to not only the environment, but the long-term impact, this the cyclical impact to our food system. You know, all the plastic that's still being dissolved or partially dissolved in our waterways does come back to us in a food form. Um, and those are the things that we really try to educate customers on, whether they're using our tablets or some and other competitors. We're still trying to make the environment, like people to make conscious decisions that also have an environmental impact.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 15:37

Yeah. So in a crowded cleaning products market, how do you, you know, get the word out and differentiate Lumera from both conventional brands and other natural competitors as well?

SPEAKER_00 15:48

Great question. It's it is tough because we are a small company, but we differentiate by being very specific about what we stand for. Lumera is not just about being natural. We focus on effective, eco-conscious cleaning products that are fragrance-free, PBA-free, um, and made with mineral and plant-based ingredients. What when we're having conversations with customers, we do talk about other products. Um, we'll say like a lot of conventional products still rely heavily on fragrance, harsh ingredients to create the feeling of clean. We want to move away from that. Clean does not need to smell strong to work. So that's one of the things, you know, regarding conventional products. We really try to focus on that. Compared to natural competitors, we focus on the fact that we are a tablet uh-based product. We're not using PBAs like many pods and sheets, but we're still, you know, we're still giving you the convenience without the plastic. We also focus on the fact that we're Canadian-owned, Canadian-made, women-owned, which is something I'm proud of. And it really does give the Mara a strong sense of purpose and quality and trust.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 17:01

Now you've grown through retail, e-commerce, distributors, and select US opportunities. What has been the most effective in building traction?

SPEAKER_00 17:10

I would say I think what's helped us the most is a combination of education, customer feedback, and being open to different channels. Retail has been important because customers can discover our products in stores and they already trust the retailer. Um for e-commerce, it's been important because it allows us to tell the full story, educate customers, build direct relationships with the customers. Distributors, it helps us to reach out to more retailers, but you still have to support the product with education and marketing. For attraction, it has come, you know, attraction has come with helping people understand why we're different, why fragrance free matters, why PBA matters, why tablets are different from pods and sheets, why customers, you know, once customers understand the purpose, the product becomes much easier to connect with.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 18:04

Yeah. And with your e-commerce platforms, are you offering subscriptions so people can order on a regular basis?

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Yes. So we, you know, we're very conscious of like our e-commerce channel and and how to maximize it. Yes, for sales, but also for convenience for customers. So we do offer subscription-based where it's easier for the customer. We do offer like multi-buys, bundles, things that are that are really going to help the customer not only try our products, but stay with us and have that customer retention and order and give value for the customer.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 18:40

So, how do you decide when to manufacture in-house versus partnering with outside manufacturers?

SPEAKER_00 18:45

It really comes down to capability, quality, cost, and scale. In the beginning, when you're starting out, you want a lot of control, as much control as possible because you're still learning the product, you're learning the customer, customer behavior, and the process. But as you grow, you have to be realistic about what can be done efficiently in-house and where outside manufacturers can support scale. The most important thing is that manufacturers, at least for us, make our manufacturers' partner, has to align with our standards. We are very intentional about our ingredients, our performance, product quality. So we can't compromise on that just to scale faster.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 19:27

Yeah. Right. So, like you said, it's selecting manufacturers who are aligned with your vision and who are using natural products and themselves is what I'm hearing. Yeah. Now you've used consultants and project-based experts instead of building a large team. How has has that helped you stay lean and strategic?

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Uh, using consultants and like project-based experts, it's helped us because it lets us stay flexible. As a growing brand, you need a lot of different expertise, but you may not need every role as a full-time role. The approach of having consultants and project-based experts allows us to bring in the right person for a specific project at the right time, whether it's formulation, packaging, marketing, retail strategy, you know, compliance or operations. It helps us access access like specialized knowledge without building too much overhead. Um, especially we're still a growing brand. It also forces me to be very strategic. I have to be very clear about what we need, what problem we're solving for, what outcome I'm looking for.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 20:37

Yeah. Well, that makes sense. Right. So you're just contracting with people for a limited time. So it saves on costs as opposed to bringing in a a full-time person. So it cuts down on your overhead. And at the same time, you have access to that specialized knowledge, as you mentioned. And you're also, I mean, you can use um multiple since too and get a wider range of um insight and expertise.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

Yeah. And and I think for us, what it's been is that at the diff at different phases that we've been on our growth journey, we need a strategic partner or a consultant that is knowledgeable for that phase, but not necessarily for three sort of phases down the road, because we need to understand and get the first phase correct and do it right. And again, as a small brand, there's limitations, whether it's um, you know, cash flow limitations, there's a lot of limitations. So you have to do it very strategically.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 21:36

Yeah. And how do you go about finding and selecting which consultants you engage with?

