My journey toward selling plants began after I completely unplugged during a road trip from Nashville, TN – where I was living – to Yosemite National Park in 2014.

Sam Jacquest started her business by hosting pop-up events in the community and soon Blue House Books was housed in its own location in Kenosha.

Adam Goettelman knew the community wanted the local grocery store opened in 1994 to survive, so he purchased Healthy Way Market. It is now growing and thriving thanks to that same community support.

Pat and Kelly McGinnis started Kelly’s Pot Pies and More in East Troy in November 2020, and the experience has been a whirlwind of activity ever since.

Cindy and Kevin Pagenkopf have simultaneously succeeded at honoring the traditions of their family business while still growing and changing.

John and Jessica Ludwig opened Riley’s Sandwich Co. in Shorewood in 2021. In just a few short months, this small business grew by leaps and bounds.

For much of her career, Kate Reithel was a buyer for Marshall Fields and Macy’s, responsible for figuring out what customers would want to purchase and handling vendor negotiations.

Austin and Hannah McCourt took the leap to purchase the coffee shop where they were working, and their entrepreneurship journey has been well worth the risk!