Briogeo Founder Nancy Twine Shares Her Best Advice for Aspiring Female Entrepreneurs

What has been the most challenging part of being a woman in entrepreneurship?

I will say that this is probably one of the best times in our history to be a female entrepreneur because there are funds dedicated to supporting female entrepreneurs. But I will say that every now and then I come across male counterparts that feel the need to mansplain — it's like the worst thing ever. 

Some of the other challenges I think have been to my advantage. Being a first time female CEO, I've always felt like I've had more to prove. Because of that, I feel like I've just worked harder and I over-prepare. And in a lot of ways, by focusing on being your best because you have something to prove, [that] ultimately leads you to being your best. I feel like at the end of the day, that's why so many women have gotten ahead and are oftentimes the top talent at companies because we felt like we've had to work harder to get to those positions and in the journey of working harder, we've just become better. 

What advice do you have for other women and women of color who have dreams of starting their own successful businesses? Is there anything you wish you would have known before you started? 

There's some crazy statistic on the percent of startups that fail — and I don't necessarily think it's because it was a bad business idea or that the market didn't exist. I often think it's because people just give up too soon. They see a challenge and view it as something that can't be overcome. So just knowing that when you sign up for the entrepreneur game, you are signing up for challenges, you're signing up for obstacles and it's all about how you handle them and overcome them. 

In terms of challenges, I speak to a lot of my founder friends and it's really hard to build out a team in all facets of the journey. Very early on, it's really hard because you don't have the money to pay people, and so maybe you're bringing in interns or you're bringing in less experienced people that you need to do more experienced things. I do wish I would've leveraged more consultants earlier on then kind of transitioned into full-time hires as I could have supported that from a financial perspective. 

What are the main do's and don'ts when it comes to being a female entrepreneur? 

Always treat people with kindness — even your competitors. There is space for everyone, and there may be some people that you interact with today that you feel have no place in your sphere. And then five years from now, they're the lead buyer at the retailer that you wanna get into. So just being a kind person really does go such a long way. 

Also just making sure that you're prioritizing your wellness and health during the process [is important]. I know so many entrepreneurs that are just nonstop working seven days a week and you can just see the exhaustion [which makes it] hard to make good decisions and motivate your team. 

Have you found community among other female entrepreneurs in the beauty space? 

Completely — male and female to be honest with you. I feel that like attracts like. When you put out good energy and kindness, you'll attract those other founders that want to support you and help you thrive. 

I was in Utah this weekend, and I ran into Jen Atkin who runs Ouai. We ended up just randomly being sat next to each other at a restaurant, and we just talked and joked all night. We were just congratulating each other on our businesses. And [saying things] like ‘What can I do to support you? Can I make this introduction?’ And she sits next to me on the shelf — technically her brand is a competitor. But there was no weirdness — we're just so open and so supportive because the truth is, there are billions of people in this world. There's plenty of Briogeo and plenty of Ouai hair care to go around. And I just love that. I just love that we can support each other even though we're in the same category.