Category: Business Owner Stories

Theo Lee is the CEO and founder of KPOP Foods, a business he started with friend and classmate Mike Kim. KPOP is a Korean food brand inviting people to discover and enjoy Korean food and flavors through its products. Lee and Kim sell a variety of products online, including a Korean chili sauce and roasted seaweed snacks. They hope to offer their products in retail stores in the coming year. Starting Out Why did you start the company? I graduated… Read More

Founded in March 2010 by U.S. Army veteran Jessica Dragan, Spa Massage on the Go brings spa-quality massage treatments directly to their clients. Dragan started the company to help veterans that are sick, disabled, elderly, disabled or hospice. Being a veteran herself, she feels a calling and a love for her peers. Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they now have operations in Illinois, Maryland, and Washington. A veteran and certified woman-owned business with twelve employees, Spa Massage on the Go is growing… Read More

Thanksgiving week is the biggest shopping week of the year. After everyone awakes from their turkey coma, it's time to get Christmas shopping done with Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. An equally important shopping day is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, known as Small Business Saturday. This movement encourages people everywhere to go out and buy from small businesses to support their local economy. Some small businesses, however, may have a limited local clientele, and have made their products available… Read More

Doug Dibert is the founder of Magnfi, a company that totally automates the process of capturing video testimonials from happy clients. He says the Magnfi tool is simple to use and gives customers a fully produced video testimonial that’s ready to share. Starting Out Why did you start your business? I’ve been in video marketing since 2005. I owned a video marketing agency called Crossing River Studios. I was always looking to the future of where video was heading. I’m… Read More

Eagan Heath is the owner of Splendid Beast, an e-commerce store that sells custom oil paintings of pets. Customers can go online and choose from customizable templates or work with the company to create an original masterpiece. A team of graphic designers and painters work together to create each pet portrait, which can be framed or gallery wrapped. Starting Out Why did you start your business? I purchased this business from an old roommate. I have another business where I… Read More

From High School Drop Out To Hero There's a lot of talk about what it takes to succeed in America. Within that talk are discussions on being born on the right side of the tracks, getting a good education, and never dropping out of high school. Statistics show that those born into a stable family and finish high school on time have a much higher probability of success compared to their counterparts. But what if I showed you the story… Read More