Aliza Marogy is the founder of global D2C premium supplements brand, Inessa, and a clinical nutritional therapist with over 7 years of clinical experience. Aliza became interested in nutrition after she was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition Ulcerative Colitis when she was 18 and was unwell for a number of years while at university. She lost her hair as a result of a rare reaction to her medication and failed to respond to drug therapy. After she was told she may have to have her bowel removed and have an external waste pouch, she decided to find an alternative and embarked on testing out various diets and supplements to try and get well – within a year she had achieved full remission despite being told by the lead consultant that there was no way it would happen and 20 years later she still manages her health that way.
After that experience, she decided to qualify as a nutritional therapist so she could help others with similar conditions. Aliza ran her own successful clinical practice for many years before moving on to launch her own streamlined product range as a result of seeing the practical and economic challenges that patients had with taking multiple tablets daily in order to obtain therapeutic doses of certain nutrients. After the successful growth of the Inessa Essentials range, 2020 saw the release of a more condition-specific product pipeline, starting with some really potent formulas for digestive health – recently described in The Sunday Times as ‘Next Gen Gut Supplements’ – which Aliza wishes had been around when she was diagnosed.
Aliza founded Inessa in 2016. Over the past 3 years, the self-funded business has grown 3x year on year, making profit from year 1.
Inessa products are the bestselling premium supplements on Amazon UK and have frequently taken the number 1 bestselling spot in the multivitamin category overall – even against budget brands – including at the start of the Covid-19 crisis and lockdown. As a way of paying that success forward, Inessa funded meal deliveries for NHS staff. Through their e-commerce site, Inessa sell in over 16 countries.
Aliza credits the success of the business down to a combination of formulation quality and her clinical expertise – her manufacturer told her recently – as their fastest growing customer – they thought she was ‘mad’ to create a product using expensive base materials with no prior sales record and no brand recognition. She knew that there was a gap in the market for clinical grade products in specific combinations, and with no external investors pressuring to make certain margins and grow quicker than necessary, she has been able to build a loyal following all over the world, providing D2C products which surpass those of her competitors at a price point of around 30% less. She receives feedback from patients all over the world to say how life-changing Inessa products have been and as a former clinician and patient who started the company with this aim, says this is the greatest reward of all.
Nominee’s three achievements
1) Business Growth
Aliza founded and grew Inessa, a premium global supplement company in 2016. Over the past 3 years, the self-funded business has grown 3x year on year. The company made profit in the first year and have since built on that to where they are currently, operating a 7 figure run rate and double digit net profitability. Aliza achieved this alongside having a baby in 2018 and no maternity leave or nanny (she had help from family and worked 7 days a week in the evening to make up the time on the business).
~Business Game Changer Special Promotion~
2) Bestselling products
Inessa products are the bestselling premium supplements on Amazon UK and have frequently taken the number 1 bestselling spot in the multivitamin category overall – even against budget brands -including at the start of the Covid-19 crisis and lockdown. As a way of paying that success forward, Inessa fund meal deliveries for NHS staff. Aliza is frequently invited into Amazon’s best selling brand owner programmes, as Inessa is an Amazon top seller Europewide, and is one of the few women at these events. Through their own e-commerce site, Inessa sell across Europe and the US and have just opened up to India based on customer demand. Most customers are repeat buyers, and a significant percentage are on subscription. Via Amazon, Inessa sell across Europe and the US, and were invited by Amazon as part of a select group to be one of the first brands in Australia and Singapore when the platform opened in those markets.
3) Premium, clinically effective products at 30% reduced price over competitors
Aliza credits the success of the business down to a combination of formulation quality and her clinical expertise – her manufacturer told her recently – as their fastest growing customer – they thought she was ‘mad’ to create a product using expensive base materials with no prior sales record and no brand recognition. She knew that there was a gap in the market for clinical grade products in specific combinations, and with no external investors pressuring to make certain margins and grow quicker than necessary, she has been able to build a loyal following all over the world, providing D2C products which surpass those of her competitors at a price point of around 30% less. She receives feedback from patients all over the world to say how life-changing Inessa products have been and as a former clinician and patient who started the company with this aim, always says this is the greatest reward of all.
