Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Payton & Emma Thornton & Parker
We definitely faced some struggles along the way. We had experience working for our self, but being first time business owners in an actual salon studio, we didn’t know everything that came along it. We had complications with maintenance issues, our licensing, bookkeeping and learning each others strengths and weaknesses, which all ended up making us a stronger team. These are all skills we had to learn together through research, trial and error and having faith that it would work out. Read more>>
Mark Connelly
Eventually, I went off to college at the Citadel in Charleston and from there started down a career path of my own. Even though life was busy, I always kept at least a few hives back home. I ended up settling down in South Carolina and that’s where I met the owner of an organic blueberry farm along the Edisto River in Branchville, SC. That blueberry farm, called Black Pearl Blueberry Farm, is where Edisto Gold Honey was formed in 2019. Today we are a Certified SC brand in over a hundred stores statewide. We sell to customers online throughout the country and have made lots of friends along the way. Read more>>
Aquila Moné
Hi! I’m Chef Aquila. My journey started in Boston, where my love for food and storytelling began. Food wasn’t just about nourishment, it was a way to connect, share stories, and a source of inspiration- by way of my grandmother. After years of honing my craft, I relocated to Greenville, SC, and launched The Tasti Plate, a private chef and catering company blending Caribbean and Southern flavors to create unforgettable dining experiences. Read more>>
Ashlynn Dodson
I am happy to say that I have completely recovered and business has returned to normal since then. While it was happening, it was not really possible for me to take clients at some points, and that was disappointing, because during your first year especially, it feels so important to focus on growth and put as much time as you can into your business. While things don’t always go to plan, everything is a learning experience, and this is definitely an experience I learned a lot from. Read more>>
Elle Moe
Starting completely in the dark and overcoming uncertainty – Elle didn’t wake up one day with a clear blueprint to build her company. She started by doing side research while she was full time injecting and used her own money to test and analyze products, discovering that what she needed for her clients actually didn’t exist. This meant she had to forge her own path, taking risks and facing unknown challenges without fully understanding how difficult the road would be. The uncertainty and the need to build her company in silence (she didn’t even tell her own husband), away from external influence, made the journey all the more challenging. Read more>>
Jennifer Magaha
I was ready to be clean and start a new life. I was not ready to surrender to God. I got into a bad relationship for about four months. I had to get out of there so I went to my aunts house. I did really well there but I ended up pregnant. I told the Lord I would surrender. I told him if he would make me the best mom I could be then I would give him my all! Read more>>
Shanise Greenfield
After 1.5 years there, I decided to hang out my shingle and I started the Greenfield Law Firm, LLC in February 2020, which was at the height of COVID. I have been in practice with my own firm for five years now, and I have never been happier. I handle Family Court matters such as: divorce, separations, custody, child support, Orders of Protections, Restraining Orders, and Permanent Restraining Orders. I am also a Guardian ad Litem where I am appointed by a Judge to represent the best interest of children. I am also a trained Family Court Mediator, often volunteering my time assisting with mediations. I love what I do everyday because I get to help so many members of my community . It is rewarding work and I look forward to continuing this work. Read more>>
Zachary Johnson
it’s been anything but smooth. Making money in the music industry is already a tall order, but having a girlfriend wreck your truck, close friends betray you and family lose faith in you, financial success becomes almost almost impossible. Read more>>
LaShonda Prim
God gave me a vision that I would motivate and empower women around the world on how to M.O.V.E this was to motivate women to overcome obstacles, vision, success, and embrace change. However, there was still one thing that I couldn’t figure out, and it was how to not worry about generating income. God revealed to me that everything I’ve been through could be turned into a product or service to generate income and that’s what I began doing. In now have 3 books & 2 businesses and a proven strategy to back it up. I absolutely love that I get to share it with women around the world through 1 on 1 coaching and speaking. Read more>>
Ryan Lill-Washington
I was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and for as long as I can remember, creating music has been my passion. It’s always been a source of comfort, a way to express the things I wasn’t ready to say out loud. My career began to take off when a few of my singles were picked up by radio, suddenly thrusting me into a world I wasn’t fully prepared for. There were tours, radio interviews, live performances, hate mail, and even people who despised me for being queer without knowing anything about me. Despite all of that, performing became second nature—it was a space where I could shed all my doubts and be myself. I kept singing, and the audience kept showing up. Read more>>
Kandice Hanley
My brand is a luxury photography brand and at times bookings have been sparse but other times, bookings have been too busy to keep up. I have witnessed creatives in other larger cities flourishing while here, bookings just weren’t happening for myself or fellow photographers. This seems to be due to the fact that in many other places, high-end photography is seen as a desired art but in the south, many people have had a view point that it is something so simple that it shouldn’t cost much. A great photographer educates their clients regarding time and expertise required to create outstanding work.. Read more>>
Keoshia Huffman
I am beyond proud that, no matter the financial circumstances of Press 2 Success LLC, we continued to expand into different programming & opportunities for others around South Carolina. Being self-funded and LLC-based has hindered us from a lot of grant opportunities to continue to provide services to the elderly, youth, and homeless of SC. Read more>>
Jada Sullivan Sr.
