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. 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. Adeleye’s journey began with a personal search for better haircare 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. Scroll down to read more…
In 2013, she launched The Mane Choice with $500, which covered the initial bottles, labels and ingredients. A promotional campaign on Black Friday generated more than $30,000 in orders after a discount-code error led to unexpectedly high demand. By the time The Mane Choice reached its sixth year, the company was generating more than $100 million in annual sales. In 2019, she agreed to sell the company to MAV Beauty Brands in a deal reported at $61.5 million. In 2022, she launched Olbali, a beauty and wellness platform that included several brands.
Because the company had only 500 supplement units available, the surge created a fulfilment challenge. Adeleye introduced products designed to complement haircare routines, tapping into growing consumer interest in hair health and nutrition. The company initially offered a deep conditioner, with Adeleye making small batches and reinvesting the proceeds into subsequent production. its expansion into supplements proved pivotal Although the company began with haircare. Adeleye contacted customers to explain the situation and offered refunds or free shipping once additional stock arrived. The response helped demonstrate the loyalty her brand had developed among early buyers. Supplements subsequently became a major driver of the company’s growth. The Mane Choice also secured retail distribution through major chains, including Walmart and Target, bringing its products to a substantially wider audience. Adeleye began exploring its valuation, initially seeking to understand the financial strength of the business rather than necessarily planning an immediate sale. Her complete ownership of the business meant she could make the decision without negotiating with outside equity investors. Adeleye did not step away from entrepreneurship permanently. She later closed the venture to concentrate on Watch & Sea Beauty, a business spanning haircare, skincare and body care. Her journey illustrates how a small, self-funded venture can grow through customer trust, product development and strategic retail partnerships. 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. The next chapter is no longer about proving she can build a successful haircare company. It is about applying those lessons to a broader beauty business while preserving the consumer relationships that helped her first venture grow.