Fixer Advisory Group’s Founders Program Aims To Close Beauty And Wellness Entrepreneurs’ Knowledge Gaps

Entrepreneurial optimism is indie beauty’s rocket fuel, but entrepreneurs’ rosy outlook may obscure crucial aspects of running a business that they don’t know—and don’t know that they don’t know.

Nicole Marra, founder and CEO of management consulting and legal services firm Fixer Advisory Group, created The Founders Program (TFP), a 16-week intensive program to help early-stage founders develop financially and operationally sound investment-ready businesses, to address their knowledge gaps. Last year, the program was inaugurated with fashion brands. (Fragrance brand Nette was a notable exception.) This year, it’s focused on beauty, health and wellness consumer brands. Ten to 15 brands are expected to participate.

The program is designed for brands with annual revenues of $250,000 to $5 million. Participants pay $10,000 along with a 1% advisor equity grant to TFP. Payment plans are available and there is a $2,500 early application discount for anyone who applies before the end of the year. Programming will start mid-February next year.

TFP’s programming is built around five business modules: strategy and growth planning; financial planning and profitability; sales, distribution and marketing; human resources and talent acquisition; and fundraising and investor engagement. The modules are spearheaded by subject matter experts. Among the experts are Erica Moore, founder and CEO of Farsight and former CFO of Goop and One Kings Lane; Kelly St. John, founder of KSJ Collective and former VP of beauty at Neiman Marcus; and lawyer Charley Lozada, former general counsel at Vegamour, Ever/Body and Devacurl.

TFP begins with a strategy overview to determine that founders have fully examined their key customers, hero products, market positioning and revenue streams. The programming primarily consists of weekly virtual group meetings, but multiple in-person events are being scheduled, including a kickoff event in early 2026, to connect founders with subject matter experts and program partners. A brand showcase at the conclusion of TFP is slated for June 2026 and will be attended by investors and other industry leaders. Weekly office hours, a private Slack group and one-on-one guidance are available.

By the end of the program, founders will have a five-year financial roadmap with customized budgets, pricing and cash-flow planning; a channel and marketing strategy with revenue plans, positioning and campaigns; a comprehensive talent plan with hiring frameworks, templates and performance tools; and a pitch deck, fundraising toolkit, data room and investor relations strategies. Marra says, “It’s a growth lab, and it’s also a mini masters program at the same time.” 

A key component of the program is a skills gap analysis to assess founder knowledge across various business facets. “Each founder comes in as an acting CEO, but that doesn’t mean you’re best in class in those areas,” says Gina Histed, head of talent acquisition at Fixer and former senior director of talent acquisition at luxury jewelry house David Yurman. “We help them identify what they do best, what they do not love doing that they shouldn’t be doing, and what they do not love doing that they have to keep doing for X amount of time.”

The Founders Program believes the skills gap analysis sets founders up for success once they’re ready to start assembling management teams. “Once they are ready to start hiring, what should they release first for the good of the business, for the good of themselves, and then how do you plan for that individual, firm, boutique fractional, whomever?” says Histed. “We help them plan that out.”

St. John’s sessions on retail readiness will have a strong focus on what brands need to know before striking retail partnerships. She’s seen too many brands say yes to a retailer before asking all the appropriate questions relevant to their relationship with the retailer. 

“Brands are too eager without then taking a step back and saying, ‘How much is it going to cost me? What’s the best possible arrangement I can get on margin? Are there any favorable terms that I can get?’ There’s so many things you can ask for,” says St. John. “You’re going to be investing your own energy being associated with that retailer. You want to know what that retailer is going to do for you.”