As a company created by two women, we know how important it is to celebrate women who are trailblazers in their respective fields. That’s why we’ve started our Boss Babes series. Each month we’ll highlight one woman who’s leading the way and is absolutely crushing it, in business and in life. Here, they’ll answer questions on everything from how they started out and advice they think every woman should know, plus their beauty routines and how they take care of themselves. This month: Trinity Mouzon Wofford, co-founder of Golde.

Not many people can say that they’ve founded a company at the age of 23 and launched in Sephora at the age of 25. But then again, Trinity Mouzon Wofford hasn’t been one to stick to the status quo. Inspired to make wellness accessible, Trinity and her partner Issey Kobori launched Golde from their Brooklyn apartment with a superfoods-based turmeric tonic. She’s since expanded their line with more beauty and wellness products and made history by becoming the youngest women of color to launch a brand at Sephora. 

We chatted with Trinity about how she self-funded her company, the importance of realizing your own power, and, of course, her beauty secrets. 

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you start your business? Why did you choose this as your passion?

I was raised in New York’s Hudson Valley by a single mom with an autoimmune disease. When I was a teenager, my mom switched over to seeing a holistically-minded physician, and she saw an incredible improvement in her symptoms. This inspired me to want to practice holistic care, so I went down to NYU for college and was pre-med there. All was well until I found out from my mom that she had to stop seeing that doctor because she couldn’t afford it. I abandoned my plans for med school, frustrated by the lack of accessibility to holistic care, and sort of fell into a marketing career in New York. I absolutely loved it, but I knew I wanted to come back to wellness somehow. That’s the mindset Golde was born from in 2017.

What were some of the challenges you faced as a female founder? How did you overcome them?

I think most of the challenges I faced came from a lack of experience and resources. We self-funded the business with maybe $5K total between myself and Issey (my now-fiancé!), so everything was tight all the time. I think that’s been sort of a superpower of ours, though. We’re just now starting to take on conversations with investors, and nobody can believe that we built out our company for 3 years as a self-funded team of two. It made us really creative and extremely scrappy.

Are there any particular moments that stand out as a defining moment for you personally/professionally?

I always think of the first couple of times that I heard a complete stranger say, “I love your brand!” The realization that you aren’t just creating products in a vacuum is extremely gratifying.

What was your biggest achievement, the one you are most proud of?

I’ll always be extremely proud of our ability to self-fund the company to partnerships with over 100 top retailers, from Sephora to Goop to The Wing. 

Why do you think it’s important for more women to lead companies or start their own businesses?

I think it’s important that people of all identities understand their power. It doesn’t mean that we all need to be entrepreneurs — frankly, the experience is way over-glamorized — but we should all understand that the potential is there. With the beauty industry booming, it’s exciting to see more female founders taking the reins and helping to define what beauty really looks like for real girls.

What do you do to unwind?

I’m big on walking, actually! I like to go for a long walk around our neighborhood in Brooklyn everyday. It helps to clear my head and forcibly remove me from my laptop.

Any beauty secrets you want to share?

Smile! Eat fermented foods! Be kind! Oh, and the Golde Clean Greens face mask never hurts if you’re feeling in need of a detox.

Best skincare advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t do too much. 

Who is your biggest personal/professional inspiration?

Right now I’m feeling very inspired by Beatrice Dixon of The Honey Pot Company. I actually haven’t met her in person, but the recent Target ad featuring her and the company was incredible. Her response to the racist backlash around it was classic boss moves.

What is something surprising people might not know about you?

I’m learning Italian! I love to learn new languages.

What are your goals for 2020, both for yourself and your business?

Be a supportive boss, partner, and friend.