Small Business Profiles
When Camille Kustin visited Paul’s Automotive in Sacramento, Calif., for the first time, she didn’t plan to stay longer than it took technician Mike Spellman to repair her car. Seven years and three kids later, the two are working side by side at that very same shop, which Mike now owns.
When Noelle Curtis was working to clear up her acne and hyperpigmentation, she noticed not many spas addressed the specific skincare needs of women of color. So instead of continuing to look for someone else’s solution, she decided to become an esthetician herself. After a whirlwind corporate career Noelle went on to open Pretty Dapper Day Spa, which offers a variety of services to Chicagoland clients of all skin types and skin colors.
Kenitra “Keni” Dominguez was determined to expand Red Bay Coffee’s employee benefits when she became the sustainable coffee company’s Director of People and Culture in early 2018.
“Finding good employee benefits takes time, dedication and resources, and before I came to Red Bay, there was no one serving in a dedicated HR or people operations capacity, so I was essentially starting from scratch,” she said.
Small business owner Natalie Dubose recounts the night of Nov. 24, 2014, like a scene out of the movie “Independence Day.”
“Every shop in downtown Ferguson leading up to mine and past mine was destroyed. I found furniture from the law firm across the street, that the protestors had used to break the windows,” she said.
There are many reasons to start a small business, but for longtime entrepreneur Letha Pugh and her wife, Wendy, their gluten-free bakery was born because Wendy’s Celiac disease prevented the family from going out for meals.
As a twenty-something woman in business with her parents, Molly Leadbetter often finds herself trying to convince customers that she is an equal partner in the family-owned Meriwether Cider Company in Boise, Idaho.
This Veteran’s Day, we want you to meet veteran and small business owner Michael Taylor of Michael Taylor Culinary Solutions in San Diego. In honor of his fellow veterans, Michael shares his story with us about how he addressed his struggles with mental health and how his service helped foster his entrepreneurial nature.
When Maritza Gomez couldn't get a job, she took matters into her own hands and started a business.
Maritza, who owns MG Custom Printing in Riverside, Calif., moved to the United States from Mexico when she was nine. After starting her business, she decided to study business at California State University San Bernardino. While she was in school she became involved with the business programs on campus that further developed her entrepreneurial spirit.
Plenty of entrepreneurs like to think of their business as one of a kind, but for Dr. Heather Nelson it might actually be true. Heather owns Heather Nelson Studio in Springfield, Mo. Heather’s unique musical training certainly qualifies her as a piano and vocal teacher, but she primarily works with those suffering from vocal injuries. While her typical clients range from novices to professional vocalists, Heather also provides vocal regimens and techniques to those who have damaged their vocal cords or been diagnosed with nodes or polyps to help them sing again.
Spills are an inevitable part of life for a mom with two toddlers, but Cara Brzezicki of Littleton, Colorado, needed a way to minimize messes after her sixth-month-old son’s favorite game became throwing his sippy cup on the floor.
After trying to no avail to find a product that would prevent her son’s cup from falling, Cara decided to take matters into her own hands. She bought a clamp from a hardware store, drilled a hole in it, attached a cord and hair tie, and the Sippie Clippie was born.
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