The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Alena Popova
The journey of running a newborn photography business comes with its own set of challenges. Marketing effectively, standing out in a market filled with budget photographers, and ensuring that skills and expertise are properly valued can be difficult. Reaching the right audience takes time and strategy, and meeting Charleston’s licensing requirements adds another layer of responsibility. Read more>>
Kristi Outland
After meeting in 2005, these passions have blossomed in so many ways. As they say, “birds of a feather, flock together.” After Chris ‘popped the question’ in 2008, he knew the only gift for his girl would be a joggling board, where they could sit outdoors and enjoy each other’s company on the porch of their first home. Although Chris is a perpetual procrastinator, he did start looking for a joggling board well before their wedding date and kept hitting dead ends. Rather than find a more attainable gift, he decided to put his woodworking skills to good use by designing and building his bride a joggling board. Read more>>
Angel Holmes
Today, Angel channels this expertise into empowering ambitious women through multiple platforms. She’s launching The Brighter Side Society in 2025, an online community designed to provide women with the tools and support needed to achieve their biggest goals. She leads Like Minded CHS, an in-person community for female founders in Charleston, and offers 1:1 mentorship to help women transform overwhelm into organized success. Her unique approach combines strategic vision with genuine relationship building, creating environments where ambitious women can thrive and realize their full potential. Read more>>
Jake Henderson
I have goals to be a small business owner within the next year and I’m planning to open several small businesses within the next several years that will be equally owned and managed by the same individuals involved in our Street Disciples Network team. We all have several good ideas that we want to bring to life, and we’re going to help one another bring those ideas into existence one venture at a time. Read more>>
Ian Horowitz
We wanted to create an energy drink that was not only healthy but also one that was actually effective. So we created The Energy Drink™ so you would get the energy boost but not the crash like the other drinks in the market place. We also wanted to make sure our drink would give you mental clarity along with getting your hydration and good vitamins and minerals all in one drink. With all of this in mind we tasked our intern with the task of finding a formulator. It wound up being a massive challenge but our formulator had worked for all the major brands including some of our competitors in the early days. Read more>>
Shunnika Goings-Friend
I’m the owner of 80lbs Entertainment Group, LLC. I’m a dj, sound technician, event coordinator, craft and treat maker. I’m most proud of the out the box ideas that I come up with. I don’t try to duplicate what I have done for others even if the client says “I want it just like the picture that I showed you.” I politely tell them that that’s not my work, so I can’t do that. Read more>>
Emily Kerr
Definitely not a smooth road! COVID threw a huge curveball our way, and shifting our mission afterward was a journey in itself. Financially, recovering from one-time COVID relief grants was tough, and figuring out how to sustain and grow beyond that took a lot of strategy. But through it all, our team, board of directors, and community have been incredibly supportive. Their belief in our work has kept us moving forward, and we’re stronger because of it! Read more>>
Nance Lee Sneddon
I couldn’t make the products fast enough and I had no idea how to farm out some of the work. In 1990, my artist friend suggested that we open a gallery. There was a bank-owned building we could rent for $600 in Sea Pines, but we had to do the renovation and pay a percentage of our sales. 4 of us threw in $1000 to start and worked our butts off for months. When we opened Moonshell Gallery it was epic for Hilton Head standards. Over 100 people came and ate the food I stayed up all night making and drank margaritas and wine. We carried the work of 25 artists including my sister Sue and my mother Lil’s paintings. Read more>>
Jenna Fabrizio
However, owning my business for the past 3 years has pushed me to grow and expand in many different ways. I had to learn how to not only be a clinician, but I also had to learn how to be a business owner, which is something I had never done before. Over the past 3 years I’ve continued carving away at the type of business owner and clinician I can feel proud to be, and believe this has changed as I’ve continued to grow. I’ve leaned heavily on my local community and likeminded clinicians like myself that are balancing the journey between entrepreneurship and our clinical background. I pride myself on finding and growing a really beautiful and authentic community of likeminded peers. Understanding that collaboration will always prevail over competition has been one of the biggest values of my business. Read more>>
