Nancy Twine has built one of the most respected clean haircare brands in the world—but in this candid AMA, she peels back the curtain on what it really took to get there.

In this special solo finale of Makers Mindset Season 3, Nancy answers burning questions from her audience about entrepreneurship, life, love, mindset, and building a company from zero to a nine-figure exit. From bootstrapping Briogeo in a saturated industry to becoming the then-youngest Black woman to launch a product line at Sephora, her journey is as bold as it is intentional.

She shares her no-budget PR strategies, the mindset shift that changed everything, and why hiring for values—not just resumes—can make or break your culture. Plus, she opens up about dating while building an empire, how she created a life of freedom, and the biggest decision that skyrocketed her brand’s growth.

This is a rare behind-the-scenes look at the personal playbook of a founder who’s done it all—and is now paying it forward.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[00:37] Nancy’s background and Briogeo journey

[01:00] How to market a first-of-its-kind product without a budget

[01:29] DIY press strategy for early brands

[01:54] Cold DM tips for reaching editors

[02:15] Low-cost influencer seeding advice

[02:35] What Nancy would do differently if starting today

[02:56] Why personal branding matters from day one

[03:16] What she would do the same if starting today

[03:39] Why hiring a social media manager early matters

[04:06] The early decision that had biggest brand impact

[04:25] How Sephora shaped Briogeo’s growth

[04:50] How to make your first sale without inventory

[05:11] Pre-order and waitlist strategies

[05:33] Using prototypes and content to drive pre-sales

[05:50] Using Kickstarter as a model for pre-orders

[06:05] Best ways to track performance when you don’t have a team

[06:26] Basic metrics every founder should track

[06:47] Profitability doesn’t need to happen immediately

[07:05] Why tracking repeat orders matters

[07:19] What is EMV and how to use it

[07:37] The importance of reading your reviews

[07:53] How Nancy designed her lifestyle over time

[08:17] Building a team helped her find more balance

[08:35] Why priorities shape your lifestyle

[08:53] Hobbies and passions Nancy makes time for now

[09:13] What she says no to in order to stay focused

[09:27] Nancy’s dating journey as a successful woman

[09:43] Advice for women balancing dating and ambition

[10:00] Why priorities should drive your dating decisions

[10:19] Making time to date like anything else

[10:36] Friends with careers, families, and healthy relationships

[10:54] What Nancy wishes she knew when building a brand

[11:30] When to hire support in your business

[11:52] Hire for values, not just skills

[12:10] Why defining your company culture early matters

[12:32] How the wrong hire can impact the whole team

[12:50] One mindset shift that changed everything

[13:06] How Nancy reframes hard things

[13:42] Why doing the hard thing creates the results you want

Follow Nancy Twine:

Instagram: @nancytwine

www.nancytwine.com

Follow Makers Mindset:

Instagram: @makersmindsetspace

TikTok: @themakersmindset

Susan Yara’s journey to redefining skincare didn’t start in a lab—it started in front of a camera. From reporting news in the Bronx to becoming a trusted beauty voice on YouTube, Susan built a community before she ever built a brand. With her platform Mixed Makeup, she offered something rare: expert-backed, educational content for women who were underserved by the beauty industry’s hype-driven approach.

But Susan wasn’t just creating content. In 2019, she co-founded Naturium Skincare. Just four years later, she made headlines when she sold her company to e.l.f. Beauty for $355 million—and became one of the first content creators to successfully scale and exit a skincare brand.

In this episode, Nancy and Susan go deep on the realities of building a digital-first beauty brand: funding operations before revenue, pivoting from an influencer to a founder mindset, and how it’s so important to build authentic relationships with your community and retail partners. Susan shares the failures that shaped her, the influencer marketing tactics that actually work, and how she’s balancing life as a founder, mom, and now solo parent.

