Jasmine Star (00:00:00) - Welcome back to The Jasmine Star Show, a place where we talk about life, business, and today we're talking about business legacy. Oh, you want to change generations. You want to show up in different ways. I have the perfect person who's going to come in and not just talk about how to build a business, because she will. She's not just going to talk about how to build phenomenal products and get them in places like Sephora, because she will. She's not even going to talk about or maybe she will, about a very successful exit and then deciding to start a new business. Her whole tenant and her whole belief is, how great would it be for you to use your success and help other people get there, or find their own way in a faster way, in a stronger way, more confident way? Nancy. Tony, thank you for joining The Jasmine Star Show. Current founder and CEO of Briogeo. Exactly. Oh yeah. So your whole intent and the reason why we're here is for somebody to listen and say at the end of the episode, I know more, I'm feeling confident in my business is about purpose beyond me.

Jasmine Star (00:01:01) - Yeah. And so how did you get to this? Like, this is this is what I'm going to do now because you're very successful and you're also running businesses and you're building your personal brand, and you have a podcast and you have a grant, we're going to talk about all of that. Why add this other component? What is that driving force behind it. Yeah for sure.

Nancy Twine (00:01:21) - So, you know, I started my business, you know, after I actually lost my mom, that was really sort of the catalyst for me wanting to actually switch careers. I started my career on Wall Street. It was 2007. It was the start of a financial crisis. And it was a really, really tough environment, especially being a woman working in sales and trading. And when I lost my mom pretty suddenly over a decade ago, it really started to shift my perspective about, you know, how you spend your time because life can be so short. And the truth is, we spend so much of our life working, and if we don't love what we do, it was so hard for me to stomach that.

Nancy Twine (00:02:06) - And I really started pivoting to try to figure out what I was passionate about. And I have this really, you know, interesting family history. My mom was a physician and also a chemist, and we used to make so many of our own beauty products at home using clean and natural ingredients. And I absolutely loved doing that, learning that you could take these simple, clean ingredients and actually turn them into, you know, effective beauty products. And that became the catalyst. And I can talk more about it for me, you know, starting my business. But when I was starting out, I was the sole founder of my company. I was so heads down, I was, you know, just focused 24 over seven on my business. And, you know, eventually I got to a place of scale. I ended up exiting my business. And for me, it wasn't just, okay, sail off into the sunset, but it became this new passion and purpose calling to figure out how can I leverage my learnings and my journey to actually help other women who are going through and going down a similar path?

Jasmine Star (00:03:13) - Okay.

Jasmine Star (00:03:13) - So we're going to talk about the business, but I want to go back to the juncture between leaving Wall Street. Yep. And starting this. Was there an overlap or was this big declaration your moment of saying I'm going all in. What did that look like. Because I want people to identify where they are and how close they are to your journey.

Nancy Twine (00:03:30) - Totally. So there was definitely an overlap. You know, I don't know many people who can just, you know, come up with an idea and say, I'm going to quit my job immediately. And I, I also don't recommend it because of the fact that, you know, even though you have this big idea and you believe in it, it takes time to get to a place of being able to, you know, be self-sustaining. And sometimes if you, you know, take the leap too quickly and you're so stressed out about how you're going to pay your bills, it can actually be a huge distraction from, you know, doing what you need to do to scale your business.

Nancy Twine (00:04:06) - So there were a few years where I was still, you know, working my full time finance job, and I was spending my nights and weekends, you know, building briogeo, getting our formulas finalized, getting our brand book created, putting together the strategy for how I was going to approach retailers. And it actually wasn't until I got a commitment from Sephora that I actually left my full time job.

Jasmine Star (00:04:31) - And said, yeah, we just need to pause.

Nancy Twine (00:04:34) - For a.

Jasmine Star (00:04:34) - Second and I need to, like, address you right now and say, years. She worked years building a side hustle that she believed deeply wasn't a side hustle, but did not bet the farm until, you know, the the makeup skincare farm came to her. And so I just want like I want to honor the journey. If you're at a place where you are side hustling. And you have a deeper calling and knowing where did you go? What was the mindset? How were you digging deep like, I'm a I'm a natural born storyteller.

Jasmine Star (00:05:06) - And so if we go back to the Nancy who's working nights and weekends and it's not exactly happening the way that you wanted or had hoped, or it's just going too slow. Yeah. Am I overstepping here? Is that. No, no, I don't want to be the story, but I'm like, I feel this in a deep way. So where were you going? What kept on driving you? What was that driving force that says okay, not happening? How fast or exactly looking how I want. Where do you go?

Nancy Twine (00:05:30) - Yeah, I mean I think it just again, it just goes back to that vision. Like I really believed that what I wanted to do was possible. And, you know, I always tell people to like, if the journey is so easy and so quick, then the opportunity wouldn't be there anymore because everyone would have done it already, right?

