Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

The inventive home-based mom and pop shops in my rural neighborhood inspired me to start my first business at the age of 12. Since then I’ve created many businesses and streams of income and helped my husband build a startup in health and wellness. The compelling stories of innovative thought leaders and successful entrepreneurs continue to drive my pursuit to build a profitable business that impacts community. They also fuel my passion to pay it forward and help other women do the same.

How do you stay motivated?

Having a positive impact on those around me and sharing hope keeps me motivated. My desire to enrich the lives of other women pulled me through the lowest points of my recent cancer journey, which started one year after I became a caregiver to my husband, who was diagnosed with late stage cancer. My newest business was created to inspire, empower, mentor, and support aspiring women entrepreneurs who may not feel equipped to launch into the entrepreneurial space and change their own destinies.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I were awarded $25,000, I would invest in building a business website for my newest venture, B.O.S.S. Up! Business Network for women, and build a directory to provide a centralized resource for mentoring and networking opportunities, business development and leadership training resources, B2B engagement, and business services for women entrepreneurs in the B.O.S.S. Up! business community. I would also invest in marketing and an ERP system to help me grow and scale the business.