Sheree Ladove Funsch: How Buying Back Her Family's Haircare Enterprise and Prioritizing Non-Toxic Innovation Built a Sustainable Legacy

As a part of our series about 5 Things You Need To Run A Highly Successful Family Business, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sheree Ladove Funsch

Sheree Ladove Funsch’s passion for hair care and sustainability is the driving force in all she pursues, elevating her from leader to visionary as CEO of LaDove. After buying back her father’s business over 20 years ago when he sold it into private equity, she dedicated her career to bringing the most innovative and sustainable products to the world while simultaneously keeping the values of a family-owned business as her legacy.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My father started LaDove, Inc. The haircare industry used to be just gallons and serving back bars of salons. It was not glamorous or innovative. I started working for my father in the summers while I was in college. I was planning on going to law school after graduation, but during my last summer working with my dad, I got a taste of what the hair care business could be with creative partners and fashion forward thinking. I decided to run with it and joined my father full-time.

Can you tell us a bit about your family business and your role in it?

LaDove, Inc. has been our family’s business since 1977. I am currently the CEO of LaDove, and lead a team of talented and dedicated experts looking to push the boundaries and create the best products in the beauty industry.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?

I was asked to develop a hair spray for Princess Diana that would hold her hair in place when she hopped off helicopters. It wasn’t sold to the public. It was specifically for her and her hairdresser to use. I got to go to Kensington palace and meet with her. It was an honor and an amazing experience.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Mistakes? Me? Never! Joking aside, I’ve made so many it’s hard to say.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I think our level of customer service and attention to detail and quality along with the passion and commitment of our long standing team sets us apart.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes! My daughters and I have created a brand called The Cleanest Lab. My youngest daughter, Ashley, was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2022. She’s so young and has so much ahead of her. She is a beauty and glam lover through and through. Once she started treatment, she started having adverse reactions to many of her products. My oldest daughter, Samantha, rose to the challenge to create a line of beauty products that are safe for her sister and work incredibly. Our focus has been out of necessity for Ashely, and I wish to help other people in similar situations and offer preventative care so people don’t come down with horrible illnesses from toxic products.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

It takes a village! There’s been a community of female CEOs who have experienced similar struggles making their way in the industry. We’ve formed a community and support each other and future generations. My daughters, as well, have greatly inspired me to be the best. My husband has always been an amazing support and confidant.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Our primary focus has always been to formulate the best products. Right now we are hyper-focused on pushing the boundaries of clean and non-toxic beauty.

Ok thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main parts of our interview. How do you define a family business? How is a family business different from a regular business?

I think a family business is different because you have more emphasis on core values and it’s not always about the bottom line. It’s about doing more for people. A family business has more flexibility in decision making because there is less pressure to meet targets of a bottom line.

In your opinion or experience, what are the unique advantages that family owned businesses have?

It’s a continuation of my statement above. I feel that family businesses have the opportunity to push boundaries and be better without having to answer to outsiders. We can all be aligned on the same vision and challenge each other to be our best and create the best.

What are the unique drawbacks or blindspots that family owned businesses have?

I wouldn’t say there are any blindspots. All businesses have challenges but if you have a good core, you can navigate through the challenges and come out even stronger on the other end.

What are some of the common mistakes you have seen family businesses make? What would you recommend to avoid those errors?

In family businesses, not necessarily ours, there can be power struggles that hinder decision making and that disrupt family relationships. We prioritize maintaining a balance between our personal family time and business time at the office. You have to keep the two separated otherwise it can cause problems. As the CEO, I take into consideration the opinions of my daughters, but we have a mutual understanding and respect toward the final decisions made. We know we share the same values and want to accomplish the same goals.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders of family businesses to help their employees to thrive?

To do your best to maintain a balance between personal and professional.

How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean with a story or example?

To be a good leader, you have to truly understand every aspect of the business. You cannot simply give commands, but rather see the strengths and weaknesses of your teams, and inspire people to be better. You have to earn everyone’s respect. If I need to work on the plant floor to understand how the machinery works, I’ll do that. You have to be hands-on in every department without being a micromanager.

Here is our main question. What are the “5 Things You Need To Run A Highly Successful Family Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

1. A cohesive family. A family that has the same goals, objectives, and philosophies.
2. Put each family member in the proper position based on their strengths, weaknesses, and their happiness.
3. Patience!
4. Ability to teach in a positive, constructive manner.
5. You have to make it fun and love what you do every day!

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

Honestly, I would just love to have a great lunch with my daughter Samantha! She’s so busy trying to change the world, I can barely get any of her time. You should tag her, maybe she will see it!

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Research the products you use in your home and on your body! The Cleanest Lab and I want to bring awareness and education around toxic-free living. We want to do the best we can to prevent people from getting sick.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

• https://ladove.com/
• https://www.thecleanestlab.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/thecleanestlab/
• https://www.instagram.com/ladoveinc/
• https://www.instagram.com/shereefunsch/

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.