Virginia Jacques
However, after graduating, I faced the harsh reality that no one wanted to hire a recent graduate with little experience. Panicked, I pivoted into sales, working for a few years before my husband and I moved to Columbia, SC, for his medical school. Then, COVID hit, and I was furloughed. I remember feeling completely lost—stuck in a city where I had no connections and in a career that didn’t fulfill me. Read more>>
Destinee Wilson
I am a native South Carolinian. I grew up in the beautiful city of North Augusta, SC. I attended Clemson University and received my B.A. in Political Science and minored in Communication Studies in 2016. In 2018, I decided to go back to graduate school. I graduated with my JD-MBA degree in May 2021 from the University of South Carolina School of Law and the Darla Moore School of Business. In October 2021, I became a barred attorney. Read more>>
Kasey Bohnert
Most days my mind is buzzing with ideas, so freelancing and starting my own business was a way for me to create even more. In late 2024, I founded RAD CO., a space for design projects of all sizes, where I listen closely to clients’ ideas and capture the vision while creating a meaningful connection between the brand and the audience. Read more>>
Courtney Melancon
Now, several years later, my business has evolved in ways I never imagined. What started with paintings expanded into wedding stationery, jewelry, dog portraits, patterns, and more. Although we are often preached to “niche down”, I have always allowed my curiosity and exploration to guide me, shaping what Tulips & Tillie has become today. Through this journey, I’ve discovered that I’m deeply inspired by nature and the beauty that exists around me – animals, nature, the city of Charleston, and everything in between. Beyond paintings, I’ve fallen in love with product development, bringing my artwork to life on products such as greeting cards, tote bags, stickers, and other fun items. Read more>>
Patricia Williams
The road has been anything but smooth, howeverI believe that’s what makes this journey so meaningful. Healing is never easy, and neither is building something from the ground up. As a survivor, I had to first navigate my own pain, learning how to rebuild my life while carrying the weight of past wounds. And as a leader, I’ve faced the challenge of creating a space where other women could feel seen, heard, and truly supported. Read more>>
Joshua & Chelsi Lowe
Man, I could write a book on this. Owning a business is full of struggles and ups and downs. As photographers, I think the biggest struggle we have is setting ourselves apart from everyone else. Cameras have now become really affordable, so new photographers are popping up all the time. So we’re constantly having to adjust and evolve with the demands of the business. We are constantly seeking new ways to set ourselves apart from other photographers in the area. Read more>>
Chris Reed
My name is Chris Reed and I am a working musician based out of Columbia, SC. I started my career full time in August, 2021. Since then, I have performed for the Icehouse Amphitheatre, ColaJazz Fest 2022, The Koger Center, Newberry Opera House, Lexington Two Performing Arts Center, and WISTV. I also play for nursing homes and retirement communities as well as many bars and restaurants around the Midlands. I thoroughly enjoy the community of musicians in Columbia and am excited to excel further in our scene! Read more>>
Adrianne Watkins
In 2011 I was looking for a unique centerpiece for my baby shower and I discovered diaper cakes. I just loved it and went on this deep dive learning how to create them. Shortly after I found out I had a miscarriage. It devastated me, but what got me through was diaper cakes. I threw myself into learning all I could about creating them, experimenting with different styles and soon discovered I could do the same with towels and other items. I decided that I could do these items for others…Baby Showers, Bridal Showers, House Warmings and more; hence the name Lowcountry Showers. I did a few for family and friends and word of mouth went from there. Read more>>
Alex Ballas
In 2021, I met Chef Sarah Cooper, the owner of The Carolina Chef. We started working together on private events, and I initially focused on front-of-the-house roles. During this time, I got to learn a great deal about the culinary world from a different perspective. Being part of The Carolina Chef team was a turning point for me, as I was able to dive deeper into the life of a personal chef. Read more>>
Cory Jobes
My first choice was Brittany Garrett. I had been working with her on and off in another project. She came in and laid down some vocals in the studio one day and that solidified the lineup in Sloans Grove. From that point forward, we knew what direction we were going to take the band. We spent March of 2024 – November 2024 recording our debut album. I am proud to say its finished and the final product is in hand. Read more>>