Jasmine Star (00:05:51) - Yes.

Nancy Twine (00:05:52) - And so it's really almost like par for the course that it's not going to be easy, that you're going to face challenges, that it's going to take a little bit longer, because those are all the bumps and curves that you have to navigate in order to get to that place.

Nancy Twine (00:06:06) - And that's why I always tell people that if you're going to set out to do something, make sure that you really have heart for it, because if you don't have heart for it, it's going to be so hard to weather those storms.

Jasmine Star (00:06:17) - Oh so good, so good. So it's like people. Kim A lot of times people are listening to the pod, like in the car ride, picking up the kids or going to the gym, and it's empowering. And then they get to this episode and they're like, wait, wait, somebody this successful is telling me it's going to take longer and not be as, you know, as easy as I hoped. Yes.

Nancy Twine (00:06:34) - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jasmine Star (00:06:35) - So Nancy just told you she warned you. She put it all out there. Anything past a point in this podcast is going to be. Well, if you don't know now, you know. Yeah. And we're going to break down more of that. So by the time you set this idea, we're in the business of talking about the business.

Jasmine Star (00:06:51) - And so what was the go to market strategy. How are you approaching marketing. What's your experience with marketing. What are you looking at. What are you learning like is this totally new to you?

Nancy Twine (00:07:01) - Oh yeah, I mean, it was totally new to me. So I had been, you know, working my entire career in finance. I had never worked for, you know, a L'Oreal or an Estée Lauder. I didn't study marketing. The most that I knew about marketing was my purview from being like one of my target, you know, consumers. Okay. And, you know, really having a good sense of, you know, what it was I wanted what was missing from the marketplace, how I'd like to discover products, how I like to be, you know, spoken to and communications. But I didn't have a formal background. And, you know, it's really interesting because when I started my business, you know, back in 2013, so over a decade ago, something was really happening that was interesting in the beauty marketing landscape.

Nancy Twine (00:07:49) - It was the rise of the beauty sampling boxes. I don't know if you.

Jasmine Star (00:07:52) - Remember yet.

Nancy Twine (00:07:54) - In all of these companies. Yes. And it was so new. So it wasn't like this proven marketing strategy. But I said, you know what? That actually makes sense. If you could actually get your products in the hands of target consumers and you believe the formula is great, you have a high probability that they're going to convert and buy the full size product.

Jasmine Star (00:08:14) - But that's a risk it is. So now get me into the mindset of I'm taking a calculated risk. How are you measuring that? How do you feel so good. Because there's one thing I believe it. Yeah. But then there's like, okay, well I believe it. And I'm also like hedging my, my right that right.

Nancy Twine (00:08:29) - Well it's really interesting because again going back to, you know, who I was as a beauty consumer, I remember at the time too, you know, this was before I started Briogeo. So much of the sampling that was taking place was actually in fragrance.

Nancy Twine (00:08:42) - And the way that I discovered my favorite fragrances was through samples that I would get like, even you remember in magazines when I was like.

Jasmine Star (00:08:51) - I was dating ourselves. It's like, yeah, you open up the tab and you can kind of like rip it out. And I would even get the paper and be like, let me just put in my rip completely right.

Nancy Twine (00:08:59) - Or you'd go to like a department store and they give you a sample and I'd be like, oh my gosh, this is such a great cleanser. This is going to be my new cleanser. And so I knew for myself that I, you know, converted as a consumer with that marketing tactic, it just made sense that sampling would be, you know, such a major opportunity for, for my brand. And so that's why I encourage people, because I often get the question too. It's like, Nancy, I'm going into this space. I know nothing about it. Like, is this silly that I'm doing it? No, it's not silly.

Nancy Twine (00:09:31) - Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and your own perspective as a consumer. That will help you to unlock that knowledge that perhaps you didn't know you had.

Jasmine Star (00:09:41) - Okay, but let's get in the weeds. You have an idea, and you believe that the sampling boxes would be a good marketing play, because that was you are essentially your target demographic. Yeah. Cool. How do you get in the boxes? Like what's that first step of that's a good idea? I don't know how to connect there. What did you do?

Nancy Twine (00:09:57) - Yeah, totally. So I just, you know. I always tell people that you just always have to ask. Like, I remember someone sent me like a total, like, random sort of cold email and what they had to say was really interesting. So I responded. And I remember he was like, I'm so glad that I just, you know, shot my shot. And I tell people that sometimes you just have to shoot your shot, send an email, DM, somebody say, hey, are you looking for new brands for your sampling boxes? And like, I found that like at least 75% of the time when I'm aligning with something that I think is a good fit, you know, that's where the magic happens.

