Former nurse Courtney Adeleye built a haircare business from a modest $500 investment into a brand generating more than $100 million in annual sales within six years.
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Adeleye → build → years
Her company, The Mane Choice, expanded into approximately 60,000 retail locations before its acquisition by MAV Beauty Brands in 2019 for a reported $61.5 million, according to Beauty Independent and Women’s Wear Daily.
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company → expand → Independent
Adeleye’s journey began with a personal search for better haircare products.
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journey → begin → products
What started as an effort to understand and care for her natural hair eventually grew into a business that challenged established conventions in the beauty industry.
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that → start → industry
From nursing to natural haircare
Based in Detroit, Adeleye trained as a nurse before turning her attention to haircare.
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Adeleye → base → haircare
After deciding to stop using chemical relaxers, she began documenting her natural hair journey online, sharing product recommendations, experiments and insights into hair health.
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she → decide → health
Her interest in the science behind hair growth also influenced her approach.
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interest → influence → approach
She began mixing her own formulations after finding that existing products did not meet her needs.
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products → begin → needs
Over time, her online audience grew, and followers began asking to purchase the products they had seen her using.
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her → grow → products
In 2013, she launched The Mane Choice with $500, which covered the initial bottles, labels and ingredients.
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which → launch → bottles
The company initially offered a deep conditioner, with Adeleye making small batches and reinvesting the proceeds into subsequent production.
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Adeleye → offer → production
Rather than relying on outside investors, she expanded gradually as demand grew.
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demand → rely → investors
The approach allowed her to retain full ownership while developing a customer base before moving into a broader product range.
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her → allow → range
Supplements helped accelerate growth
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Supplements → accelerate → growth
Although the company began with haircare, its expansion into supplements proved pivotal.
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expansion → begin → supplements
Adeleye introduced products designed to complement haircare routines, tapping into growing consumer interest in hair health and nutrition.
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Adeleye → introduce → health
A promotional campaign on Black Friday generated more than $30,000 in orders after a discount-code error led to unexpectedly high demand.
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error → generate → demand
The surge created a fulfilment challenge because the company had only 500 supplement units available.
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units → create → challenge
Adeleye contacted customers to explain the situation and offered refunds or free shipping once additional stock arrived.
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stock → contact → refunds
The response helped demonstrate the loyalty her brand had developed among early buyers.
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brand → demonstrate → buyers
Supplements subsequently became a major driver of the company’s growth.
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Supplements → become → growth
The Mane Choice also secured retail distribution through major chains, including Walmart and Target, bringing its products to a substantially wider audience.
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Choice → secure → audience
By the time The Mane Choice reached its sixth year, the company was generating more than $100 million in annual sales.
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company → reach → sales
Adeleye began exploring its valuation, initially seeking to understand the financial strength of the business rather than necessarily planning an immediate sale.
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Adeleye → begin → sale
In 2019, she agreed to sell the company to MAV Beauty Brands in a deal reported at $61.5 million.
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she → agree → million
Her complete ownership of the business meant she could make the decision without negotiating with outside equity investors.
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she → mean → investors
The sale also marked a turning point in her approach to brand building.
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sale → mark → building
The Mane Choice's identity was closely tied to haircare, which Adeleye later recognised could make expansion into skincare and body care more complicated.
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expansion → tie → skincare
Building again with Watch & Sea Beauty
Adeleye did not step away from entrepreneurship permanently.
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Adeleye → build → entrepreneurship
In 2022, she launched Olbali, a beauty and wellness platform that included several brands.
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that → launch → brands
She later closed the venture to concentrate on Watch & Sea Beauty, a business spanning haircare, skincare and body care.
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She → close → haircare
The new brand officially launched in December 2024, followed by the introduction of its Flourishing Collection in early 2025.
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brand → launch → 2025
The haircare range entered 200 Target stores in February that year, building on relationships Adeleye had established with retailers during her earlier venture, according to Beauty Independent and theGrio.
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Adeleye → enter → Independent
Watch & Sea also reflects lessons learned from her first company.
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Watch → reflect → company
Adeleye has emphasised the importance of developing products around consumer needs, investing in research and building a business with room to expand beyond a single category.
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Adeleye → emphasise → category
Her journey illustrates how a small, self-funded venture can grow through customer trust, product development and strategic retail partnerships.
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venture → illustrate → trust
From mixing haircare products at home to negotiating a multimillion-dollar acquisition and returning to the industry with a new brand, Adeleye has built her career around identifying gaps in the market and finding ways to address them.
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Adeleye → mix → them
The next chapter is no longer about proving she can build a successful haircare company.
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she → prove → company
It is about applying those lessons to a broader beauty business while preserving the consumer relationships that helped her first venture grow.
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venture → apply → relationships
The Aporia
