Entrepreneur Friday
Last week, I wrote about B.I.G., a women’s business networking group based in New Jersey. B.I.G. has helped women launch their own businesses across the U.S., and I Do, I Do Bridal Studio is just one of their many success stories!
WHO: Patricia Lipper & Leia Marley
WHAT: I Do, I Do Bridal Studio
WHERE: Morristown, NJ
WHEN: 2010
HOW: Patricia Lipper admits that, before opening a bridal studio, she had the “job of a lifetime.” With 20 years of experience in the garment industry, living in Asia and traveling the world, she had reached the goals she had set for herself early on in her career. However, when she was faced with a divorce and three school age children at home, she had to put her career on the back burner. “I needed to rely on myself to provide for our future, while still being there as the mom my girls have known to depend on,” says Lipper. More…
WHO: Tara Gilvar and Becky Hull
WHAT: B.I.G. – a business support, education and networking organization for women.
WHERE: Bernardsville, New Jersey
WHEN: 2009
HOW: Tara Gilvar’s was a common dilemma. A PR and marketing specialist she left the corporate world when she had kids, but she was determined to maintain a hand in the workforce to keep her skills fresh and make transitioning back in — at some future date – easier. More…
WHO: Barbara Gips
WHAT: The Lice Patrol
WHERE: Westchester County, NY
WHEN: 2008
HOW: Becoming a lice removal specialist doesn’t sound like many people’s dream career, and for Barbara Gips, it wasn’t. A decorative painter and mother of three, Gips’ children went through a collective nine cases of head lice, and practice made perfect. “I was unknowingly being trained for my business many years before I started it,” says Gips. Each case meant another opportunity to perfect her lice treatment skills, to the point that her sister-in-law (who had to hire a treatment specialist to come to her home in Maryland) suggested she make it her career. More…
WHO: Kim & Scott Holstein
WHAT: Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels
WHERE: Chicago
WHEN: 1995
HOW: Kim Holstein was frustrated by her day job, but after reading about a woman who made and sold soft pretzels, she had an idea. “After reading that article, I couldn’t get pretzels out of my mind,” says Holstein. After completing graduate school and meeting her future husband Scott (who also had a passion for pretzels), the two began to brainstorm a business in her Lincoln Park apartment. To allow their business to succeed, they knew they needed to add a new twist to the pretzel. “[We wanted] to transform the soft pretzel from a snack item to an anytime meal for people on the go.” More…
WHO: Sam Whitfield & Kristi Cunningham
WHAT: Curbside Cupcakes
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN: 2009
HOW: It took a cupcake craving and the encouragement of his coworkers for Sam Whitfield to dream up a cupcake business. Hungry for a treat, but not willing to trek to one of DC’s many “cupcakeries” during his lunch hour, Whitfield came up with an idea. He asked his coworkers if they’d visit a cupcake truck like they would a hot dog stand. Their answer? “Absolutely!” So with an idea in his mind, he went home to his girlfriend (now fiancée) Kristi Cunningham with his idea – and she loved it. “We shared the idea with friends at first,” says Whitfield, “and they all thought it sounded great.” But a few months later, they were still sitting on the business idea, without making any strides. More…
WHO: Whitney Williams
WHAT: Tramonti by Whitney – Jewelry with a Cause.
WHERE: Waco, TX
WHEN: 2007
HOW: Whitney Williams started her first business at the age of ten. An avid artist, Williams designed stationery for friends and family, creating custom invitations and Christmas cards. Soon after, she bought a laminating machine, and by laminating the pages of fashion magazines and enlisting the help of the local shoe cobbler, Williams started making purses that she sold to her friends. So, with the entrepreneurial spirit in her from a young age, it was no surprise that, by the time she was a freshman in college, she’d launched Tramonti by Whitney, LLC – a line of handcrafted jewelry that Williams launched from her dorm room at Baylor University. More…
WHO: Brian Morgan
WHAT: Adventure Life
WHERE: Missoula, Montana
WHEN: 1999
HOW: A Montana native, Brian Morgan knew that his full-time job at a software company wasn’t the career path he had in mind. “It was just a filler so I could eat and pay rent,” he says. His real passion stemmed from a 10-month trip he’d taken to South America before starting his day job. “After getting my Masters in Economics, I moved to Ecuador for eight months,” says Morgan, “and traveled around Bolivia and Peru for another two.” Upon his return to the U.S., he started looking for work – and while he waited for interview calls, he started to dream up a business. More…
WHO: Amy Reiss and Melissa Carr
WHAT: Home Sweet Home Video — Home Inventory Services
WHERE: Pacific Palisades, California
WHEN: 2006
HOW: After struggling through the death of her mother and stepfather, the last thing television producer Amy Reiss wanted to go through was the emotional and financial stress of dividing up her parents’ belongings. “The legal issues relating to their trust and the identification of personal belongings became an emotional and financial ordeal for all involved,” says Reiss.
Melissa Carr, on the other hand, had recently relocated. Leaving behind her own furniture store in Colorado, she had started working for an L.A.-based company that staged homes for sale – but missed working for herself. The two met working freelance projects on a TV show – and the gears began turning. Both in need of full-time work, and excited to try something new, the two friends began to brainstorm about they way their skills could mesh into a unique company. More…
WHO: Alison Gelb Pincus and Susan Feldman
WHAT: One Kings Lane – Private Home Décor Sales.
WHERE: California
WHEN: 2009
HOW: Alison Gelb Pincus and Susan Feldman were from two different arenas. But Pincus, with expertise in digital media and Feldman, with experience from all areas of retail, shared two very important things – enthusiasm about home decorating and a desire to start their own businesses. “[Joining forces] seemed right instantly,” says Pincus. In 2009, the pair began to build OneKingsLane.com – an online, members-only home décor sales business. More…
WHO: Angela Vanegas
WHAT: The Green Maid, Inc.
WHERE: Chicago, IL
WHEN: 2007
HOW: Like many women today, Angela Vanegas found herself struggling to manage the business world and motherhood. A seasoned corporate professional, wife, and mother of two, Vanegas was nothing short of busy, but she and her husband rarely had the time – or the energy – to clean their Chicago home. “We decided to hire a well-known, local cleaning service to help out,” Vanegas says, “but we were sorely disappointed by both the quality of cleaning and the customer service.” Aside from her quality concerns, however, Vanegas was also concerned with the fumes from all of the cleaning products being sprayed around her children. More…
