SUGARED + BRONZED Founder & President Courtney Claghorn on Turning $1k Into 40 Locations, Hiring For Humility Over Hype, And The Business Benefits of Breathwork

Courtney Claghorn, Founder and President of SUGARED + BRONZED shares how she transformed a $1,000 side hustle into a 40-location beauty brand spanning seven states. What began as a solution to her frustration with overpriced spray tans is now a brand on track to do $50M in ARR in 2025.

In this conversation, Courtney opens up about bootstrapping for nearly a decade, the hard lesson of hiring the wrong "experts" after raising capital, and the series of personal crises that forced her to shift her focus from hustle to ROI. She shares what it's really like to rebuild a company's culture from the inside out and how learning to trust her gut over polished resumes became her biggest leadership advantage.

Now 15 years in, Courtney reflects on balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, trading cortisol for breathwork, and redefining success on her own terms.

Key Takeaways and Topics

- How SUGARED + BRONZED started with $1,000 and a portable spray-tan machine - Bootstrapping to profitability during a recession - Why intuition often beats "expert advice" - The painful lessons of hiring for prestige over humility - Rebuilding company culture after leadership missteps - Surviving pandemic shutdowns and rebuilding stronger - Finding balance and presence after burnout - Breathwork and spirituality as tools for leadership clarity - How Courtney approaches growth, hiring, and decision-making today - The ROI of creating a joyful, values-driven workplace

The Failure Factor Podcast was brought to you by Off The Field Coaching. Explore working with one of our coaches at http://offthefieldcoaching.com

Hosted by Megan Bruneau: therapist, executive coach, speaker, Forbes contributor, and host of The Failure Factor. For more info, visit https://meganbruneau.com

Follow

SUGARED + BRONZED: https://www.sugaredandbronzed.com https://www.instagram.com/sugaredandbronzed/

Courtney: https://www.instagram.com/courtneyclaghorn

Megan: IG: https://www.instagram.com/meganjbruneau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-j-bruneau-m-a-rcc

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