My mom and dad separated when I was 5 years old due to my father’s physical, drug, and alcohol abuse. My mother, sister Keesha, and I moved to the “Reedy Fork” community (we say Reedy Fawk) in the country to live with my grandparents. We lived in a 900 sq ft house with 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and no city water—just well water. Some days, you’d take a shower, and the water would be red from the red clay dirt. As far as I can remember, there were at least 8 to 10 people living there at a time—family members sleeping on the couch and loveseat. Read more>>
Tiago Bezerra
I’ve been an entrepreneur since the early 2000s, when I started my first business in Brazil. With a background in graphic design, I successfully ran my own design studio for seven years. After moving to the United States, I transitioned into the construction industry. Today, I own and operate a fleet of dumpsters as part of my demolition business, serving clients such as airports, schools, and other specialized projects. I’ve managed my own businesses throughout the years and bring a strong sense of dedication, adaptability, and experience to every venture. Read more>>
Ashley Shurter
Giving that up for lack of money or marriage was like watching a dream die. I had to let it go and hope to find it again one day, find the parts of me that sees and understands light, shadow, movement, and reads body language. It has always been a dream to use photography to build up and strengthen the person I’m in front of to help them see what I see in them. Giving it up was like letting a part of myself die. But it was not lost forever. Read more>>
Lauren Link
In 2020, my cousin, Cody Gentry, asked me to join him for some local gigs, and from there we started writing together and playing more shows together. Since then we’ve toured the East Coast, and recorded separate albums in legendary Nashville studios (Cody at OmniSound Studios in 2023, and myself at Sound Emporium in August of 2024) both produced by Dean Miller, country music royalty and son of the late Roger Miller. We’re currently filling in our summer tour, and plan to branch more out west later this year (stay tuned for all of the official dates!). Read more>>
Kaneesha Kelley
Absolutely not! Definitely more good days than bad, but definitely not smooth. Some struggles I faced was financial literacy, time management, trusting myself 100% and failure. I now understand that saving for a rainy day as an entrepreneur is extremely important. Time management is more valuable than the number of clients you can take in a day. I also learned you can never go wrong trusting yourself 100% and failure is all about perspective. I learned to pivot and adjust and view it as a lesson and not a loss. Read more>>
O’Brian Pompey
Graduated from American Senior High in Miami, FL in 2003 with a strong passion for using my hands to fix things. Bizzy B’s Improvements LLC was started August 2018 based in Miramar, Florida. The business idea was talked about for a while and with the help/Ideas/Prayers of Ms. T. Harrison (Admin/Project Manager/Co founder) the thoughts became a reality real fast with clients from Hemingway, South Carolina all the way back to South Florida and some even in parts of North Carolina. Bizzy B’s strives to help each client bring their Dream to a reality. I really enjoy what I do and to see the look on each client’s face once the project is complete makes it all worth it. Read more>>
Ellie Lieberman
She began listening — to Spirit, to synchronicity, and to the soft whispers that had been with her since childhood. What followed was anything but accidental. With grounded conviction and a healthy dose of surrender, Ellie transformed her life into one of purpose and presence. She stepped into her calling as an evidential psychic medium, one reading at a time, and quickly became known for her honest, heartfelt, and deeply healing work. Read more>>
Mickel Wright
During my second year of teaching, I became a weekday vegetarian and started making smoothies—but eventually switched to juicing for convenience. I shared recipes on TikTok, and when people started asking to buy them, I prayed on it, took a leap of faith, and Fresh Fuel was born. Read more>>
Maggie Pelton
This instilled in me a love for the natural world, and some of my earliest memories consist of cutting out pictures of animals from Ranger Rick Magazines and even trying my hand at my own Mark-Recapture Survey with box turtles in our backyard (though I did not know the term “Mark-Recapture” and I named all my turtles. Very scientific). Read more>>