SPEAKER_00 21:42

A lot of it is word of mouth. I usually reach out to my sort of network of um entrepreneurs who have worked with similar people for projects that they've used. Um, otherwise, I'll use a software platform, online platform to really find somebody that. I can't find in my network of entrepreneurs. Okay.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 22:03

And as you expand across Canada and into the US, what challenges are you navigating around pricing, logistics, and cross-border growth?

SPEAKER_00 22:12

There's a lot of moving parts. Pricing is a big one because you want the product to be accessible, but you have to be accountable for the manufacturing costs, packaging, shipping, everything. So that makes it really challenging with pricing. Logistics right now, it's challenging, especially sometimes we're shipping across Canada, and we're also looking at opportunities in the US. So shipping costs right now, especially with the past, you know, prices of gasoline, are very, very challenging for a small brand. Cross-border growth is exciting, but you know, there's a lot of um, there's a lot of things that you have to do and understand really well. And you have to be careful. You have to understand like compliance, customer pricing, the exchange rate, what the impact that's going to do to your um your margins, um, right and whether you know economically it works. Growth is not just about getting into more places, it's about being sustainable.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 23:15

Yeah. Well, of course, if you're not sustainable, then you won't be able to go into other other places you won't exist.

SPEAKER_00 23:21

Exactly.

unknown 23:22

Yeah.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 23:23

So what is your vision for Lumera over the next few years as you expand into new home care categories?

SPEAKER_00 23:29

My vision for Lumera is to become a trusted clean home brand for families and ingreening conscious customers who want effective products without like unnecessary fragrance and harsh chemicals. And we started with laundry, expanded tablets and dishwashing. I see us as continuing to grow more into home care categories where customers are looking for cleaner, simpler options. The goal is not just to create more products, the goal is to create products with purpose. Every product we create should have a real um a real problem that it solves. And also at the same time, it should make it easier for people to create a healthier, cleaner home.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 24:15

Yeah. And as a woman founder building a brand after a successful corporate career, what do you want other women entrepreneurs to know?

SPEAKER_00 24:25

I want other women entrepreneurs to know that you don't have to have everything figured out before you start. A lot of confidence comes after you take action, not before. There will be moments whether you question yourself, there will be moments where something does not work or growth feels slow, or you have to make hard decisions. That's part of building a business. I also think women need to trust that their experience has value. My finance background, my family experience, my customer conversations have all helped shape Lomera. Nothing was wasted. You can start again, you can pivot. We can build something meaningful, even if the path does not look perfect. Yeah, that's great advice. Yeah.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 25:09

And finally, Anu, what advice would you give to founders about resilience, pivoting, and knowing the numbers are telling you it's time to change direction?

SPEAKER_00 25:18

Um, it's a hard lesson to learn. But um I would say my advice is to stay emotionally committed to the mission, but not emotionally committed or attached to every product or idea. The laundry hamper, that's the lesson that it taught me. Um I believed in the concept, but customer's response on the numbers were telling me something, I had to listen. Resilience is not about pushing harder. Sometimes resilience is about being willing to pivot, adjust, and admit that something's not working. That doesn't mean you fail. It means you're learning. And as a founder, you have to listen to three things your customer, your numbers, and your instinct. When all three are pointing in the same direction, you need you need to really pay attention.

unknown 26:07

Yeah.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 26:08

That is very good advice. Yeah, thank you for that. And thank you for joining us. How can listeners learn more about you and Lumera?

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Really, the listeners can visit our website, uh, learn more about Lumera at Lumera.com, learn about the products, and of course, uh support a small business. You know, they can also follow us on social media and sign up for our emails. We're growing and we're always open to connecting with people who believe in cleaner, simpler homes. Uh and that's our goal is to make sure that people know that we're there. We have great products, and we're really there with intention and purpose.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 26:47

Yeah. And Lumaire is with an H, right? Will you spell that for us, please?

SPEAKER_00 26:51

Um, sure, it's L-U-M-E-H-R-A.com.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 26:56

All right. Well, thank you. Thank you again, Anu. And thank you to our listeners for joining us and tuning in to Industry Ignited. Be sure to subscribe and join us for the next episode. Until next time, stay bold, stay curious, and keep igniting industry.