Small Business Profiles
Zaaina Skincare: All-Natural Beauty Products Meet Modern Digital Tools
While searching for a new job, Purvi Desai started making and selling her own all-natural lip balms, face masks, and skin toner. They were a hit at local farmers’ markets, so Purvi decided to turn her hobby into a full-time business. Since founding Zaaina Skincare in 2010, Purvi has expanded her offerings to over 40…
Successful Amazon Seller Helps Fellow Vendors Thrive
West Hempstead, N.Y. An experienced online marketer, Liran Hirschkorn quickly saw how to optimize Amazon’s digital marketing tools when he joined the platform in 2014. Within two years, he’d notched more than a million dollars reselling name-brand products, started two of his own brands, and reached several million dollars in sales. But Liran decided to…
Air Force Veteran Uses Amazon to Build Activewear Business, Ship Customers’ Orders
After an embarrassing mid-workout incident, U.S. Air Force veteran Angel Johnson was inspired to do something about thin, poorly made leggings. In 2019, she founded the activewear brand ICONI, which features squat-proof, size-inclusive workout gear so gym-goers can feel confident and comfortable as they exercise. Today, ICONI sells more than 20,000 tops, shorts and other…
SoaPen Makes Handwashing Fun
New York, N.Y. Growing up in New Delhi — one of the most densely populated cities in the world — Shubham Issar learned how important thorough handwashing is to community health. But 20 seconds of hand washing often feels like an eternity to kids. Shubham realized that if she could make washing with soap fun,…
North Carolina-based Leather Goods Business Reaches Customers With Online Tools
Mooresville, NC When Pavlo Prannyk immigrated to the U.S. in 2014, he brought his family — and his artisan leather goods business, olpr. Leather Goods Co. — with him. Pavlo puts his passion for leatherwork into each of the aprons, wallets and other goods he crafts, winning over customers with his attention to detail. From…
Destiny African Market Uses Digital Tools to Share a Taste of Home
Randolph, MA When Sola Ajao immigrated to the U.S. in 1986, she couldn’t find any food from her native Nigeria — but she saw an opportunity. Sola started cooking and selling West African dishes, and she soon had a thriving catering company. In 2021, she expanded her business by opening Destiny African Market, a grocery…
Digital Tools Help Bring All-Natural Meat Snacks To The Masses
Nashville, TN Growing up with his mom’s Cuban-influenced cooking, Jason Burke developed a taste for flavorful food. When the bland, processed snacks in the vending machine at work left him wanting something better, he started making jerky at home and bringing it to the office. It wasn’t long before his coworkers wanted a taste. Jason…
Op-Ed by Melissa Horvath of Sweet Water Decor: Why is Pennsylvania’s Attorney General suing one of small businesses’ best partners?
[Note: This opinion piece was initially published by the Butler Eagle on May 2, 2024.] I’m a small-business owner who employs 40 people in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, policymakers in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., are considering new regulations that would seriously disrupt my business. Here’s the back story. In 2014, I started a home decor business, Sweet…
Mt. Vernon-Based E-Commerce Business Grows with Digital Tools
Mt. Vernon, NY As sons of an entrepreneur, Charles Chakkalo and his brothers always dreamed of becoming business owners. They started Joey’z Shopping while in college, an e-commerce company that offers houseware ranging from cake stands to curtains, providing hard-working Americans with high-quality, affordable houseware. Charles and his brothers live by their company’s motto: “Nobody…
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