Maison 276 began with a simple question: Why should women settle for beauty products that don’t meet their needs? Founder and CEO Angel Cornelius set out to create something different: innovative care for silver and blonde hair, and a brand that celebrates women at every stage of life.
“We’re building a beauty brand for women who want to embrace the naturally occurring changes that take place in their bodies. Because here’s the thing: Women don’t actually die when they turn 50,” Angel said.
Angel and her son, Keith Cornelius Jr., president of Maison 276, have navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship. Together, they’ve turned a kitchen experiment into a national brand that resonates with women across the country.
When Angel started getting silver hair as a young girl, she grew frustrated with products designed for silver or white hair colors because most had dyes in them. “So much of the product in the market for this consumer have purple dyes in them. It’s messy; it stains your hair, your towels, your bath tiles,” she said.
As an adult, she began making her own hair products in her kitchen, but soon found that she wasn’t alone in her challenge. “I realized what I thought was a personal problem was actually very widespread,” she said.
After roughly 30 years in healthcare administration, Angel decided to quit her job and invest 100% of her time in her efforts and founded Maison 276.
Angel’s son, Keith Cornelius Jr., helped her scale Maison 276, bringing in his financial expertise. “I had a really unique opportunity to offer my finance operating skillset and experience to what she was building creatively,” he said. “I could focus on areas behind the scenes, so she could be the best version of herself in terms of telling our story, converting audiences to customers and innovating on products.”
The feeling is mutual for his mother. “We are perfect partners because we have complementary skillsets. We bring a different perspective to each problem,” she said.
Keith’s professional background at J.P. Morgan also helped him provide insight into building and scaling the company.
“Our experience has been pretty similar to what most bootstrapped indie brands go through,” he said. “But my experience in finance gave me great perspective on understanding the value of J.P. Morgan for an indie brand at a very early stage.”
As Maison 276 grew, the company reached key milestones—winning QVC/HSN’s “The Big Find,” launching in Walmart and weathering the pandemic. “Being able to come out on the other side of the pandemic, I view as a significant achievement,” Keith said. “And J.P. Morgan was by our side providing access to capital for inventory.”
“J.P. Morgan has helped us at every single stage of growth. They provided guidance and access to other beauty founders who are further along. No matter where we've been in our journey, they've been there to support us. They understand our vision to make Maison 276 a global brand.”
Angel Cornelius
Founder and CEO, Maison 276
Maison 276’s success underscores the power of supportive relationships—both within the Cornelius family and through their connection with J.P. Morgan. Angel and Keith are committed to paying it forward, using their brand to foster community and inclusivity.
“One of my favorite things that my mom says is, ‘Our customers look like America.’ We’ve been very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel the country over the past few years, talking to customers, building relationships,” Keith said. “That’s something that I’m very proud of: our ability to really lean into the beautiful communities across the country.”
“Women are not a list of problems to be solved. Our consumer, our customer, our community, wants a brand that sees her for who she is and celebrates her, not in a way that is corrective, but actually represents how she sees herself,” Angel said. “She’s beautiful, vibrant, confident, athletic, and she still has ambitions. That is how we project our community back to her.”
As the company continues to grow, the mother-son duo feels empowered by family, community and a banking relationship that helps them scale. Keith credits J.P. Morgan for supporting their journey: “The confidence that J.P. Morgan instilled in us has empowered us to go out in the field and perform to the best of our abilities. Our relationship with J.P. Morgan has been phenomenal, and I’m looking forward to many years working together.”
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