Meet Gina Woods: How She Built Donna’s Recipe Into a Beauty Empire at Target & Ulta

When Gina Woods walks into a room, she brings more than business savvy – she brings a vision for changing the beauty industry from the inside out. As Co-Founder of Donna’s Recipe, she’s turned that vision into a phenomenon that’s shaking up beauty aisles across America. The brand’s vegan hair care line, now stocked in every Ulta Beauty store and more than a thousand Target locations nationwide, isn’t just winning awards – it’s redefining what conscious beauty looks like for a new generation. Last year’s recognition as Ulta Beauty Black Owned Brand of the Year was just the latest milestone for this game-changing company.

But selling beauty products was never Woods’ only mission. Between mentoring women entrepreneurs through her high-powered business mastermind program and launching the LA Kids Entrepreneur Camp, she’s building a legacy that extends far beyond store shelves. Her mastermind alumni list reads like a who’s who of rising stars, with multiple graduates hitting seven-figure revenues and reshaping their industries.

We had the honor of chatting with Woods, who pulled back the curtain on her partnership with social media sensation Tabitha Brown, dishes on what it really takes to land your products in major retailers, and shares the inspiration behind their cult-favorite Sweet Potato Pie Collection. She also gets real about the challenges facing women entrepreneurs today and her mission to make sure the next generation of business leaders starts building their dreams early.

Check out our full interview with Gina Woods below.

Gina Woods, Co-Founder of Donna’s Recipe

What inspired you to co-found Donna’s Recipe with Tabitha Brown, and how did you identify the market opportunity for a vegan beauty brand?

Gina Wood: I have been an entrepreneur since 2009, focusing on building beauty brands. I’ve advised and mentored other brands to success. Tabitha was another person I would talk to about starting her own brand. We would have value-added conversations. She would help me show up more on social platforms for my business, and I would discuss the value of ownership and brand building with her. It was a partnership forming, but had not been revealed yet. She named her hair “Donna”, a play off Don King’s wild hair. Her hair became a personality on its own, and people would refer to “Donna” on her social platforms.

I reached out to her during the pandemic because God had placed it on my heart to start a hair care brand with Tabitha. Our community historically has been offered what I call “junk food for hair”. Products with harmful ingredients. I wanted to bring a brand that was vegan and ingredient-conscious to the market, especially to our targeted audience of underrepresented voices.

Your Sweet Potato Pie Collection has gained significant attention. Could you share the story behind this innovative concept and its development process?

Gina Wood: We’ve won many awards for our Sweet Potato Pie Collection, such as the coveted Allure Best in Beauty. The inspiration behind the collection was to strike a balance between familiarity and newness. Our core audience is very familiar with the delicious, sweet taste of Sweet Potato Pie.

The newness is enhanced by adding these amazing ingredients, which are typically found in sweet pies, such as cinnamon, vanilla, and sweet potato, all of which are beneficial to your hair and scalp.

As someone who’s successfully scaled a brand into major retailers like Target and Ulta Beauty, what were the key challenges and lessons learned during this expansion?

Gina Wood: Scaling requires operational excellence, unwavering brand clarity, and readiness to meet large-scale demand without compromising quality. Challenges included navigating supply chain logistics, securing inventory for rapid reorders, and staying true to your audience while appealing to a broader retail customer base.

The key lesson? Relationships matter. Building mutual trust with retail buyers and staying flexible, while advocating for your brand’s value, was of the utmost importance for me.

Being recognized as Ulta Beauty’s Black Owned Brand of the Year is a significant achievement! How do you think this recognition has impacted your brand’s growth and visibility?

Gina Wood: It amplified brand legitimacy, attracting new consumers and paving the way for other retail collaborations. More importantly, it served as a cultural milestone, spotlighting how Black-owned brands can excel without diluting their roots. The recognition validated the quality of the products and the intentionality behind the brand, resulting in increased media coverage, shelf prominence, and consumer trust.

Through your business mastermind program, you’ve helped create multiple million-dollar ventures. What are the most common obstacles you see women entrepreneurs face, and how do you help them overcome these challenges?

Gina Wood: The top three barriers are: lack of access to capital, limited mentorship, and confidence gaps stemming from underrepresentation.

My program addresses these by offering strategic frameworks, accountability structures, and community-based support. I demystify the process of growing while being self-funded and opening up a wide range of connections to help businesses grow and scale.

What motivated you to establish the LA Kids Entrepreneur Camp, and what impact have you seen it have on young aspiring entrepreneurs?

Gina Wood: I recognized that entrepreneurship shouldn’t begin in adulthood. It should be nurtured early. The camp instills core business principles in kids through hands-on activities and real-world applications. The camp has taught kids how to pitch their ideas, learn 3D printing for their prototypes, create their own website, and more. The long-term impact is generational; it plants seeds of business empowerment early.

Could you share your approach to building and maintaining brand authenticity while scaling nationally?

Gina Wood: Authenticity starts with knowing and protecting our brand DNA, especially as we scale. I am responsible for ensuring every touchpoint, from packaging to influencer partnerships, reflects the voice and values of Donna’s Recipe. Transparency in formulation, real customer testimonials, and a consistent visual and narrative style help preserve authenticity. We also stay engaged with our core audience, never losing sight of the community that built the brand.

What role has social media, particularly Instagram, played in your brand’s growth strategy? Can you share a strategy that has worked well for growth?

Gina Wood: Social media (Instagram/TikTok/Facebook) has been our digital storefront and storytelling platform. It’s where the community gets educated, inspired, and seen. We create engaging posts that spark conversation, but also give us feedback and direction for our brand.

An example would be asking our audience a simple question of what hair product they can’t live without. This is perfect for the audience feeling seen and for us to be guided by new innovation for the brand.

What strategies have been most effective in building and maintaining relationships with major retailers like Target and Ulta Beauty?

Gina Wood: Ulta Beauty and Target are our customers (B2B), and I treat them just like all our individual customers—with love and care. I always ask, “What can I do for you?” They are retail giants, but every organization needs support in certain areas.

For example, Ulta Beauty has a MUSE Accelerator Program that helps founders get retail-ready to potentially be in their stores, and they asked me to mentor the brand owners.

As a social entrepreneur, how do you measure success beyond financial metrics?

Gina Wood: I measure impact through empowerment—how many lives have been touched, how much confidence restored through viewing customer testimonials. We wanted to create a brand where the hair experience is more enjoyable and it’s easier to feel good about oneself. Based on the amazing feedback from customers, we are doing a great job.

What advice would you give to women entrepreneurs who are just starting their journey in the beauty industry?

Gina Wood: Start with purpose, move with strategy, and stay resilient. Know your customer intimately and solve a real need. Get your numbers in order, learn your supply chain, and protect your brand legally. Build a network of mentors and don’t wait for perfection—progress fuels growth. Most importantly, believe your voice belongs in the room and build with intention.

Looking ahead, what’s your vision for the future of Donna’s Recipe and your other entrepreneurial ventures?

Gina Wood: I envision Donna’s Recipe expanding into retail globally as well as reaching independent beauty supply stores nationwide. The community has been asking for availability in their local beauty supply store, and we want to deliver that option by the holiday season this year.

Lastly, is there a specific mantra, quote, or affirmation that you hold close to your heart?

Gina Wood: “You can’t be fruitful if you’re not seedful.”

It is saying that you must plant the seed first. A lot of times, we can get frustrated from not bearing the fruits in life. But we haven’t even planted the seed to get it started. It’s a reminder to slow down and take things one step at a time.