Nancy Twine (00:10:35) - And it was really just that outreach, taking that next step.

Jasmine Star (00:10:38) - Okay. So I'm gonna ask it in a really simple way, like I'm five, you just found out contact information for these sampling box companies and you're like, okay, I have the information, I'm going to shoot my shot. And a lot of them said yes, totally.

Nancy Twine (00:10:52) - Yeah. And then over time, the sampling boxes started reaching out to me because then they saw, oh, Briogeo was, you know, in this box that seems like such a cool brand. We want that brand, but it all has to start somewhere. And the other thing I would say too is, you know, don't be afraid to tell people what you're up to and what you need. Because for me, so much of being able to meet those contacts was from telling someone, hey, I'm starting a haircare product line, oh my gosh, my friends starting a deodorant line. And she just got a really great contract manufacturer. Oh my gosh, I'm looking for a contract manufacturer.

Nancy Twine (00:11:29) - Let me put you in touch. So sometimes just being vocal about what it is you're doing and what you need, you'd be surprised by how other people can help to unlock opportunities for you.

Jasmine Star (00:11:41) - Oh I love this. Okay, so we go back and how are you measuring the efficacy of okay, I put a sample in a box and it's resulting in sales because like there's not like we're not pixel ING that product.

Nancy Twine (00:11:53) - So yeah. So there's different ways sometimes you can use a promo code, which is really helpful because if someone's like, oh, I tried this product, it's awesome. But I don't know. I'm not familiar with the brand. Sometimes if you give them a code, they feel like, okay, I'm getting a discount. I might as well use that and actually try it. But it's also a great way to be able to track conversion. And if you're not using a code, the other way you can track conversion is just looking at your like month over month sales left to the business.

Nancy Twine (00:12:22) - So on average, if for the past six months you've been selling 100, you know, bottles of shampoo, and then after you do that sampling campaign, you're now selling 300 bottles of shampoo, chances are okay. What did you do differently? You did that sampling campaign so it, you know, tripled your sell through okay.

Jasmine Star (00:12:44) - So let's bring in this idea of layering. So your marketing when you started this business ten a little change ago. Yeah. The marketing landscape was different in regards to social. When did you start making a social play? How did it impact what you do differently? What if you look back at that? What would you tell other entrepreneurs as they enter in that transition if they started off with physical type marketing to digital? Yeah.

Nancy Twine (00:13:07) - I mean, now it's just, you know, it's table stakes. I mean, you have to be on social media when you're launching a brand. I firmly, firmly believe that, you know, that's where so much discovery is happening. That's how you can really sort of control the articulation of your brand.

Nancy Twine (00:13:24) - Because if you don't tell your brand story, someone else is going to tell it or interpret it in a way that you don't intend. So I think it's, you know, so powerful for so many different reasons. But when I launched my brand, you know, over a decade ago, social media wasn't as important of a platform as it is now. And so I was kind of part of that transition of being, you know, off social to social and really saw the value that came from having a social presence. Not only that, but also the value of influencer marketing. And that's where influencers play is on social. So being part of that conversation was hugely important.

Jasmine Star (00:14:07) - And so you started aligning your influencers at what point like where are we at in the journey? So if it's you started in 2013. Yes. And so you do like the physical sampling and then you understand that social that transition you're part of like an early adopter, which is really cool. Yeah. And then how long after that gestation period.

Nancy Twine (00:14:25) - So that's like 2016 at this point. So that that was actually to around the time of the rise of the YouTube beauty influencer. Yes. So all of these things were kind of happening at the same time. It was like the rise of the beauty sampling boxes. It was the rise of, you know, the YouTube beauty influencer and then the rise of the Instagram influencer and then the rise of the TikTok influencer. So it's constantly like evolving and changing. And that's why you have to be so dynamic. And it's also why if you're going into an industry where you don't have. Well, you know what? A lot of people in those same industries don't have the experience either, because it's all happening in real time. Everyone's learning together.

Jasmine Star (00:15:07) - I like that perspective shift. So do you again, reach out to influencers and say, I'm going to shoot my shot.

Nancy Twine (00:15:12) - Yeah. But I think, you know, with influencers it's really important for the messaging to be authentic and organic. And so we typically, you know, partner with influencers who had already organically been talking about our brand that already loved Briogeo.

Nancy Twine (00:15:31) - I want.

Jasmine Star (00:15:31) - To pause. I want to pause here for a second. We just dropped a podcast with Michel, founder of Gorgui, and what did she say? That exact thing that when it comes to influencers, they are really working with influencers who are organically talking about the product so that when sponsored posts come along, they're in total alignment and they feel authentic to the brand. So we have two very successful entrepreneurs saying the same thing. So I just want to make sure that we're like all tracking here that follow their lead because they've discovered organic to paid is very synergistic. I just wanted to pause and say that because that was really good.