This is a story of vision, resilience, and reinvention. It’s proof that you don’t need to start with a perfect plan—you just need to start with purpose.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[03:12] Joining Forbes and building their first video network

[04:55] Learning the power of early digital media

[06:03] Getting into beauty and lifestyle content

[07:24] Launching Mixed Makeup to serve older audiences

[08:30] Early challenges funding high-quality content

[09:45] Lessons from Susan’s failed first business

[11:15] Trying to bootstrap her own skincare brand

[12:20] How COVID shut down her original plan

[14:42] Joining Naturium and shaping brand direction

[15:55] Why Susan moved away from “clean” marketing

[17:02] Creating formulas that simplify skincare routines

[18:08] Transitioning from influencer to business operator

[19:20] Why pricing strategy matters for repeat customers

[20:22] The shift in influencer strategy that changed everything

[21:30] How nano influencers built authentic community

[22:40] Using whitelisting to amplify UGC as ads

[23:50] What brands get wrong about influencer selection

[25:02] The power of founder-creator relationships

[26:05] Getting into Target and making it work

[27:15] Building a bold pitch retailers can’t ignore

[28:30] Launching Naturium body washes with intention

[29:45] Hiring a CMO who can become your future CEO

[30:58] The expanded role of modern CMOs

[32:00] What to look for when hiring key leaders

[33:12] Why Susan sold Naturium to e.l.f. Beauty

[34:25] Balancing work and motherhood during scale

[35:40] How moving to Miami created work-life structure

[36:45] Advice for founders scaling fast or slow

[38:00] The real reason behind building a brand

Resources Mentioned:

Naturium | Website

e.l.f Beauty | Website

Mixed Makeup | YouTube Channel

Follow Susan on Instagram and X, and check out her YouTube Channel.

Follow Nancy Twine:

Instagram: @nancytwine

www.nancytwine.com

Follow Makers Mindset:

Instagram: @makersmindsetspace

TikTok: @themakersmindset

Amy Liu’s journey to redefining clean beauty started in her own skin. As someone with eczema, she knew firsthand the struggle of finding beauty products that were both safe and effective. The industry was full of promises, but few products delivered results without irritation.

After years of working behind the scenes at Smashbox, Kate Somerville, and Josie Maran Cosmetics, Amy found herself at a crossroads. She had built brands for others, but what about a brand built for people like her? People who wanted beauty without compromise? At 40, she took the leap and launched Tower 28, the first and only beauty brand 100% compliant with the National Eczema Association’s ingredient guidelines.

In this episode, Nancy and Amy unpack the highs and lows of entrepreneurship—overcoming the fear of failure, scaling a business while staying true to her mission, and bringing her husband on board as CFO. Recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for Greater Los Angeles and one of Goldman Sachs’ most exceptional entrepreneurs, Amy has proven that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of integrity.

This is a conversation about resilience, leadership, and the power of collaboration over competition. Above all, it’s a story about turning a personal struggle into a movement that’s changing the face of beauty.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[04:26] Struggling with eczema and the need for safe beauty products

[05:52] Discovering the flaws in clean beauty

[07:38] Why it took her so long to start her own business

[08:54] Getting her first investment and launching Tower 28

[10:42] Why launching at 40 was the right decision

[11:58] The myth of overnight success and why experience matters

[13:21] The role of a CEO and why she chose to stay in the position

[14:47] Challenges of balancing leadership with business growth

[16:32] Bringing her husband in as CFO and working with a spouse

[18:15] Breaking through the crowded beauty market

[19:44] The philosophy behind Tower 28’s product development

[21:18] Why sensitive skin testing sets Tower 28 apart

[22:53] Expanding at Sephora and becoming a top-performing brand

[24:36] When to raise money and how to choose the right investors

[26:24] Private equity, beauty playbooks, and scaling successfully

[28:10] The challenges of hiring and building the right team

[30:28] Leadership lessons and learning from mistakes

[32:42] Creating Clean Beauty Summer School and supporting founders

[34:20] The importance of representation in the beauty industry

[36:08] Why collaboration is more powerful than competition

[38:35] Advice for struggling entrepreneurs in a competitive market

Resources Mentioned:

Tower 28 | Website

National Eczema Association | Website

Sephora Clean | Website

Goop Clean | Website

Credo Clean | Website

Clean Beauty Summer School | Website

Follow Nancy Twine:

Instagram: @nancytwine

www.nancytwine.com

Follow Makers Mindset:

Instagram: @makersmindsetspace

TikTok: @themakersmindset