Haley Roberts
I started out capturing anything and everything, using whatever camera I had at the time, even just my iPhone. A few years ago, I got my first real camera, a Nikon Zfc, and that’s when I really started to learn how to use it. About two years ago, I upgraded to my Sony and taught myself through a lot of trial and error, running around the beach, photographing friends, experimenting, and figuring things out as I went. Read more>>
Daniel Vasquez
What I love most about this industry is the critical thinking and problem-solving it demands. Every project presents new challenges, pushing me to continuously refine my skills and expand my knowledge. I enjoy meeting new people, selling our services, and embracing the constant learning that comes with the business. In construction, there are days when you lose money and days when you make great money, but for me, the true reward lies in the work itself. Read more>>
Hallie
My journey began with a strong sense of empathy, though counseling wasn’t my initial path. Growing up in a design-centric family, I was drawn to the creative world, envisioning a career in fashion retail. However, a pivotal experience in high school changed everything. A social experiment highlighting the superficiality of appearances sparked a deep desire to support people on a more profound level. Read more>>
Amanda Wright
We started 3 years ago as a Mobile Coffee vendor and added a second trailer almost 2 years ago. We opened initially to do events at Thompson Farm at Brickyard Plantation and the customers wanted us out and about after those Spring and Fall events which lead to us adding the second mobile unit. We love being out in the community with mobile but we also love having the brick and mortar to provide a place for customers to hang out and enjoy a drink and pastry. Read more>>
Lauren Waters Smith
I posted in so many Facebooks groups, left business cards all over the city, and offered huge discounts. I’ve finally built a clientele that trusts me, refers me, and continues to come back. I’m very lucky to have the clients and co-workers that I do! After all, I literally couldn’t do it without them. The women I work with at Bombshell are always the first to let me try new techniques and designs. They’ve been an amazing support system. I am so thankful to have such a kind, supportive, talented, and beautiful group of women in my corner. Read more>>
Gen Kelsang Tabkay
Later I met my spiritual teacher, Tibetan Buddhist master Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in 2009 which changed the direction of my life, after that I knew the center of my life would be about spiritual practice. I eventually ordained as a Buddhist monk in 2013 and began teaching full time in 2015 at Kadampa Meditation Center South Carolina. I was later transferred to teach in Phoenix, Arizona for 7 years where I taught meditation and Buddhism and had the good fortune to engage in and guide retreats at a newly developed retreat center and Temple, International Kadampa Retreat Center Grand Canyon. Just a few months ago I was asked to return here and am happy to be back home! Read more>>
Ken Lizzio
I had lived and worked in Africa for many years and, for that reason, decided I wanted to write a book about it. I started—as I often do—by perusing old diaries and journals of Europeans in Africa. After hours of searching various university catalogues, I stumbled across a narrative by a naval commander named James Hingston Tuckey. Tuckey was an English captain who led an expedition in 1816 to find the source of the Congo River. I had read all the books by explorers like Livingston, Stanley and Speke but I had never heard of Tuckey. I had lived there, in Kinshasa, for two years, so the discovery of Tuckey book seemed like an omen. I pursued it further and the result was this book on little known British explorers of the early 19th-century. Read more>>
Anastasiia Terentieva
I moved to the United States several years ago, originally starting over as an immigrant with very little. I began photographing weddings — moments of love, connection, and vulnerability — and slowly built a name for myself in North and South Carolina. I eventually became a certified wedding photographer and was named one of the top 10 wedding photographers in Charlotte. Read more>>
Chaka Smith