Nancy Twine (00:16:07) - Thank you. It's huge. And you know, we've tested we we always test and learn where we've done some partnerships where Briogeo was sort of their their first experience with Briogeo. And a lot of times it worked great. But then sometimes you can tell that, you know, they just hadn't been using the product long enough and maybe it felt like a rushed effort.

Nancy Twine (00:16:29) - And when that happens, you don't have that same, you know, just sort of like authentic messaging and energy that you get from that partnership. So I just think it's really important. I think just fundamentally, when you're doing business, trying to root yourself in real, authentic relationships, that even comes down to retailers to. Right, like not every brand is right for every retailer. And if you try to force yourself into a certain retailer, that's not the right fit. Just because you know, you think it's going to bring extra revenue, oftentimes that partnership just may not work out okay.

Jasmine Star (00:17:06) - On the note of partnerships, to get into the business of the business, you are doing the nights and weekends and you're doing your own formulations and you're doing it as homage, but purposefully towards the relationship you had with your mom and that experience and building something you didn't have in the market. Great. So then what actually happens for funding? What is that journey look like for for you? And then what was your mindset around? Are you bootstrapping it or are you getting outside investors? Can you talk a little bit about that?

Nancy Twine (00:17:33) - Yeah.

Nancy Twine (00:17:34) - So, you know, I had been working in finance for almost a decade prior to going out and running Briogeo full time. And so I ended up actually bootstrapping the company for the first six years. And for those who don't know what bootstrapping is, it means using your own finances, whether that's your savings, credit cards, micro loans, like the whole gamut, but you're basically self-funding the business and, you know, I got the business to a pretty great place over six years. But then it came to a point when we were just scaling so quickly. I had all of my personal finance on the line, which is a pretty scary situation to be there.

Jasmine Star (00:18:14) - For a second, take us into your mind then. Right. So six years in and when did Sephora come to you? When did you in that six years.

Nancy Twine (00:18:24) - When within the first year. We. Yeah, because that was one of the reasons why I left my job.

Jasmine Star (00:18:30) - So great. So then this is like 2014, 2015.

Nancy Twine (00:18:33) - 2014 that.

Jasmine Star (00:18:35) - Sephora. Okay. Yeah. And so then from 2014 to what, 2016 2017. Yeah. Your entirely bootstraps. You're putting your own money back into this year 2019.

Nancy Twine (00:18:46) - Yeah. Wow. Yeah.

Jasmine Star (00:18:48) - And so one of the things I just want to point out for the listener, and thank you for clarifying, being bootstrapped and using your own money is it's all a risk. Like this is all entirely you. However, the longer that you can hold out without getting funding, the less funding you have to get, the less equity you have to give up. And I just wanted to have that as a point of clarity. So you get this to this place and you realize we've scaled so fast. And most people would say, well, if you're scaling so fast, why are you getting outside investment number one in the number two, where is your head at at this time? Like what are you thinking? What are you feeling? What's the mindset shifts you have to to make to go from being bootstrapped.

Jasmine Star (00:19:22) - You respond to nobody who all of a sudden giving up a piece of the company where you're going to have to be responding and taking into consideration other people's opinions about your approach?

Nancy Twine (00:19:31) - Yeah, yeah. So, you know, like I said, with bootstrapping, you know, you're putting all of your financial risk on the line. And, you know, it's a great way to get from A to B. But there comes a point where for some people, the business is scaling so rapidly that you know that you're going to need, you know, additional funding to really take advantage of all the opportunities that are ahead. But then you also have to weigh sort of your own risk profile, like if something. Thing were to happen and the business were to dissolve. Can you stomach the fact that you're going to lose everything? And so those were the things that I was thinking at the time when I was, you know, deciding to bring on an investor and what you said is totally right, because when you go from bootstrapping and being sort of the sole decision maker of your company to bringing on an investor, that's a partnership.

Nancy Twine (00:20:23) - And I always tell people, you have to think of it as a marriage. It can't just be about the money, but it has to be about the values alignment. You have to be very, very clear on where it is you want to take the business. What's important to you in terms of your role in the company, all of that stuff. Because if you're not aligned, I think that becomes the basis for when sometimes people have challenging relationships with their investors, because the truth is, it shouldn't be challenging. It really, really shouldn't be. And investors know that things aren't always going to go smoothly. They're not always going to go perfectly. But hey, if we're marching to that aligned vision that we talked about, let's weather this together. And so I'm just really grateful that I found such an amazing investment team where we did have that alignment. And again, you know, oh my goodness. It was a year after I took my investment that Covid hit. You know, that was a really, really tough time.

