(WGHP) — It seemed like an innocent request for directions from a man in a vehicle.

As Nia Twyman moved closer, she could see he was naked. It’s an encounter etched in her mind from her sophomore year of college.

“Luckily, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been because he could have grabbed me. He could have had a partner…and I’m literally hands full with books and everything and no means to protect myself,” she said.

When Twyman told her mother that she wanted to sell self-defense weapons, she immediately jumped on board to help.

“As a security-minded mom and woman and individual, I just felt like that was a perfect idea for us to get involved to help women be safer,” Marcya Cain said.

Twyman’s sisters, Imani and Cain, were on board with the idea too.

All four women went on to launch their company Beyond Defense. They sell self-defense weapons as kits or items that can be purchased individually.

Each team member contributes by focusing on a specific area including public relations, graphic design, quality control and finance and shipping.

“My mom, she’s been in customer service forever, and she’s an entertainer, so she does the TikToks, and it’s so great…I love seeing her creativity come alive with the videos,” Cain Twyman said.

They say one of the benefits of working with family is the ability to trust each other.

“It makes working with them so much easier. They know me. I know them. And we all have the same goal,” Imani Twyman said.

Beyond Defense launched in 2019.