The Rosier family has farmed on the same land in Holt County, Missouri, for nearly a century, Dylan Rosier shares, and now he and his brothers are doing their part to make sure the farm is still thriving for the fifth generation. Starting with Dylan’s great-grandfather in the 1930s, the Rosiers...
What started as a side hustle to pay for daycare has turned into a profitable sign-making, home decor and apparel business for Ashley Raetz. The central Missouri entrepreneur started RiOak Design – named after her two daughters, Riley and Oaklee – 12 years ago at her kitchen table and has...
Spectrum Record Lounge is becoming a community cornerstone in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as the city’s first and only record store, combining the owners’ love of music and meeting for a drink in one retro spot. “It's a nice symbiotic relationship between the record store and the bar,” says Travis Tyson,...
There are nearly half as many dry cleaning locations now than there were at the turn of the century, but Tonya McCrea found a way to reach new heights with her business East Hills Cleaners, which offers dry cleaning and laundry; she’s even expanded to two locations. “I have a...
When Susan Blaser, 61, noticed a 4,800-square-foot historic stone building for sale in downtown Excelsior Springs, Missouri, she immediately saw potential for a business … well to be accurate, three businesses. Although the space had been vacant for over 30 years, Susan thought the former funeral home would be perfect...
Disillusionment can be a great fertilizer, helping new ideas grow. Just ask Rebecca Brown. Her West Plains, Missouri, small business, Assist America Home Care Services, grew out of frustration and a desire to do the right thing — and to do it better. Learn how this entrepreneur used industry knowledge...
Tyrean “Heru” Lewis' journey into urban farming began with a simple yet profound realization – the scarcity of fresh, sustainable produce in his own community. Tyrean, a former physical education teacher, recalls his days as a vegan in 2017 when he struggled to find fresh produce. “Over 850,000 people in the St....
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...
