On this episode of Start Scale Succeed, Nicole chats with Louisa Booth, the inspiring founder behind Pop Mask and Blushing LA.

Louisa shares her entrepreneurial journey from investment banking to bootstrapping and building a global beauty and wellness brand, now found in over 35,000 retail doors worldwide—including CVS, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Superdrug, and Boots.

Nicole and Louisa chat about:

The story behind Louisa’s first product, Pop Band (the hair ties that don’t damage hair), and her accidental pivot into the US market.

How Louisa grew Pop Mask into a brand that brings joy and innovation to everyday essentials—from sleep masks to femcare solutions.

The logistics of scaling internationally: cracking the US market, dealing with retail red tape, vendor setups, and surviving cash flow challenges.

The reality of copycat competitors and how Louisa kept innovating and moving forward.

Product development inspiration—how her own family’s needs and feedback from a multigenerational team drive new ideas.

Navigating tariffs, Trump policies, and the need for dogged focus on margins 

The shift to showing up as the face of the brand and connecting with customers on a relatable, human level.

The rollercoaster of founder life: bootstrapping, remortgaging, 18-hour days, pinch-me moments, and finally seeing her products in major UK retailers.

Louisa’s best advice for founders at every stage: trust your instincts, scrutinize every penny spent, focus on margins, and remember—there are no shortcuts in scaling a product business.

https://www.instagram.com/lovethepopmask/

https://popmasklondon.com/

https://blushingla.com/en-gb

Host Nicole Higgins 

The Buyer and retail coach 

Nicole Higgins Links 

https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk/

https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/

https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/

https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/free-discovery-call/

https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/blog/

Sponsor 

Neon Digital Clicks 

Are you ready to scale your ecommerce store?This episode is brought to you by Neon Digital Clicks, the agency dedicated to helping kids’ and family brands achieve explosive growth with high-performing digital marketing campaigns.

Neon’s new Runway to Results programme is a revolutionary paid-advertising service that will help you understand your brand’s true potential and reach the heights of success you dream of.

Over the course of 60 days, Neon’s expert team will test and optimise your Meta and Google ad accounts to establish your business KPIs and optimum Cost Per Acquisition. 

At the end of the Runway period, they’ll analyse your data to establish what profitable scaling looks like and arm you with knowledge, confidence and a clear plan for the next phase of your growth.

If you’re ready to elevate your e-commerce game, Neon is the navigator you need on your flight deck.

https://runwaytoresults.com/

https://neondigitalclicks.co.uk/