Nancy Twine (00:21:23) - And that's how you really to, you know, understand the value of a partnership is when you go through a tough moment like that, it's about how do we weather this together.

Jasmine Star (00:21:33) - And at that time during Covid, are you DTC or are you in addition to being featured in retailers? Yes. Okay. So did you see DTC like spike during that time? Yeah.

Nancy Twine (00:21:42) - Because with all the stores being closed, you know, everyone really shifted their their commerce to digital.

Jasmine Star (00:21:49) - Good for you. Yeah. Okay. And also during that time, I don't know, maybe you could speak into this. What I saw purely as a consumer, not in that industry is a lot of people started doing a lot more skin and hair and makeup like coils routines. Did you see how did sales perform during that time?

Nancy Twine (00:22:06) - Yeah. So we were definitely, you know, one of the beneficiaries of, you know, some of the dynamics during Covid and that, you know, the salons were closed, many of them were closed.

Nancy Twine (00:22:15) - And so, you know, people were at home googling, you know, how do I treat my hair? How do I, you know, my, my I'm having scalp issues. A lot of people actually had scalp issues during Covid. And there's a myriad of reasons, you know, stress, you know, being inside, not getting enough vitamin D, all of those things. And so there was just a lot of organic search for products that Briogeo has. And that was a huge discovery moment for the brand.

Jasmine Star (00:22:45) - So the time duration from bringing on investors to selling was how many years?

Nancy Twine (00:22:50) - Actually three years. Yeah. So it was a three year period. Yeah. Good for you. Yeah.

Jasmine Star (00:22:56) - So now that we have the understanding the business of the business, what was happening, the genesis of it, the transitions bringing on investors to selling it, you got to a point. And this is the conversation where I feel like we're at an apex. And something I truly care about is you're saying that you're on a mission to help entrepreneurs get from 0 to 1, did I? Yeah, right.

Jasmine Star (00:23:19) - Totally.

Nancy Twine (00:23:20) - Totally.

Jasmine Star (00:23:20) - So that's very specific. And that's also the hardest part. I see a lot of people speaking to now that you have your investors, you're talking about scaling strategies. The 0 to 1. Why are you so passionate. What would you tell these people? What is the most important thing. And it's 0 to 1 entrepreneurs or 0 to 1 in the product space.

Nancy Twine (00:23:39) - Yeah, really in the product space because that's where I feel like I have the most expertise and that's where I can help really add value. And, you know, I mentor a lot of different founders. And I will say most of the questions that come my way or where people need the most help, it's that 0 to 1 phase. It's before people have really built their network, their community is they don't have people that they can just call up and get quick answers from. And it's also the point in which I think if people knew more about what it takes and the things that need to be considered, they just have an opportunity to be a lot smarter about how they get started and when they get started.

Nancy Twine (00:24:22) - Like a lot of times people will take the leap and they're like, oh my gosh, I had no idea that I was going to need to get a three PL. Like, I'm just not set up to do that right now or whatever. And so and what's a three PL? It's a third party logistics company. So someone who, you know, handles your freight and things like that. And so actually last Women's History Month, I launched a content site on Nancy twine.com that's focused on putting out articles around a lot of these common topics that 0 to 1 entrepreneurs are experiencing. And then most recently, I launched my podcast making. Mindset to bring on other female entrepreneurs who have navigated the same thing so that they could bring their unique perspective to the table. And that's been just such a great way to really help people to to see themselves and other people. Because the more that you listen to other people's journeys, the more that you can take in the nuts and bolts of how they got from 0 to 1.

Nancy Twine (00:25:25) - That's what really helps to shape that perspective.

Jasmine Star (00:25:28) - So from your podcast guests, are they also in that product space? Are you trying to go to that person and speak to them in that way?

Nancy Twine (00:25:36) - Yeah. So some of them are in the product space. Some of my guests are also investors. I really think it's important for people to see themselves in, you know, others that they're learning from. I think it helps to, you know, create a situation in which people feel like, oh, this is realistic. Like, I can do this too. And so, you know, we bring on people who have certainly reached a level of success in their journey, but they've built different kinds of businesses, they've had different approaches to how they've gotten from 0 to 1. And next season we're actually going to be bringing on some investors to the conversation also.

Jasmine Star (00:26:15) - Oh, that's so good. So you have your Briogeo era. Yeah, it's still early in this area, but what would you call it? What do you feel like this is the time of your life.

Jasmine Star (00:26:24) - Is this. Yeah.

Nancy Twine (00:26:26) - I mean, I think you could call it the legacy era.

Jasmine Star (00:26:29) - I knew I was gonna I was like, no, I'm not going to seed her. I'm not going to get.

