Forbes

Forbes: How CEO Cashmere Nicole Built A $5M Brand While Battling Breast Cancer

Beauty Bakerie CEO Cashmere Nicole Featured by Forbes

Forbes highlighted the story of Beauty Bakerie CEO and Founder Cashmere Nicole, from founding Beauty Bakerie in 2011 to securing a $3 million investment from Unilever Ventures.

“It’s been a Cinderella, dream-come-true story to come from food stamps and Section 8 and daycare assistance to this.”

Beauty Bakerie started as a one-woman operation in 2011 after founder Cashmere Nicole put herself through college and nursing school, while being a single mother. From the beginning, Nicole knew she wanted to give back, so she decided to use Beauty Bakerie as a vehicle to raise breast cancer awareness - in part because she liked the color pink. 

In the following years, Nicole was diagnosed with breast cancer, and doctors recommended a double mastectomy. Nicole made the difficult decision to undergo surgery, and continued to work on Beauty Bakerie. Although fueled by supportive family, friends and her passion for the company, Nicole was hesitant to share her story, “I was kind of embarrassed by it, kind of ashamed. Who wants to be the person who is the sick person, the person who has the story." 

“Having Beyoncé feature the story on the website added a level of credibility to the Beauty Bakerie brand overall. That put a fire under me like never before.”

Eventually, Nicole started a crowdfunding campaign on Indigogo to both share her story and raise funds to expand Beauty Bakerie. While the funds raised were small, Nicole’s campaign caught Beyoncé’s eye, and the singer reached out to feature her story online. In October 2014, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Beyoncé put Nicole and Beauty Bakerie on her website, complete with a glamorous photo. (Read the full Beyoncé feature here.)

Forbes Features Beauty Bakerie CEO Cashmere Nicole

Read the full article on Forbes here.

Shop Beauty Bakerie Cosmetics Brand

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7 comments

JMeikle

JMeikle

I admire what you stand for, and because of it God has blessed you. Im excited for more products and to see your brand grow! will definitely be purchasing more items:)

Laura

Laura

This is an amazing story. She’s an inspiration.

Andreas Bheki Ngcobo

Andreas Bheki Ngcobo

I’m very much encouraged by this super powerful women how she dedicated herself on business

dan erasmus

dan erasmus

she is quite amazing

Tangi

Tangi

What an inspiring story. I pray that God continues to bless you and this brand. Their products are amazing. Can’t wait to get the new palette she created for her daughter, it’s was sold out.

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