8 Amazing Small Business Owners I Will Never Forget

Welcome back to Small Business Straight Talk, a weekly newsletter covering small business topics and highlighting the best small business resources. I am the editor of CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. You can sign up for CO—’s newsletter here and follow us on LinkedIn here. 

This week I was honored to be named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices for Entrepreneurship and Small Business and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Thanks to all of you who subscribed to my newsletter for making this happen. Making the list got me thinking about all the amazing small business owners I’ve met in the last couple of years and how all of their stories inspire me to keep working for small businesses. They have all truly been amazing people but a few stand out and will stick with me for a long time. Here are a few I’d like to share and I hope they inspire you, too. 

1. I met Hunter and Griff Jaggard (and their parents) last year in Houston. Their FireDisc outdoor cooker business started out as a business with a social entrepreneurship angle but quickly grew into a full-blown phenomenon that is sold in retailers across the country. I loved hearing their success story and also about the mistakes they made, too. You can check out my interview with them here. (I think I still owe one of them a box of saltwater taffy from the Jersey Shore.)
2. The most amazing thing about the founders of Merchology, (Dick Ward, Andrew Ward and Ally (Ward) Delgado) was that the three of them (father and his two kids) managed to grow a hugely successful business working together as a family. Their approach to reinventing and modernizing the promotional advertising product business is so smart and clever and their business was growing like crazy last time we spoke. But mostly, they seemed to really understand that family comes first and found a way to leverage their bond to build a very successful business. If you haven’t heard of their business and are looking for some company gear for your employees, check them out — they have a lot of amazing apparel and other gifts you can add your logo to. You can read their story here. 
3. Barbara Meikle owns an art gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not only is she an amazing artist (please check out her amazing art here) but she is also a very savvy entrepreneur. When the pandemic hit, her gallery had to close for a while. But she managed to leverage her years-long mailing list and social media to keep business going. I’ve interviewed her twice and I found her inspiring both times — especially because she managed to find a pandemic silver lining that has allowed her to reflect on her career and business. In case you’re wondering, my favorite painting is this one of her frequent subjects - this adorable donkey. You can see a recent interview with Barbara here. 
4. Hadley Douglas and her husband TJ Douglas own The Urban Grape, a wine store in Boston on a mission to make wine accessible to all. When they found they were not seeing enough diversity in their job candidate pool, they decided to do something about it by creating their own pipeline of talent in creating a training program for future employees. You can watch my interview with Hadley here. If you want to learn more about drinking or buying wine, they have some great resources on their site. 
5. I just met Bunnie Hilliard this week and I gotta say, never have I met a business owner who can more clearly explain what their business does. Bunnie says: We diversify bookshelves. What could be clearer than that? Her independent bookstore called Brave & Kind Books specializes in curating books that feature a wide range of characters and stories from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. When COVID closed her Atlanta-based store, she switched to e-commerce and is working hard to create an in-store feeling on social media. (Check out her Instagram to see the famous rug we talk about in my interview with her here.) Oh, and if you’re looking for a great kid gift, check out her book subscriptions.
6. I also met Ashley Bounds this week. Ashley lost her job during the pandemic and decided to launch an Etsy shop called Your Poetic Aesthetic, featuring her laser cut products. She has some super cute items and I especially love her personalized mask hooks which could make an amazing holiday gift. But what I loved most about Ashley is that even though her shop is brand new, her customer service was excellent. She connected with me, verified my order, gave me some additional options and pretty much made me a customer for life. She reminds us that you don’t need a big budget to provide excellent service. Check out her “Baby’s First Pandemic” ornament. It’s pretty cute, too. 
7. Dr. Lana Joseph-Ford is a New Orleans-based doctor who runs two speech and hearing practices in Louisiana. More than that, though, she’s an entrepreneur who has built not only her business, but her personal brand in a way that combines so many skills and talents that it’s hard to believe one person could be so talented! You can check out my interview with her here. 
8. Shannon Bahrke Happe is a medal-winning Olympic skier who has transformed herself into a successful entrepreneur with her Team Empower Hour leadership and team building business that employs former Olympians. But that’s not even the coolest thing about her. Besides her pink hair, she is an unbelievably upbeat and generous soul who inspires everyone she meets, especially through her talks and speeches. She even brought her Olympic medal when she spoke to us in Salt Lake City. You can see a clip of one of her amazing presentations here.  

Jeanette Mulvey is a passionate advocate for small business and the Executive Director of Content for CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Follow CO— on Instagram!