Why the Motto 'Better Not Bitter' Changed Everything for Beauty Bakerie Founder Cashmere Nicole After overcoming challenges at a young age, the makeup mogul is living the sweet life with her cruelty-free cosmetics brand.

By Kristen Aldridge

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

A feature interview on Beyoncé's website gave Beauty Bakerie founder and CEO Cashmere Nicole the push she needed to expand her beauty brand, but Nicole's entrepreneurial spirit had been years in the making.

When Nicole became pregnant at 15, she worked tirelessly to put herself through school, relying on food stamps to keep her small family afloat.

While working full time as a nurse, Nicole decided to dive into the cosmetics industry, creating the brand's now-signature Lip Whip, a favorite with celebrities like Cardi B. and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas. However, her budding business was thrown a curveball when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a 26-year-old single mother, she battled constant fear, but her resilience would later inspire her company's motto: Better Not Bitter.

"I just hope to continue to spread the mission of being sweet and sweeting the lives of others," says Nicole.

Since her recovery, she has channeled her energy into creating products free of harmful chemicals that represent all skin tones and gender identities.

In 2017, Beauty Bakerie received $3 million in funding from Unilever and has since expanded its products to online shops in over 120 countries and 750 brick and mortar stores, including Ulta and Forever 21.

Nicole's mission to spread love and give back is the key to her brand's success. "All of us contribute to that beauty of the world, and there is no one standard for beauty," she says. "Representing that in the brand really gives the customers a sense of home…They feel loved for just who they are."

In this episode of How Brands Are Born, follow Nicole's journey to sweet success and see how she overcame the odds to build a beauty empire.

How Brands Are Born is presented by Cardone Ventures, in partnership with Original Stories Media. Learn how Grant Cardone and Brandon Dawson can help your business transform and scale to 10X levels HERE.

Kristen Aldridge

Founder of Original Stories Media, Journalist, Producer and Storyteller

Emmy-winning journalist and brand storytelling expert Kristen Aldridge is founder and CEO of Original Stories Media, a production company that specializes in capturing the origin stories behind the world’s most impactful brands. With over two decades of experience in the media industry, she has created content garnering millions of views for hugely successful platforms including Entrepreneur, ESPN, ABC, CBS, Yahoo!, and SHAPE.

Passionate about all things entrepreneurship, Aldridge created the original digital series How Brands Are Born to shine a light on all the remarkable people changing the world one big, bold dream at a time. Her mission is to help leaders reveal their most authentic selves so they can more effectively unleash their vision, inspire their culture, and bring deep value to the marketplace.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

More from How Brands Are Born

Why the Motto 'Better Not Bitter' Changed Everything for Beauty Bakerie Founder Cashmere Nicole

This Jewelry Company Is Using the Power of Words to Change Lives

The Future of Food: Beyond Meat Is Changing the Way People Eat

Growing a Business

How to Get Your Business Recommended by AI Tools Like ChatGPT — and Win More Clients

AI tools like ChatGPT are now recommending businesses — here's how to make sure yours gets picked.

Growing a Business

6 Unconventional Habits That Actually Help Entrepreneurs Find Work-Life Sanity

Tired of traditional work-life balance advice? Here are six unconventional strategies that help entrepreneurs prevent burnout, reclaim energy and align work with life in a way that actually works.

Business News

'You Will Have a Difficult Time Aligning Your Priorities With the Company': AT&T CEO Tells Employees to Comply With 5-Day Office Rule or Leave

In a memo to employees, AT&T CEO John Stankey made it clear that the company's future will not include remote-first flexibility — and those resisting the change may need to move on.

Growing a Business

The Biggest Mistake Entrepreneurs Make When Talking About Their Product

Communication is not a message — it's a transfer of reasoning.

Business News

Tesla Awards Elon Musk a Massive $29 Billion Pay Package to 'Retain and Incentivize' the CEO: 'More Important Than Ever Before'

The Tesla board announced it unanimously approved the pay package for Musk, as his 2018 pay package remains tied up in legal limbo.