19-05-2025
Nancy Twine Scaled Briogeo. Now She's Helping Founders Build Their Mindset
When Nancy Twine launched Briogeo out of her East Village apartment in 2013, she was navigating new territory: a clean, high-performance haircare brand inspired by Twine's mother's DIY formulas, long before 'skinification' of hair became a mainstream buzzword.
At the time, she was the youngest Black woman to ever launch a product line at Sephora, and she had just left a role as Vice President at Goldman Sachs.
Fast forward to today, and Twine has done what few beauty entrepreneurs (particularly women of color) get to do: scale a brand to global recognition, raise over $20 million in private equity funding, and successfully exit through strategic acquisition (Twine sold Briogeo to Wella Company for a nine-figure sum) — all before turning 40.
Now she's entering a new chapter.
Today, Twine is announcing the launch of the Makers Mindset Accelerator: a premium video course designed to help CPG founders scale with clarity, confidence and strategy. It's a distillation of the lessons, strategies and lived experience that helped her build Briogeo into a category-defining brand.
'When I launched Briogeo, I had to learn through trial and error,' says Twine. 'I know firsthand how frustrating and overwhelming it can be to figure things out without a clear roadmap, especially when you're trying to scale without access to experienced mentors or inside knowledge of the industry.'
The Makers Mindset Accelerator isn't just a high-level overview: it's a paid, in-depth course designed to give founders the exact strategies, insights, and tools they need to scale their businesses faster and with more confidence. It's rooted in real-world experience, not theory. Twine pulls back the curtain on what actually worked — from navigating investor conversations and structuring retail partnerships, to scaling operations and building a product roadmap that lasts.
The program is tailored specifically for consumer product founders, a segment often underserved by traditional startup programs. It also includes lessons from industry insiders and a $1,000+ downloadable toolkit with deck templates, hiring checklists, agency databases, and more. Twine calls it 'the in-depth course I wish existed when I was starting out.'
The 13-module program includes strategic lessons taught by Twine herself, alongside sessions with industry insiders like investor Alisa Carmichael (VMG Partners), Joe Jackman (Jackman Reinvents), Melissa Rothbaum (Director of Product Development, Fable and Mane), and more.
More than just a knowledge share, the Accelerator is also a reinvestment cycle. Revenue generated will go back into the Makers Mindset platform, funding expanded access and future grant opportunities for underrepresented founders.
'Building a successful consumer brand takes more than a great product. It takes resilience and access to the right knowledge at the right time,' Twine says.
For Twine, the mindset part of Makers Mindset isn't just branding: it's the root of everything.
'People always ask why I didn't name it something like Female Founders or Builders,' she says. 'I really wanted to focus on this concept of mindset, because it's so foundational for being able to transform your dream into reality.'
'When people think about launching a business, they go straight to What's the next step? Who do I network with? How do I raise money? And while those things matter, they're just part of the journey. The mindset is what gets you through the curveballs. It's what gives you longevity.'
That grit and self-belief, she says, is especially critical for women entrepreneurs, many of whom are conditioned to seek external validation.
'So many founders come to me asking, 'Do you think I should do this?' And I always flip it back: 'What do you think?' You don't need permission to pursue your passion. You don't need the roadmap perfectly laid out.'
One belief Twine wishes every female founder could shed?
'That you need a 'yes' to move forward. I never take 'no' as a final answer. Sure, doors close, and sometimes that's okay. A few years down the line, you might realize that door needed to close to make room for something better. But I see so many founders treat a setback as a sign they should shut down completely or go back to their day job. Don't. The right doors will open, but only if you trust yourself.'
Twine's pivot to education and founder support isn't a departure from her brand-building legacy — it's a natural extension of it.
In 2024, she launched the Dream Makers Founder Grant: a $1 million grant that provides early-stage funding to underrepresented female founders (with a focus on Black and BIPOC founders in the consumer goods industries).
And Twine credits Ulta Beauty, one of Briogeo's key retail partners, for being a mentor in launching the first Makers Mindset workshop, which debuted on International Women's Day earlier this year.
That event marked the official launch of the platform, but the real vision is bigger: an evergreen ecosystem of tools, programming, and support for consumer founders, rooted in strategy, mindset and community.
Season 3 of the Makers Mindset Podcast (airing through June 3rd) continues to amplify the journeys of bold female founders, leaders and changemakers, with names like Amy Liu (Tower 28), Monique Rodriguez (Mielle Organics), Shani Darden (Shani Darden Skin Care), and Brigette Romanek (Romanek Design Studio). The season also features Cristina Nuñez of True Beauty Ventures, Meera Bhatia of Fabletics, and Susan Yara of Naturium.
The Blueprint Breakdown subseries, an audio-only format designed to dive deep into practical, expert-led guidance (from fundraising to founder wellbeing), is new to the podcast this season. It's one more way Twine is turning lived experience into shared strategy.
'This is about more than business strategy. It's about the psychology and spirit behind what you're building," Twine asserts.
She also hopes to model a different definition of success. After a decade spent heads-down building Briogeo, Twine has become a vocal advocate for balance and what she calls a 'life well lived.'
Twine also credits her growth to the relationships she's cultivated along the way.
'When I meet someone I admire, I stay curious and stay in touch. I've found that real mentorship grows from mutual respect and vulnerability,' she says. 'People appreciate when you open up and ask for guidance. That's how the strongest connections are built.'
It's that same spirit of openness she's bringing to the Makers Mindset platform: part playbook, part support system, all impact.
'When I started out, success meant going all in — sacrificing sleep, skipping meals, constantly pushing,' she reflects. 'But over time, that hustle mindset started to drain me. I realized that if you're not taking care of yourself, you're not doing your business any favors.'
That lesson hit home after the sudden loss of her mother, the original inspiration behind Briogeo's early formulas.
'Your business is important, but so is your health, your joy, your relationships. That's what I mean by a life well lived. And that's the future I want to help other founders create — not just a successful brand, but a fulfilling life.'
Contributor disclosure: I participated as an expert for Makers Mindset virtual programming, but do not have a vested interest or hold stake in Makers Mindset or any of the aforementioned brands.
