• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Nugent Good News

Nugent Good News

Positively Sharing

  • About
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Articles
    • Current Issue

Episode 18: Passing On The Good with Courtney Brown

May 17, 2021 by Adam Nugent

Courtney Brown

Life can take on a whole new meaning when you are ready to pass on the good to others. Adam Nugent and Kate Strong are joined by Courtney Brown. She is the founder and CEO of Cents of Style and Be Fulfilled, with the purpose of empowering women to lead bold and full lives. Together, they talk about the moment her hobby became a business, her life’s journey, and the importance of focusing on others to exude happiness, passion, and confidence to then be able to share it with the world!

Listen and subscribe now!

In this podcast excerpt, Courtney Brown, founder of the online clothing and jewelry store Cents of Style, shares why she started the business and how it has grown by bringing joy to women everywhere.

CB: I started Cents of Style 14 years ago. At the time, I was a brand new stay-at-home mom. I got into it, and then I thought, “There’s got to be more to this.” I kept wondering if I was missing something and wondering if I was the only person feeling this way. It wasn’t fulfilling me in the way that I thought it was going to. I needed a creative outlet for myself—something that I could put my stamp on that was mine. From that, Cents of Style was born. It’s an online %100 e-commerce fashion brand. I saw a hole in the market for affordable accessible fashion.

AN: Prior, as you were getting started, when you would buy clothes and shop for clothes, were you always, like, “I’ve got to find a deal.” Like you’re not going to pay full price for it, right?

CB: No, of course not, and I still don’t.

KS: I mean, why do you have to really? If you just wait like three weeks to a month, it’s on sale.

CB: It is. I love finding a deal. And it looks great and I didn’t have to spend a lot. That was absolutely my own personal ethos. And it was brought into my brand. Something outside of myself called me to begin Cents of Style. It employed myself, and it’s employed so many other women. We’ve touched millions of women’s lives based on this idea I had.

AN: You started it as a hobby, right? Was there a pivotal moment or you’re like, “Wait a minute. We could actually do something with this?”

CB: The first four years were a hobby. I never took a paycheck and got into lots of debt because we weren’t viable yet. We weren’t completely online yet. In the early 2000s, we were setting up boutiques and setting up in people’s homes. In 2011, we kind of made that shift. At that time, I was $50,000 in debt, and the business I created wasn’t scalable.

We then went 100 percent online. We started all over again. We got rid of stylists and focused on affiliate and influencer marketing. We made over $1 million in the first year. Outside of making sure I paid the debt to my mother, I saw the way women felt when they took a few minutes for themselves and put on a piece of jewelry that cost them $10 or a great pair of shoes. All of the sudden, they light up inside and feel great about themselves.

Filed Under: Podcasts Tagged With: Be Fulfilled, Cents of Style, Courtney Brown, Nugent Good News

Primary Sidebar

Good News Straight to Your Inbox


Subscribe to our free email newsletter and every month we’ll send you stories that make you smile—from hometown heroes to inspiring charities to local businesses that are giving back. Sign up today!

Recent Articles

  • Feel-Good Friday: May 13

  • Uniting to Help Ukrainian Refugees

  • Preserving Petroglyphs with Drone Photography

  • Feel-Good Friday: May 6

  • How Adam Nugent Lost 120 Pounds

Have a Good News Tip?

Send us your good news so we can share it with others! Let's change the conversation one positive story at a time.

Share

Recent Podcasts

  • Episode 77: Build the Best You with Rob Shaffer

  • Episode 76: Forging Courage with Leslie Zimmerman

  • Episode 75: The Power of Action with Todd Sylvester

  • Episode 74: Be the Lion with Sean Whalen

  • Episode 73: Thriving Through Co-Parenting with Sara Dickson

Good News at Your Fingertips

Subscribe to our print edition and twice a year you’ll receive a beautiful magazine filled cover to cover with positive stories about Utah residents, charities, and businesses, including exclusive content that you won’t find online.

Subscribe
Cover of Summer 2021 Issue

Footer

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Write for Us

Have a Good News Tip?

Send us your good news so we can share it with others! Let's change the conversation one positive story at a time.

Share
Nugent Good News logo

11550 South 700 East, Suite 100

Draper, Utah 84020

Copyright © 2022 · Nugent Good News