Nancy Twine (00:26:32) - It's such a strong word, because when I think about legacy, I think about being a lot older. But I think the truth is you can start building your legacy like today. You know, for me, legacy is like, what do you want to leave on earth that's lasting and that outlives you? And who are the people that you want to impact beyond just yourself? And I think, you know, when you're in the middle of building something, you're so focused on what you're doing, it's hard to really lift your head up and look at what's going on around you. And that's that's been one of the things that I've been so grateful about for this part in my journey is that I now have the capacity to be able to do that, and I get so much fulfillment and being able to help others, because I also believe that when you help others, it inspires them to help other people, and especially as women, like we need to fuel that ecosystem.

Jasmine Star (00:27:26) - And so do you think you're ever going to go back and build? Is there another build in you?

Nancy Twine (00:27:30) - You know, probably so just because inherently that's who I am, I just I get so much joy from building. It's so fun and yeah, probably so okay.

Jasmine Star (00:27:41) - And so in the legacy era, yeah, you're meeting other investors, entrepreneurs, sharing their stories, building out content to help other people. Yeah. Have you learned anything from them that's kind of like sparking or like, maybe as you think and there's no rush to build. There is no rush to build. But is there anything like lit up in a different way, a part of your brain that you've never considered prior to you getting into the content legacy era?

Nancy Twine (00:28:06) - Yeah, it's a really good question. I think it just reminds me that every single journey is unique. And, you know, someone actually on my podcast use this quote, that comparison is the thief of joy, and you can't look at someone else's journey and say, oh, it's not happening for me.

Nancy Twine (00:28:24) - That way. I'm a failure. Like everyone's journey is different. It's so unique. And the truth is, too, there's no, like, precise playbook for how you're going to do what you do. Like you're literally creating that playbook. There are things that you can learn from other people, but it's not going to be precise. And I think, you know, it's just something that I have to also keep in mind that even my journey with Briogeo, it's not going to look like the next thing will either. And that's kind of the beauty of this whole, you know, concept of being an entrepreneur. It's about discovery.

Jasmine Star (00:28:58) - Okay, so on the pod, we get very we I love the t, the audience loves the T if you're open to it. When you talk about comparison being the thief of joy, was there a part in your briogeo era where you compared yourself and then if so, what happened? Or and or if so, what was the mindset shift that it took for you to get out from that place?

Nancy Twine (00:29:18) - Yeah, I mean, to be honest with you, it was a very quick mindset shift for me because one of the things that I think has been my superpower as an entrepreneur is that I've always stayed in my lane, and I haven't watched what competitors were doing to drive, what I was going to do.

Nancy Twine (00:29:35) - And in so many ways, that's what made us successful at innovation, because we were coming up with new things that weren't inspired by anything else that was happening in our space. But inevitably, you know, you can get a little anxious when you're like, oh my gosh, there are all these new brands that are launching. What is this going to mean for me? And you can get into your head about that and you can spiral. If you let that be the case. And for me, I just so quickly turn that off because I've realized that no matter who is coming to this space, even the most incredible brands, it really doesn't determine our fate. Like we determine our fate. No one else. And so that's just been so true to me. I'm such a huge believer. You know, this world is so big. You know, there are competitors that come in to all industries, but it's about what are you going to do to continue to innovate, show up uniquely and, you know, create new, differentiated ways to serve your customer.

Nancy Twine (00:30:34) - I love.

Jasmine Star (00:30:35) - It. Okay. So now I'm going to flip it. If comparison to others led to your innovation and seeing things in your own way and sticking out for originality, what would happen when you would see a competitor do what it is you're doing? What's the mindset shift there?

Nancy Twine (00:30:51) - Yeah, yeah, again, and I love the word mindset because honestly, like who really cares. Like it's like actually that's pretty cool. It means that we did something awesome and it inspired them. But you know, it's so funny to one of the things that I love about the beauty industry, because I don't see this in a lot of industry, is that, like so many of us were all friends, like, I am friends with other haircare founders. We have similar products, we're in the same retailer and like, we don't care. It's like you're an awesome person and what you're doing is great. And like, let's go to dinner and hang out. And again, I just think that that's the mindset that you have to have because energy creates energy.

Nancy Twine (00:31:33) - And when you put good energy out into the world and you're kind to people and you're not being competitive or weird or mean, you know, you create an energetic field that allows you to attract more.

Jasmine Star (00:31:46) - so on that note, when it comes to attracting more and as you built the Briogeo team, were you using that same energetic like attraction or are you putting out very specific content? How were you building that Rockstar team that got you from 0 to 1 and then one to selling?

