Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

Dope Pieces was inspired by merging my two passions- connections & creativity. I am the youngest of 7 & although most of the time my siblings were out living life, puzzle night was family night & everyone was together. I still remember them letting me put the last piece in; we were all connected & it felt special. At 18, I fell in love with art after seeing a piece by Gilbert Young, it was the first time I understood that art was more than pretty pictures, it expressed emotions

How do you stay motivated?

I stay motivated by the vison that I see for Dope Pieces & the potential that I know exists. I don't just hope- I see it. I see us securing licenses with Disney, Delta & major sports teams. I see our puzzles on shelves in big box stores, museums, galleries, and cruise lines, companies using our products to tell their stories, families spending time together, and a strong well paid team working with me. The vision is real to me- and I know and understand my responsibility to bring it to l

What would you do with the $25,000?

We are taking bold steps to scale Dope Pieces thought strategic licensing with colleges/universities, fraternities/sororities with a long-term goal of securing licenses like Disney & Delta. We are expanding our custom puzzle portfolio to include more companies & organizations. And this year we will be kicking off our first major community event. With the 25k we will secure licenses, create cost-effective marketing kits, invest in puzzle inventory, and secure a space for our community eve