Ep 254 | Courtney Claghorn

Written By Yasmin Nouri

How a Horrible Job Motivated This Founder to Start Her Business with Only $500 & No Business Plan

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Courtney Claghorn is the founder of SUGARED + BRONZED, the nation’s largest all natural sugaring and airbrush tanning destination. 

Shortly after graduating college, Courtney moved back home without a job and was confused about her next steps. She eventually got a job in Fintech and moved to Santa Monica. Even though she was living and working near the beach, she rarely spent time in the sun since she worked indoors which meant she frequented tanning salons. Courtney was done overpaying for spray tans at underwhelming locations and decided to create a solution that would not only be affordable, but keep people coming back for more, and that’s when SUGARED + BRONZED was born. 

In this week’s episode, Courtney shares her journey of starting the business as a side hustle, initially with only $500 from her apartment, to now overseeing 23 locations across the country. She candidly discusses how miserable she was in her FinTech job, the pivotal moment when she decided to take the leap,  and how she discovered herself when she was the most confused. 

Courtney dives into how she bootstrapped the business in the first nine years, the stress that came with keeping the business afloat during COVID and what she did to overcome such challenging times. Lastly, we chat about about how not having a detailed business plan was key to her success, and so much more.

Show Notes:

  • Courtney’s impactful childhood memories. [3:04]

  • Feeling lost in her early 20s and her self-expectations. [07:35]

  • Graduating college, moving back home, and landing her first job. [10:28]

  • Working in a FinTech company and discovering herself. [13:19]

  • How the idea of SUGARED + BRONZEDd came about. [16:34]

  • Courtney’s motivation to start SUGARED + BRONZED. [18:49]

  • Courtney's early business journey. [20:28]

  • Leaving her full-time job to focus on creating the first retail location. [21:38]

  • What propelled the business during its early stages. [23:22]

  • Lessons learned from securing their first location. [25:10]

  • Advice on having a minimum business plan. [33:6]

  • Managing SUGARED + BRONZED’s growth. [36:52]

  • Bootstrapping for nine years and finally bringing on an investor. [38:53]

  • Being comfortable in the uncomfortable. [40:51]

  • SUGARED + BRONZED during the COVID-19 Pandemic. [43:50]

  • The business's toughest challenges. [50:18]

  • Balancing business and family after having a child. [53:47]

  • The concept of first principles thinking. [58:27]

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Ep 255 | Kristen Holmes
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Ep 253 | Carolyn Aronson