Jerina Vincent started JNJ Gifts and More in Verona, Wisconsin, for people to support local artists and many other independent small businesses. It grew into a home for more than 80 independent creators and small businesses to share their work. Most artists are seniors and retirees who rely on JNJ to provide a platform for…
Sheffie Robinson has been “hooked on coding” since middle school, and her interest in digital technology has only grown over the subsequent 20 years. Over the years, she’s helped small businesses leverage digital technology so they can grow and succeed. Sheffie teaches the small businesses she works with that digital tools are “the critical ingredients”…
Like many great ideas, Beddy’s started with a mother’s problem-solving skills. Betsy Mikesell and Angie White worked with Betsy’s mother to create zippered bedding as a way to motivate their children to make their beds every morning, and then used digital tools to share their invention online and help other moms. When starting the company,…
After receiving his MBA from Clemson, Harold Hughes knew he wanted to use the power of his education to bring people together, and he found the opportunity close to home – his passion for the Clemson Tigers. Two days after receiving his degree, Harold set up the LLC that would become BandwagonFanClub, Inc. an experience…
Parker Garlitz and his sister, Kaitlin Jones started a wheatgrass and garden supply company in their garage. Demetrios Agathangelides started a mail-order seed business after immigrating to the United States from Greece in the 1970s. He retired and sold his business to Lance Heaton and Robb Baumann. In 2014, these two small business dreams came…
Josenny Tineo and Michelle Peralta have always been family planners, with the two moms organizing every holiday, graduation, and birthday celebration. Eventually, the jokes about their unofficial “jobs” turned into serious suggestions that they should start an events business, and ten years ago Josie Michelle Events was born. With no formal training, the women outworked…
Alfred Mai started ASM Games in 2017, after being disappointed with the lack of fun card games available when he and his wife hosted game nights with other couples. They took matters into their own hands and created their own games, using Youtube to teach them everything they needed to know about graphic design, manufacturing,…
Morgan Miller Plumbing used to advertise the same way as other plumbing companies: in the Yellow Pages. Each year, the ads got more expensive and less effective. “At one point, it seemed like the Yellow Pages were going to bankrupt us instead of helping us,” recalls former CEO Stella Crewse. The company pivoted to digital…