I am a woman that has lived life according to the concept of the golden rule; do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It was upon this foundation that I was raised by my parents Charles and Shirley Smith. Born in Anderson, South Carolina, I came from what society may consider humble beginnings, but by my definition, it was rich beyond measure in love, support and Christian beliefs. Read more>>
Amanda Matos
That’s when I discovered Tony Robbins and the world of personal growth. It opened a door I didn’t even realize existed. I began applying mindset work, fitness, gut health, and nutrition principles to my own life — and the transformation was real. I became a women’s life coach and left my high-paying job to move to the beach, choosing peace over pressure. That decision led me to StrongSelves, where I started as a PRN personal trainer under the former owner, Viktorria Voronina. Read more>>
Gina Cordoba
Not at all—it’s been a journey full of learning curves. Starting Summit Grounds while living between two countries was a challenge in itself. Navigating logistics, building trust with farmers, and understanding the true cost of ethical sourcing required more time, patience, and resources than I expected. One of the biggest struggles was seeing how undervalued coffee farmers are, despite the incredible work they do. That really pushed me to rethink our entire approach—making sure Summit Grounds wasn’t just about selling coffee, but about telling the story behind every bean and paying fair prices that truly make a difference. Read more>>
Allison Daniels
The biggest obstacle is learning to trust the process. Managing a business at a young age comes with its challenges, but in the end, it’s absolutely worth it. My favorite phrase right now is “Do it anyways.” If I am worried about how something it will turn out, I do it anyways. I am always learning and growing in my profession. I am so glad I branched out and tried different styles of photography- it has allowed me to find what I am truly passionate about. Read more>>
Wesley Shaver
As an animal keeper myself, working at IPPL to conserve one of the world’s rarest (and weirdest) species of primate, being a part of global conservation efforts has been a lifelong aspiration. I began my journey into conservation at 14 years old. Volunteering at my hometown Birmingham Zoo in Alabama was my favorite pastime. This led me to pursue a B.S. in Wildlife Biology at West Virginia University where I graduated in 2023. I took on 4 internships at various AZA-accredited institutions throughout my time at university which granted me invaluable experience in the field. It also prepared me to begin my career as a primate keeper at the International Primate Protection League. Read more>>
Jeremy Boutillier
I am a consultant in Tech industry (see my LinkedIn profile), and have 17y of professional experience in the corporate world. I’m originally from Brussels, Belgium, where I met my wife, Jess, who is from Philadelphia, PA. She used to work for AB InBev and was sent as an expat to the HQ, the Stella Artois brewery. We married and got pregnant in Brussels. But life and work brought us to the USA, and New Tork City, where we lived for 4y. A house and two kids later, we decided to move to Charleston. We used to come here for vacation, and visit my brother and sister in law (also from Philadelphia, PA, but she graduated from College of Charleston). Covid happened, both working remotely, we decided to move down here. Read more>>
Elvia Chavez
Most of the hardships I faced was from the very beginning coming to the Untied States from a very young age not even know who I was as a person yet let alone a whole different country with a whole different language. The beginning was rough for me but what I would say was my biggest challenge would be the passing of my son at the end of 2023. Which still is very hard for me not having him here with us, it was only ever just me and my kids so losing him really push us back but I was bless to start to overcome that pain, still overcoming but starting this company was for us and I know will still be doing it for my son Jose Manuel Nieto Jr. Read more>>
Jennifer Mair
One day, while running on a treadmill, I felt hopeless and thought, “there has to be more to life than this.” I knew I wasn’t alone because others around me either felt hopeless or wanted control of their health and wellness. Shortly after this moment, God led me to become a certified group fitness instructor but use it as a tool for the Gospel. My passion is to let others know they have been set free from the lies and bondage of our fitness culture. Read more>>