Laura Russo
From April – December, we host a monthly festival on the second Saturday of the month with farmers + artists, food trucks, and live music. Lots of amazing vendors gather to offer their local goods to our community and customers. Our farm store sells jams, jellies, pickles, salsa, and cider, as well as locally sourced goods and seasonal produce grown in our market garden. Each festival has a theme or special event like April’s Easter Egg Hunt, May’s Ag + Art Tour of Aiken County, June’s Fathers Day Celebration, July’s famous Tomato Pie Festival , and so on. All of our events, farm to table dinners, music festivals and art classes are listed on our website. Read more>>
Sarah & Nate Williams-Scalise
The biggest struggle is always the outside questions and pressure to grow. We started this business with the intention of keeping it small, local and special. We knew that the people who live and work in Charleston was becoming more diverse by the day and craved unique experiences and flavors. The more we could celebrate adoption and tie it into a food story, the more approachable both conversations seem to be. But at the end of the day, we want it to remain small and we’re constantly asked when folks will see our product in major retailers. Read more>>
Kailey Roberts
Baking has always been a passion of mine and has been something I have done for as long as I can remember. I am not really sure when this passion began, but I’d imagine it was as soon as I could be trusted with an oven! Read more>>
Tavish Traynum
It’s definitely been a bumpy road. With the rise in grocery prices and insurance, and, well everything, I’ve had to juggle between working a full time job as well as keeping my business afloat. A lot of the times I break even but my goal is be affordable and provide quality service for everybody as long as possible. Read more>>
Bradacia McCray
Graduating high school as a licensed cosmetologist was the first step in making my dream come true. After high school I graduated from USC Sumter with an associates degree in Fine Arts. After those two years, I transferred to USC Aiken and graduated with my bachelors degree in Business Management in 2018. In 2021, while working in a salon and in education I graduated from Strayer University with my master degree in Digital Entrepreneurship. That same year I took a leap of faith and worked in a salon setting full time. Three years later I took another leap of faith and opened my own salon on July 20, 2024. I’ve also created a natural hair care line called lady D’s potions in 2020, which now sits on the selves in my salon. Read more>>
Bryan Jones
We would post reels of our athletes doing lifts or speed drills and explain the reason why. That allowed us to grow from a couple hundred to over 26k followers on instagram in 2 years. What came with that is other opportunities like being the speed coach for Lowcountry Rush Lacrosse and H2 Basketball. Also graduates of college exercise science programs start messaging me asking to intern or work for me when I don’t even have a gym. Lastly, I was able to develop an app with all of the exercises we have accumulated throughout the years to give athletes sport specific speed and strength training programs to add variance to their workouts. End all be all you do not need your own gym to start your own fitness business! Read more>>
David Carson
And that night we picked a name, filled out the paperwork with the state and filed for a 501c3 and started our non-profit organization, Sammy’s Mission. Sammy’s Mission is a faith based transition home for men in addiction recovery. We currently have 6 houses in the Greenville area and house 36 men. Along with our non-profit, I also own and operate Carson Tree Company. There was a resident in Sammy’s Mission in 2021 who had done tree work in the past and we started working together doing tree work and the Lord has just blessed me tremendously in this endeavor. Carson Tree Company has been in business since 2022 and we do high risk and everyday tree removals, pruning and treatment. Read more>>
Buddy McLean
Before stepping into the rap game, I served in the U.S. Army, a background that instilled the discipline and resilience that now fuel my music career. My time in the military exposed me to different cultures and life experiences that later shaped my storytelling and work ethic. But despite the structure of military life, music was always in my heart. The streets, the struggle, and the ambition to build something bigger kept calling. Read more>>
Cassidy Parker
Working with dogs is a 24/7 gig. Dogs have to eat. Even on Christmas. When I was working with boarding dogs I would work many holidays and with the support of my parents I appreciated the work that I was doing. Finding a balance between the dogs and home life can be hard, but it always works out and it always ends up being worth it in the end! Read more>>
Kaitlyn Vann Bean
