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There is no better testament to the vital role small
businesses play in America's economy than the stories — and voices
— of entrepreneurs who are operating viable enterprises in communities
across the land. Ever mindful that the "bottom line" in our
research is helping to create a climate in which small businesses can
flourish, we occasionally profile entrepreneurs who have benefited from
services provided by microenterprise-development programs and are now
living their dream of business ownership.
Inspired by nature …
Long before Laura Buckner started Happy Woman
Jewelry in 1995 in Redwood, Calif. she was an accomplished weaver, printmaker,
doll maker and basket weaver. But “something magical happened,”
she says, when she started fashioning jewelry that was inspired by nature
and featured gemstones. In our profile, Buckner talks about the business
that has given her a satisfying creative outlet, flexibility while child-rearing
and earnings that significantly boost her household’s income.
Mother
of Invention …
If Cindy Twomey had given birth to a boy instead of a girl, she might
never have started No Slippy Hair Clippy™, the business she founded
in 2000 in Pleasanton, Calif. But a series of "bad hair days"
involving her 10-month-old baby led her to develop a barrette that would
stay put in baby fine hair. Today her fancy hair clips, which come in
a vast array of styles and colors, are available from hundreds of upscale
retailers nationwide. Find out how this former welfare recipient took
a simple product and created a business that is now moving along at
a good clip.
A Mushrooming
Business …
Owned by Candice and Dan Heydon, Oyster Creek Farm & Mushroom Co.
has operated since 1989 in Damariscotta, Maine. The Heydons not only
grow and sell fresh exotic mushrooms, they also dry some varieties,
package them for sale, test new recipes, create mushroom oils and powders
and manage a mail-order business. Our profile of the Heydons and their
business includes access to the Oyster Creek Web site (where product
orders can be placed) and an Oyster Creek recipe that calls for one
of their products, of course!
Building a
Dream …
Manuela Barraza and her husband, Jose Arevalo opened their first retail
store in Minneapolis, Minn. in 1996. Today the couple operate four stores
selling a range of goods — from men's and women's clothing to gifts,
party favors and special occasion clothing. Theirs is an interesting
story of hard work, perseverance - and finding that special market niche.
Recipe
for Success …
A genuine love of food led Jackie Tucker to establish Eternal Pleasures
Catering in Detroit, Mich. in 1990. By mixing together a life-long interest
in food with heaping amounts of vision and adaptability, she's created
a thriving business that was named the 2001 Chicago Region winner of
Working Woman magazine's "Entrepreneurial Excellence Award."
Find out what drives her in our profile, which includes a link to one
of her special recipes.