Nancy Twine (00:32:04) - Yeah, I mean, I will say that like no single person can build an entire well-functioning team. And I think one of the biggest things that I've learned about scaling a business is how important leadership is. And to surround yourself with leaders who are talented that you trust that you can depend on, that have the skill set, but even more so that really understand what leadership is, because there are talented people that aren't necessarily leaders. And the reason why leadership is so important is because leaders are the ones that are going to help to build out the team beneath you.

Nancy Twine (00:32:42) - And in order for that team to function well, they need to be working with someone who also is a visionary that knows how to motivate, that knows how to make sure that the teams are functioning well. So I think it's something that doesn't get talked a lot about in the entrepreneurial space. You often hear a lot about leadership in the corporate space, but as you're scaling, surrounding yourself with the right people that can help you build those teams beneath is so critical.

Jasmine Star (00:33:12) - So okay, based on your experience, what are three things that you're looking for for a hire that they're manifesting leadership qualities to bring into your organization? Three things that you're looking for.

Nancy Twine (00:33:23) - Yeah. So one, a visionary. So I think it's important for a leader to understand what the founder's vision is for the company. But they also need to be able to create a vision for how they're going to articulate that to what their teams need to do to make it happen. So good. So they have to be an independent visionary. I would say number two is, you know, they have to really set an example.

Nancy Twine (00:33:47) - One of the things that I've learned is that people really look to their leader for how they should show up, how they should, you know, collaborate, how they should, you know, do things within the organization. And if you have a leader that doesn't have a great attitude or, you know, doesn't trust their people, that starts to create like the micro culture of that specific team. So I think that that piece is really important. And then I would just say number three would be and this is really for everyone. And this is why I tell people to when you're thinking about, you know, what your brand mission is and you're building your brand book, also define what your company values are, because everyone in your organization is going to bring something different to the table, but your values is what should you know, unite you so and so. Having a values aligned leadership team is so important. I love.

Jasmine Star (00:34:41) - This. So the three leadership qualities that we are learning from you as we try to attract other leaders would be having an independent vision.

Jasmine Star (00:34:49) - Yes, like having their vision fit into your vision, right? That the leaders are setting examples for the team to emulate, model and start setting the culture. And then. The values using a sense of values, that they embody those values, and then they disseminate that within the team that were all pointing the same direction. I love that. Yeah, we're gonna call that like the Vive framework. Like now when I'm hiring leaders. Yeah. I was like, are you bad? Do you have Vive Energy? Because if not, you're not gonna be on this team. Totally. Oh, I love it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Okay, so let's go back to the person. The 0 to 1. we're going to go back to the starting days of an entrepreneur from 0 to 1. And we're going to tell that person what what do they need to know. It's not the actual doing of what do they need to know to get from 0 to 1.

Nancy Twine (00:35:36) - Yeah. So I think the resilience piece is so key.

Nancy Twine (00:35:39) - And I do think that that's the common thread of all the guests that I have on my podcast is that as an entrepreneur, especially when you're in that 0 to 1 phase, you have to invest in the resilience piece. And it's actually one of sort of the the foundational elements of sort of my maker's mindset educational platform is that as an entrepreneur, you are your best asset. So you have to invest in your own wellness, because the more that you can show up as your best self, the more capable you are going to be. And withstanding those ups and downs, navigating, you know, all the twists and turns and building that resilience muscle. So I think a lot of people spend so much time of trying to find like, you know, the nuts and bolts of how to get to A to B, which is important. But you also have to invest in like, okay, how am I going to show up better mentally? And how am I going to not let this get to me to the point where I'm going to walk into this pitch room and not be 100%? And so I think a big part of that 0 to 1 phase is balancing the nuts and bolts with also cultivating your sense of self.

Jasmine Star (00:36:53) - so go back to Nancy 0 to 1. What was something that like, took it from you and that challenged your ability for resilience?

Nancy Twine (00:37:02) - Yeah, I mean, there were just, you know, periods in which I was giving 150% of myself and I wasn't seeing the results. And while I wanted to be patient with myself, people around me weren't being patient with me.

Jasmine Star (00:37:17) - Oh, that is so real.

Nancy Twine (00:37:19) - Okay. And that can be really tough and so, so discouraging. And, you know, for people that are in that situation, again, I think it's just it's it's really fundamental that, you know, it's the same thing that I tell people when you hear people tell, you know, but you know, inside of yourself that what you're doing is right. You have to just drown out the noise because there's going to be so much noise around you. And I also tell people that when it comes to taking advice, listen to everything. You know, advice can be just a valuable way to understand your different options, but you've got to filter it right because not everything is going to apply to you.

Nancy Twine (00:38:05) - And so learning how to drown out the noise, creating that filter I think is so essential.

