Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My inspiration in business is responsibility. In 1997, while in college, I had custody of my daughter and feared I might not graduate. That pressure pushed me to start a business so I could provide for my family. I did graduate, but the lesson stayed with me. Entrepreneurship became about resilience, responsibility, and creating opportunity. Nearly 30 years later, that same motivation still drives me to keep building.

How do you stay motivated?

What keeps me motivated is resilience. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, and I’ve faced real barriers along the way. At times I haven’t qualified for certain loans or opportunities, so I learned to adapt. I diversified my work from landscaping to producing beverages and pursuing government contracts. When the system closes one door, you build another path. That’s what keeps me going: resilience, adaptability, and the determination to keep building no matter what.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I won the $25,000, I would use $5,000 to pay off the remaining balance on a building I’m purchasing. I would invest $15,000 into inventory for my wine and beverage business so I can grow production and sales. The remaining funds would support marketing and promotion for a small pontoon boat charter I’m launching this summer as an additional revenue stream to expand my business.