Jessica Sepel on ‘scary’ gamble that made JSHealth into $426m empire
Feeling “confused and overwhelmed” after years of fad diets, Jessica Sepel decided to spend her savings on a dream project — and it paid off.
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When Jessica Sepel launched JSHealth Vitamins with her husband in 2018 it was a dream come true, despite the fact she was taking a huge risk.
“I remember being newly married, having $40,000 of savings and just thinking that we should really invest in something that felt important,” she told news.com.au.
And the ‘something’ that held all this importance was vitamins that could help support a healthy lifestyle. Jessica believed she could “create better vitamins” than the offerings out there at the time.
“I had this feeling and I felt really passionate about creating a formulation that I knew would make an impact,” she said.
To launch her business Jessica had to search and find the right manufacturer, one she still uses to this day.
“At the time, it did feel scary, but the $40,000 didn’t feel as much of a risk because we wanted it to be small,” she said.
“And it just felt like the right decision, I knew I could do this.”
While Jessica had initially planned to have JSHealth Vitamins feature only in boutique pharmacies, today it’s a global empire.
Jessica and her husband Dean Steingold made it onto the Australian Financial Review Young Rich List for the first time in 2021 with the Sydney couple’s estimated net wealth put at $426 million – a big leap from the $40,000 they invested at the start of their business.
The busines is now expanding with an office in the United States.
JESSICA’S PASSION FOR HEALTH, WELLBEING AND BALANCE
Jessica started blogging in her early 20s about her relationship with food.
At the time, she was “really struggling” with her relationship with food, body dysmorphia and negative body image.
“I was feeling so confused and overwhelmed by the fad diet industry. I was definitely a chronic fad dieter and obsessed with my weight and being thin,” Jessica said.
Her blog took off and Jessica landed her first book deal in 2014. This led to two more books andan eight-week healthy eating program and an interest in supplements.
”I saw the ways in which supplements were changing my clients’ lives, but I felt very limited by the supplement industry. I was constantly trying to change things and make the formulations better, so that’s when I decided to create my own range,” she said.
“I’ve always been obsessed with finding the right ingredients, right dose and I’ve always felt very in touch with what women are going through – hair loss, skin, sleep and that’s how JSHealth came to life.”
Eventually her weight and hormones started balancing out, her skin cleared and her sleep got deeper.
“It’s so personal, so authentic, it’s not just a business, this is a really personal journey, I created the vitamins for myself and I just want to share them,” she said.
“People don’t know the absolute attention to detail that goes into our formulations, I have an obsession with ingredients, with the dose, with where these ingredients come from,” she said.
According to Jessica, the company’s customer return rate is sitting around the 65-70 per cent mark.
MOST POPULAR JSHEALTH PRODUCTS
The brand has recently expanded into skincare and haircare. The two-step Vitamin Haircare Sytem is a natural and haircare line, with a Purifying Vitamin Shampoo and Nourishing Vitamin Conditioner.
The products have been called “absolutely amazing” and the “best shampoo and conditioner” by five-star rating customers.
JESSICA’S FAVOURITE PRODUCTS SHE USES EVERYDAY
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Jessica’s go-to products are the four-step Vitamin Skincare System, and she “will not use anything else” on her face.
The clean and natural skincare range is designed for all skin types and includes the Balancing Vitamin Cleanser, Pro-Collagen Vitamin Serum, Luminous Vitamin Oil and the Probiotic Vitamin Moisturiser.
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