Owning my own Pilates studio has presented a variety of challenges along the way. I opened my studio because I have a passion for sharing Pilates with others; I definitely don’t have a passion for marketing, developing procedures, managing financials, and everything else that comes with owning a business. However, I’ve been fortunate to have many people support me along the way, including friends who have unexpected skill sets and other small business owners who’ve helped me learn from their own experiences. Read more>>
Leslie Koller
Over the years, I worked in a few different industries, but it always came back to the books and my love of the library. In 2013, I left a job and spent a few months trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I told my husband that my dream job was to be a librarian. He told me to go for it! I got a part-time job at the Dorchester County Library and started library school the next year. I graduated with my Master of Library and Information Science in 2016 and quickly climbed the ladder in my organization. I have now worked at the Dorchester County Library for 11 years and have been the Branch Manager for 4 years. While the books are what led me here, the people are what keep me here. Read more>>
Léa Barnay
I was born and raised in France. I did part of my college education in Maryville College TN. Coming to the USA as an exchange student changed the trajectory of my life. Since then, I have lived in Boston, USA where I became an American citizen and the proud mother of a smart, fearless, gorgeous, bilingual, dual citizen daughter. We’ve also moved to Nice, France for a few years before settling in Mount Pleasant where we now enjoy the Southern Charms of the low country. Read more>>
Gavriel J
My journey started with a deep love for music and sound. From a young age, I was drawn to the creative and technical aspects of audio engineering. I spent years honing my craft, eventually earning my Avid Pro Tools certification while attending Berklee College of Music in 2018. Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked extensively in music production, film, and marketing, building a reputation for quality and professionalism. My expertise has gained me credits working with established talents such as: J COLE, The Hamiltones, John P. Kee, Miranda Curtis, Melvin Crispell III, DJ Prince Ice, No Limit Larry, BenieBeatz, Imani Wiley English, Ian Michael and many more. Read more>>
Wyatt Reichart
Leo Niño started as a solo project during my freshman year at the University of South Carolina. I was writing and recording in my dorm room, just experimenting with sounds inspired by a lot of the ‘bedroom pop’ music that was coming out at the time. Since then, it has grown into a full band made up of some very good friends of mine, including a mutual friend, David Abdulrahman, that I met through my childhood guitar teacher. Read more>>
Laura Saur
I knew I wanted more out of life and I had a deep desire to see more of the world outside of just the 10 days of PTO I was given at my salary job. I wanted the flexibility to travel, make my own schedule, and be able to work from anywhere; photography was a skill that I felt could get me that lifestyle. Networking was the most impactful contributor to my success. Forming relationships and connections is so important in life and career, and without taking the time to understand people, listening to their dreams, and keeping a curious mind I would not be where I am today. I get a lot of my business through client and colleague referrals or social media discovery. Read more>>
Tyler Sharer
My career path has been anything but traditional. I spent years working in industries like automotive repair, property management, security, warehousing, and even running my own business before deciding to go back to school for engineering at 31. Starting late meant approaching it differently, bringing real world experience into the classroom. Birding has been woven into that journey in unexpected ways. Read more>>
Latoya Jenkins
Candle Lit Nights was started in 2021 after the pandemic. Like many people I realized I was alot of things for the people in my life, and began to suffer from anxiety and depression. The only time I could get my thoughts to slow down was at night on my balcony with my candle. I realized then that many people suffer from not making time for themselves. I decided that everyone needs that special reminder to do something for themselves, and with that Candle Lit Nights was born. Read more>>
Alana & Logan Cole & Tyler
The preparation for that came with its own challenges! Of course, getting the word out for any business starting out is difficult, but our business model needs shoppers AND consignors to succeed! We are not a brick and mortar storefront, which makes us organically less visible and forging through the social media algorithms as a brand new business felt like cruel and unusual punishment. But we forged on! And with multiple online avenues to sell clothes and accessories, we were thrilled to find that so many locals decided to take a chance on our business model and sold in our first pop-up event in September. We were even more thrilled to find that EVERYONE went home with a paycheck at the end and our event was a success! Read more>>
