Category: Business Owner Stories

Artland Studios, LLC: Nav’s 2021 Q3 $5,000 Grant Winner

Artland Studios, LLC: Nav’s 2021 Q3 $5,000 Grant Winner

Central Oklahoma might not be famous as a hotbed for artists, but keep your eyes on Paden, OK because local artist Leslie Anne Martin and her business, Artland Studios, LLC, might very well change that. Growing up in rural Oklahoma, art provided an outlet, for a younger version of herself, to express her feelings at what she describes as “a really dark time in my life.” She recognized how lucky she was to have parents willing to invest in a… Read More
Sergeant Built: Nav $5000 Small Business Grant Winner

Sergeant Built: Nav $5000 Small Business Grant Winner

Joel McCoy started Sergeant Built in 2020 to bring custom, high-end carpentry services to the local Seattle community. McCoy is a graduate of the Krenov School of Fine Woodworking, and has focused his career on high-end woodworking products. Check out his beautiful work yourself here. What makes Sergeant Built unique? “A genuine care for the people I serve really shines through,” says McCoy. “Even as an introverted person, I am able to gain energy through interacting with my clients and… Read More
JW Equine Services Wins Nav’s $10,000 Small Business Grant

JW Equine Services Wins Nav’s $10,000 Small Business Grant

A passion for her business and a clear plan to put her grant money to good use to grow it has vaulted Jonna Wisher Ibañez, founder of JW Equine Services in Rosenberg Texas, to first place in the Nav’s quarterly $10,000 Small Business Grant.  Jonna has turned her lifelong passion for horses into a full service equine business that includes lessons, boarding and training horses. She plans to use the funds from the grant to help build a covered arena… Read More
Our Loving Village: Nav Jan 2021 $5000 Grant Winner

Our Loving Village: Nav Jan 2021 $5000 Grant Winner

This isn’t the first time this Stamford, Texas small business has applied for the Nav grant, and we’re glad they applied again. We’re really excited for them to receive the $5,000 grant. BriTanya Bays, CEO and owner of Our Loving Village, started her business because there was a lack of high-quality childcare and education services in her community. “As first-time parents of twins, my husband and I wanted to cultivate a community of like-minded parents who wanted more than just… Read More
Prince Abou’s Butchery: Nav Jan 2021 $10000 Grant Winner

Prince Abou’s Butchery: Nav Jan 2021 $10000 Grant Winner

Abou Sow started Prince Abou’s Butchery to ensure that the people of New York are rescued from eating meat that isn’t fresh. “It’s a tragedy that New Yorkers (as well as people all across the country) don’t have access to fresh meat and are instead eating meat that was slaughtered months ago,” he says. “That’s why we work with local farmers, slaughter, butcher, and deliver halal meat to New Yorkers all within the same week.” This unique business model helps… Read More
Building a Small Business Village: The Boho Market is Nav’s Small Business Grant Runner Up

Building a Small Business Village: The Boho Market is Nav’s Small Business Grant Runner Up

When Taylor Milbauer started looking for a solution to help grow her own business, she had no idea that just a few years later she’d be helping hundreds of small business owners do the same. As a maker, she found herself struggling to find a consistent outlet for her unique products (among them, screen printed t-shirts and woven art. “Outside of the once- or twice-a-year larger expos, there just wasn’t a place for a vendor like me to interact with… Read More