One of the first things you notice about Dr. Natalie King is her long, voluminous, curly brown hair. “It’s something that’s always been at the background of everything that I do,” Natalie says. “Coming into the corporate world – into spaces where you have to lead with a ‘good’ image –...
Successfully starting, growing and transforming a business is a journey filled with hurdles, triumphs and lessons learned—especially when it comes to leveraging your brick-and-mortar experience to create a tech startup. Chrystal L. Graves has plenty of experience chasing and achieving her entrepreneurial dreams, from building a roster of clients as an...
After being laid off from their jobs in 2017, DaYonne and Jamaal Reed decided to go all in on entrepreneurship. The married couple are the founders of Revive Janitorial in St Louis, a commercial cleaning company with 40 employees and 16 clients. DaYonne, who previously worked as a...
Melodi Wisswell’s career path seems obvious in retrospect. She’s always loved animals. She has a business degree. And she wanted to live near her family. Now, she’s opened Platinum Paws, a high-end dog-grooming spa in Columbia, Missouri. Here’s how all the pieces came together with the help of the...
Sometimes, the idea for a new business is right under your nose. That was certainly the case for Luke Phelps’s Vroom Solar, which came about when he saw a need for power in remote and mobile situations in rural Missouri. But let’s back up a bit to see when this...
In the recipe for small business success, patience and determination are two key ingredients. But there’s also the business side to consider and the looming stat that 1 in 5 businesses fail in their first year. Keeyoung Kim, chef-owner of Chingu, a new restaurant and bar in the Westport neighborhood of...
Entrepreneurship can be delicious! Just ask husband-and-wife duo Erik and Paley Carmona. What started out as a kitchen experiment has turned into a tasty side hustle. Now, Carmona’s Chamoy is flourishing, thanks to support from loved ones, the Hispanic Economic Development Corporation and the Latino Arts Foundation. Here’s...
Dave Alburty isn’t afraid to think outside of the box. When he started his business, he didn’t want to live close to work. He wanted to work close to home. “I chose Drexel, Missouri, for my first company because I wanted to start a company where I wanted to live,” he...
Brooke and Nicholas Bartlett built a 5,000-square-foot business from a movie-night hobby.
Jeff and Amanda DeWitt of custom home services company 11 North have faced and conquered plenty of challenges spurred by the pandemic.
