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Courtney Claghorn, co-founder of SUGARED + BRONZED, joins Lara Schmoisman on Coffee Nº5 to share how she bootstrapped a beauty service out of her apartment into a nationwide brand. From $1,000 in startup capital to 10 stores before raising funding, Courtney reveals the lessons of growth, customer loyalty, franchising, memberships, and creating a product line—all while keeping customer service at the core.

We'll talk about:

• How Courtney turned $1,000 in savings into Sugared + Bronzed
• The leap from apartment spray tans to opening a first brick-and-mortar in Santa Monica
• Bootstrapping growth for 9 years before raising outside capital
• Building a team you can actually trust—and learning when to take back control
• Creating a product line without losing focus on services
• Customer service as the foundation of brand loyalty
• Why raising capital with the right partners changed everything

For more information, visit Courtney Claghorn's LinkedIn.

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Instagram: @laraschmoisman

Facebook: @LaraSchmoisman

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Alec Batis, beauty industry veteran and founder of Sweet Chemistry, joins Lara Schmoisman on Coffee Nº5 to unpack the pursuit of eternal beauty. From organ regeneration science to peptide innovation, he shares how true beauty goes beyond flawless skin—blending performance-driven skincare with wellness, meaning, and social impact.

We'll talk about:

• The personal story that drove Alec to chase beauty through science
• Lessons from leading marketing at Victoria’s Secret Beauty and NARS in the supermodel era
• Why “juice without fiber” became his metaphor for a shallow beauty industry
• The medical-grade peptide technology behind Sweet Chemistry—and why it’s a game-changer
• Why functional ingredient levels matter more than “story” ingredients
• How wellness, art, and social impact fit into the future of beauty
• The movement toward “whole beauty”—beyond what’s skin-deep

Find Sweet Chemistry’s Social Responsibility Efforts on their website: https://sweetchemistry.com/pages/commitments

For more information, visit Alec Batis' LinkedIn.

Subscribe to Lara’s newsletter.

Also, follow our host Lara Schmoisman on social media:

Instagram: @laraschmoisman

Facebook: @LaraSchmoisman

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Mark Menning, PhD, pharmaceutical scientist and founder of MARK Los Angeles, joins Lara Schmoisman to unpack how flavonoids, clinical trials, and advanced delivery systems are reshaping skincare. From FDA-approved antivirals to cold sore serums and acne care, he shares how science—not hype—is driving the next era of beauty and wellness.

We'll talk about:

• Why drug delivery—not just ingredients—defines whether skincare works
• How a career in pharma led to groundbreaking skincare innovations
• The role of flavonoids as powerful anti-inflammatory and antiviral actives
• Lessons from running full clinical trials in an industry that avoids them
• Why consumer feedback forced MARK Los Angeles to reposition products—and why it worked
• How inflammation became the “enemy” driving premature aging and poor skin health
• What the future of beauty looks like when science—not marketing—sets the standard

For more information, visit Mark Menning's LinkedIn.

Subscribe to Lara’s newsletter.

Also, follow our host Lara Schmoisman on social media:

Instagram: @laraschmoisman

Facebook: @LaraSchmoisman

Support the show

Support the show