What do the first 30 mins of your day look like/your morning routine?
I have a 5 am alarm every morning without fail. I immediately have a cold shower and hydrate with one sachet of Humantra. I do five minutes of box breathing, do my gratitude journal and head straight to the gym – exercise fuels my creativity. The newest part of my routine is to not check my phone or laptop for 100 minutes after waking. All these tasks are non-negotiable. My morning is the most sacrosanct part of the day. I go by the belief that “If a person puts even one measure of effort into following ritual and the
standards of righteousness, he will get back twice as much” Xunzi.
How did you know it was the right time to launch Humantra and which steps previously led you to this path?
The supplement industry seemed to only speak to one type of person–the active/gym goer. Feeling good and living better isn’t only reserved for people who work out all the time. Feeling good is the right of every person who walks the planet. If you asked 50 people on the school run, who should be taking electrolytes, I guarantee that almost all of them would say they’re for people who work out all the time. It couldn’t be further from the truth, everyone needs electrolytes, every day. You’re seeing the rise of educational based content from the likes of Dr Andrew Huberman, Chris Williamson, and Alex Hormosi–people want to know more about their health and wellness. Both as macro levers to overall optimisation. The reason we’ve grown so much in our first 12 months, is the fact that for the most part, we’re talking to people who have never taken an electrolyte before. They’re not happy waking up feeling tired and getting headaches, brain fog, muscle cramps or lightheadedness, all of which are signs of dehydration in the body. They want to take control of their health and wellbeing. I’ve been an entrepreneur for long enough to know that you never know if the time is right. Nevertheless, we couldn’t have launched the brand at a better time and we’re truly excited to keep building the business and spreading the word about electrolytes!
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What is the DNA of the brand?
The essentials–you need to think, feel, and perform better. Our products are not just suited to athletes. Everyone, and I mean everyone, can benefit from our product range. We don’t claim that our product in silo will change your life like a lot of other supplements out there. What we do pride ourselves on though, is that our products will always be a conduit to making better life decisions. We get a lot of messages saying “Can I take one sachet and I then I don’t need to drink anything else” – it couldn’t be further from the truth. Staying hydrated is balancing fluid intake, your hydration levels fluctuate all the time. Humantra should be a part of your routine – you need to get 7-8 hours sleep per night, move every day, get natural sunlight, eat whole foods, drink water and add in electrolytes. We’re here to help people make better, more conscious decisions.
How challenging was it to refine the formula and how did you know when you had got it right?
We’ve all been there; someone tells us something is good for us and then we try it and we’re either holding our nose to drink or we knock it back and claim we’ll never have that again. My parents used to make me have two spoonsful of cod liver oil every morning as a child, until I made them try it and they agreed to let me take them in tablet form. The underlying ethos behind all our product is that we want to ensure they taste great, with zero sugar or additives. We had rounds and rounds of internal tastings and we worked extensively with our FDA approved facility in the USA to help us nail the formula with the mineral balance that people needed, and flavours that people loved to drink. We’re also working on some incredible new flavours that are set to launch soon.
What are the effects of dehydration and how do the right electrolytes reinstate the balance?
Drinking plain water is not the best way of hydrating – our body needs electrolytes for optimal hydration. Our brain is 73% water, so even mild dehydration destroys your productivity. A 1% drop in hydration, can lead to a 20% drop in cognitive performance. Furthermore, 2% dehydration decreases focus, mood and energy levels. The best minerals for hydration are potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. These minerals are important for maintaining proper hydration and electrolyte balance in the body. Potassium helps regulate fluid balance, while magnesium helps regulate nerve and muscle function. Calcium helps the body absorb water, and sodium helps regulate blood pressure. Common signs of dehydration are headaches, tiredness, brain fog/light headiness, dry skin, confusion & muscle cramps. Electrolytes help to maintain the balance of fluids in the body and regulate important bodily functions. Most of the time, your fatigue and headaches are because you’re dehydrated. It doesn’t mean you should drink more water – it means you need more salt, electrolytes, and water! Dehydration is a lack of sodium, magnesium, potassium, AND water. Taking electrolytes everyday is the simplest and biggest difference you can make to your wellbeing. Your energy levels will increase, your brain functionality will improve, your headaches will vanish, and those sugary cravings will subside.
How many sachets should we be taking per day and when?
