About This Episode.
🎙️ In this episode, we're thrilled to chat with Nancy Jarecki, the creative genius behind the game-changing beauty brand BettyBeauty ✨
Nancy takes us on a journey through her entrepreneurial story, revealing the passion and persistence that drove her to develop a revolutionary product for those often overlooked hair areas.
From spotting market opportunities to securing one-of-a-kind trademarks, Nancy's tale is a celebration of curiosity, grit, and knowing your goals 🎯
Join us as we uncover her extraordinary experiences, including surprising moments in the Amish community, life-changing events, being featured in Vogue and her decision to sell her company 💼
Host Sian Murphy is joined in the studio by co-host Paul Andrews, making the discussion even more enjoyable.
Nancy joined the studio from her home in the USA, so we don’t have studio pics.
Read About Nancy Jarecki - In Her Own Words.
Nancy Jarecki has always played by her own rules. The innovator behind the multiple award-winning company bettybeauty, inc. was born and raised in a small town in Kansas, studied art in Texas, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an artist. Recognized as one of the up and coming Southern California artists by LA Weekly, Nancy showcased her art at numerous shows and in corporate art collections.
As Nancy continued on her entrepreneurial path in Los Angeles, she was tapped in early 1985 by the creators of a startup cable network to help develop and launch a cable network called Movietime. After launching Movetime in 1987 within her 3 years there, Movietime was sold and she continued with the company and was an instrumental part of the launch team for that network, now known as E! Entertainment Television.
During this time, she met her husband, Andrew Jarecki, who was visiting Los Angeles to launch his company, MovieFone. She soon moved to New York to join him, helping him develop the business, and starting their new family. In 1999, the Jareckis sold MovieFone to AOL Time Warner started a movie production company as well as moved their family to Rome, Italy, where they were completing work on their first film, Oscar-nominated film, Capturing the Friedman’s documentary.
While in Rome, Nancy had an experience that gave her the impetus to start her own innovative beauty products company, bettybeauty, inc. Visiting a hair salon, she noticed women leaving with small “take home” bags. When she inquired as to what they were, the receptionist told her they were a bit of extra hair color for “the hair down there – to make it match!” Realizing that women across America would love a commercially-available product to color this important area, Nancy began developing the first safe color for the hair down there to fulfill this unmet need in the beauty market. Now known as the popular and multiple award-winning specialty hair color kits as: BLONDE betty, BROWN betty, AUBURN betty, BLACK betty, FUN betty, and LOVE betty. Nancy’s creation of these innovative products won her multiple awards in 2007 and 2008: ‘Innovator of the Year’ by Independent Cosmetics Manufacturers and Distributors, as well as winning the 2008 prestigious Cosmetic Executive Women’s, ‘indie’ award’.
In 2022, Nancy sold bettybeauty, inc. to Fisk industries, a worldwide beauty products company. She remains a consultant for Fisk industries as creator and brand ambassador. In December 2022, bettybeauty, inc. debuted Cover your gray - betty for men, the first & only hair color dye specially formulated for men's beards, mustaches, and body hair, and it’s poised to transform the men’s grooming space.
Life changed for Nancy in 2009 when she suffered a near death subarachnoid brain hemorrhage. She is currently writing her memoir about her medical recovery which deals with themes of adversity, spirituality, business, and family. She has received the American Heart and American Stroke Association's "Survivor Award." She is also the acting "Open Your Heart" ambassador for brain stroke trauma for the AHAS Association. Nancy continues to speak about her near death experience, living with brain trauma, and she is currently associated with NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medicine’s Brain Health Initiative programs.
Nancy has had a lifelong interest in charitable causes. She believes business and philanthropy are one with each other. Nancy is a founding member of Robin Hood Foundation Leadership Council board of directors. She has also served as chairman and sits on the board of Project ALS (the leading organization raising funds and awareness to fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and was honored with the organization’s David Niven Award. She is a board member of New Yorkers for Children, an organization changing foster care and aging out group homes. She is graduate of New York City’s Barnard College with honors with a BA in Art Criticism.
Nancy lives in New York City with her husband Andrew. Her proudest achievements are her three children: Maxson (30), Jasper (25) and Jeremy (18). She still considers herself a small town girl and proud to say she is still friends with everyone back home since Kindergarten and visits her hometown Abilene frequently. #YouCanTakeTheGirlOutofKansasButYouCantTakeTheKansasOutofTheGirl!
You can connect with Nancy at her website
From Italian Enigma to Vogue