Jasmine Star (00:38:12) - so when we talk about the makers mindset, you have a podcast and you're interviewing a lot of other founders and you're taking their stories as learning points and benchmarks. Yeah. Talk to me about where people go and listen to that podcast, why it's so important to you at this juncture of your life. Yeah.

Nancy Twine (00:38:30) - So the podcast is just a really, really amazing thing that's just starting. It's called Maker's Mindset. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and video on YouTube. Yeah. Interesting learning, you know, about the different demographics that like to watch video versus listen to audio. But again, these are really deep conversations. And it's not just about, you know, recording someone's story of record. Sure, we do a little bit of that, but it's really going beneath the surface and really understanding sort of the 360 of how that person has navigated their journey. And sometimes that shows up and, you know, what does it mean to be a mom and starting a business? Sometimes that means being a single parent.

Nancy Twine (00:39:14) - Sometimes that means being able to, you know, manage mental health issues while trying to tackle this beast of building a business. It's really all of the things that oftentimes people aren't discussing that I think people really need to hear, because that's where the commonality comes into play. And the more that people can be vulnerable about their experiences and what they've had to navigate, I think it really helps to frame the fact that we're not perfect. It wasn't easy for that person either. And hence what I'm going through doesn't mean that I'm disadvantaged or I won't get to that place. I love this.

Jasmine Star (00:39:53) - Speaking of getting to a place feeling at a disadvantage, you also have a grant program. Yeah. Talk to me about this.

Nancy Twine (00:40:00) - Yeah. So, you know, when I was starting out in the beauty space, I certainly didn't see a lot of people who looked like me that were starting businesses. Sure, there were a lot of women starting businesses, but there weren't many African American women starting businesses in the prestige landscape.

Nancy Twine (00:40:17) - And, you know, that can be really tough to, you know, when you're fundraising, because oftentimes you're pitching to investors that, you know, don't understand the products because they're not the end consumer or because they haven't seen people like you create success stories. And so I know for a lot of people, fundraising is really hard right now. But fundraising is especially hard during the early stages of building a business. And I will tell you in some instances, I don't recommend that people take on an investor when they're just getting started. It's a lot of pressure. And so I wanted to figure out a way that I could help to bridge the gap for those small business owners. And so I launched the Dream Makers Founders Grant this past Women's History Month of 2024. Congratulations. Yeah, thank you so much. And it's a $1 million, four year grant that's meant to help support underrepresented female founders in the consumer space.

Jasmine Star (00:41:17) - Ooh, I just got chills down my right arm whenever that happens. I am just so excited.

Jasmine Star (00:41:21) - How many lives and businesses you're going to change. And when you talk about being in your legacy area, you're making big moves relatively. I mean, like creating content, creating your podcast, moving and shaking, creating the grant. Thank you for that. Like I just want to honor like what that means and how you stand. You mean what you say and you say what you mean I love that, I love that for those of you who are watching and listening The Jasmine Star Show, where do they go to connect with you? To learn more about the podcast? Where are we sending everybody to? Yeah.

Nancy Twine (00:41:52) - So you can follow me on Instagram at Nancy Twine and you can check out the podcast maker's mindset on all of the different streaming platforms. And if you're also interested in checking out the article content that I talked about, yes, you can find that on Nancy Twine. Com if you didn't.

Jasmine Star (00:42:09) - Say it, I was going to do I was like, here's the content there. There is good, great, amazing content y'all.

Jasmine Star (00:42:14) - We started this show with the intention of really focusing on the journey from 0 to 1 and 0 to 1 looks different for all of us. Nancy also highlighted that comparison is the thief of joy, and the minute we look at somebody else's journey and we don't identify ourselves with it, we immediately put ourselves in the opposite position. That's the antithesis of success. And then what Nancy says she's done is I've always just had my blinders on. I focused on what I was doing, and that empowered me for innovation. And then when I said, well, when people, you know, copy that innovation, she says, I simply look around and say, we're doing something right. And she continues to be first in thinking, first iteration. And that is what has kept Briogeo going, even up through a sale. And now it's gone on to its own iteration. And that has empowered Nancy to say, I'm going to share what I know, so people don't have to spend time in that journey as long as I did.

Jasmine Star (00:43:05) - So her podcast facilitates that, and then she also has a grant you can go to Nancy Twine. Com figure out all ways to go deeper with her. If this show has impacted you, please be sure to send her a DM or tag her in a story if you are in the PTA pickup line. If you are at the gym, if you had to come to a moment on your walk, snap a photo of whatever it is you're doing. Tag at Nancy Twine at Jasmine's store because we want to join your journey as you go from not just 0 to 1, but 0 to 1 million. I wish you all the best. Thank you again for listening to The Jasmine Star Show.