We advocate for you to wake up and have two sachets to kick start your day. Try to avoid caffeine for at least 90 minutes after waking. The more coffee you drink, the more sodium and water your body needs. If you exercise, then we would advocate that you take sachets before/during/ after the workout. As you sweat, you lose minerals, in particular sodium, so it’s hugely important that you replace those minerals after sweating too. Don’t wait to drink when you’re thirsty either. Our thirst doesn’t get activated until the body is 0.8-2% dehydrated. So, if you only drink when you’re thirsty, you’re constantly going to be dehydrated.
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What have been the most challenging or rewarding aspects to date?
Managing demand has been our Achilles heel. We sold out twice last year, which was fantastic, it demonstrated that people loved the product, but managing supply chain is super important, and we literally couldn’t replenish the new stock to keep up with demand. Thankfully we’ve streamlined our supply chain now, so we can consistently deliver what our
customers need. The most rewarding part is hearing how much the product has helped people every day. From reading reviews where people say they feel energized and full of energy. Headaches have gone, illnesses avoided and generally people are drinking more water. Knowing that our product is helping people be happier and healthier every day, is the most rewarding aspect of this business. On a macro level, there’s no finish line with Humantra. We’re building something that will outlast all of us. Knowing we’re building something that powerful makes getting out of bed every single morning exciting.
How do you approach challenges?
Head on, I embrace them – challenges are where we grow as people, as entrepreneurs and as leaders. There’s a Zen Buddhist saying “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” The point being, stay focused on the task at hand rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
How do you approach scaling without compromising on quality?
The last few years have demonstrated that heavily venture backed businesses scaling with no path to profitability just doesn’t work in the long run. From the outset, we wanted to build a sustainable business while also demonstrating an ability to grow. The key word in the business is ‘iterate’ – whether it was the original formula, future flavours, or products, the creative & messaging we publish–we’re committed to constantly improving. The business is built on the following values: C – Curiosity (Always asking questions, don’t take things for face value – dig deeper) O – Optimism (Believe in a better future & bewilling to put in the work to get there) A – Ambition (Strive to exceed, with unwavering tenacity. Think big, then think bigger) C – Compassion (No matter who they are, we treat everyone equally & with respect) H – Humility (Always got something to learn,
always got something to improve on, never settling). Ensuring that everyone in the business, including myself, is held accountable to these values, we’ll be able to continue to grow whilst ensuring our quality remains at the standard we expect. Finally, staying in tune with our customers will always be at the core of the business. When you DM us on Instagram, it’s me replying to you. I respond to emails too. Whilst that may not be scalable, that customer centric approach that all my previous ventures have been built on, will continue to be what this business is built on.
How has social media supported scaling the business?
No doubt about it, social media has been at the forefront of our early rise. We’re in a position where we can present a problem to people (dehydration) and an immediate solution (our sachets) which has really resonated with our audience. We’re learning from some of the best in the business, Huda and Mona Kattan have demonstrated how social commerce can drive huge success in business and we’ll continue to leverage social media. We’ll be launching our TikTok channel in the next few weeks too. Educational content is important to us. Our mission is not just about building Humantra but also educating those in and out of our community about a healthy lifestyle and help them make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing. Overall, education content for health is a critical tool for promoting health literacy, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their health, and improving health outcomes. You could change someone’s daily routine and improve their quality of life just by sharing one of our posts or better more a sachet of Humantra.
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Have you had any mentors and if so, what advice did they impart?
In the last 12 months I’ve been extremely conscious of who I surround myself with. David Goggins refers to it as a FOXHOLE. In military speak, it is a fighting position. In life, it’s your inner circle, the people you surround yourself with. They know your history and are aware of your future goals and past limitations. Rather than formal appointed mentors, I’ve surrounded myself with people I respect and that are further down the line than I am, they help push me forward. The people I talk to on a regular basis and the content I’m consuming are all pushing me forward. With Huda Beauty Investments being so involved in our business – I’m fortunate enough to have access to both Huda and Mona Kattan which is incredible. Access to their creativity, unwavering positivity and experience has helped me immeasurably in the last few years. Finally, I lost my father just before Christmas and he used to tell me to “fight, fight, fight – never give in” – no matter how hard it gets to just keep on going. Without that grit and determination
that both he and my mother instilled in me, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
What advice would you give your younger self?
When you want to quit, when everyone wants you to quit, resilience whispers to you, KEEP GOING. JUST KEEP GOING. And one small one, always call home – you never know when you won’t be able to do it again.
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