Brianne Petrone
As a video editor, there’s so many different avenues you can go down. There’s the film/TV industry route, the music industry route, and the brand/marketing route. I’ve toyed between those three areas a lot, along with the in-house vs. agency route, and the freelance path. Additionally, while I’ve become very accustomed to remote work, I do miss the in-person experience of collaborating with others, and the structure that comes with. Read more>>
John Fuss
I am most proud of creating a soft spoken and enjoyable atmosphere where people can make mistakes, learn about the natural environment in which they are in, catch fish, and even further learn to clean them as well as get inspired about different ways of cooking what we are gifted with from the water. Read more>>
Zarena Flemmings
I’ve always been a girly girl with a love for hair, makeup and fashion. However, I never saw it as a career. I actually started off in the medical field and transitioned into cosmetology on a leap of faith. I made the decision that instead of applying for the nursing program, I applied for cosmetology and it was the best decision I ever made! Once I completed the cosmetology program, I worked in a commission based salon for about six months and took another leap of faith straight into booth rental. I birthed Textures & Tones by Zarena LLC in 2014 and have sustained and grown my business for 11 plus years now. I opened my salon suite in March of 2024 and I’m absolutely in love with it! Read more>>
Madison Jones
When trying to decide my niche in the local creator scene, I looked at what the other creators were focused on and saw a need for someone who talked more on the hidden gems in the Myrtle Beach area. The smaller businesses need love too, not just the ones who can afford to pay people to come and visit. I wanted to showcase some of my favorite, smaller businesses along with the other businesses I was visiting for work, hence how my page became dedicated to finding the best hotspots and hidden gems in Myrtle Beach. Read more>>
Jordon Alexander
It was here, as a young, scared cocktail server at the House of Blues, that life handed me my biggest responsibility: becoming a mother. Motherhood has a way of making you dig deep, and that’s exactly what I did. In the early years of raising my daughter, I saw an opportunity—a newly built Myrtle Beach Boardwalk—and I fought for a small business spot despite opposition from larger businesses. As a 23-year-old single mother, I attended city council meetings, spoke in front of officials and cameras, and won. That’s how Luna’s Lemonade, my first fresh-squeezed lemonade pushcart, was born. Read more>>
April Frazier
We have definitely experienced our ebbs and flows. Up until this past year we have been able to expand and serve more of our in need community members. Sadly, with the economic crisis and the steadily increasing costs of groceries and various items, we’ve had to scale back our programs. At the end of 2024 we were forced to close the doors of our community food pantry. Read more>>
Aleigha Kelley
The name “Through the Looking Glass” was born in 2008 during my senior year of high school, but my love for photography began much earlier. I got my first digital camera at 15, though my journey started even before that with film cameras. My mother was studying photography in college, and I often accompanied her to the darkroom at Anderson University. Watching her develop images, plan and shoot concepts for projects, and sometimes even being her model, inspired me deeply. My earliest subjects were my pets, and neighborhood friends, and by high school, I had moved on to taking artistic and dramatic photos of my friends—pretty bold stuff for our time! Read more>>
Lorna Roberts
Fashion is my ministry. It’s more than just clothing—it’s self-expression, confidence, and healing. It’s a gift that allows me to serve, uplift, and empower others. Through my journey, I’ve witnessed firsthand how personal style can be transformative, not just in appearance but in spirit. That calling, deeply rooted in my faith, led me to create Blackpine Vintage Boutique, a space where fashion, style, culture, history, and service meets purpose. Read more>>
Tara Gowen
Eventually, I found myself missing the creativity and connection that comes with working on a diverse clientele of both men and women. I returned to full-service hair and mentored under another exceptional master cosmetologist who owned her own salon. However, the work environment proved to be toxic, and I knew it was time to take control of my own path. Leaning on my business background, I opened my own salon suite as well as a brick-and-mortar boutique in the midwest, embracing both my entrepreneurial spirit and my love for beauty. Read more>>
