This is the first month Strictly Business is running a Women-Owned Businesses feature, and we could not be more thrilled. The reason we felt it was important to highlight female leaders in our community is to inspire other women with entrepreneurial ambitions. We promote supporting all local, reputable businesses, but this is a neat opportunity to showcase a minority group in the business community. It’s an increasingly shrinking minority, though, as there are 114% more women entrepreneurs in the U.S. than there were 20 years ago (fundera.com). According to the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), 40% of U.S. businesses are currently women-owned and they generate $1.8 trillion a year. As a women-owned and run business ourselves, there is a certain pride we can take from these statistics. By no means does this take away from the achievements of our male counterparts, but when women rally behind each other, amazing things happen. All women are powerful—stay-at-home
moms and business owners alike. As a business publication, we feel it’s our duty to run these types of features, and we look forward to continuing to expand our editorial calendar in this direction.
“Never start a business just to make money. Start a business to make a difference.” - Marie Forleo. Jenny Moraga is the owner/operator of LaborMAX Staffing Nebraska. Jenny’s staffing career started in 2010. With no previous staffing history and a background in sales and management, she started as a branch manager in the Reno, NV office, eventually moving into the role of regional manager of eight states and 26 branches. Jenny feels that her largest success has been developing branches by developing her team members, six of whom have moved on to become owner/operators of their own LaborMAX entity. One of them was the first woman owner in the company’s history. In 2017, Jenny accepted the offer of a partner and moved to Bellevue with her husband and children. She took ownership of the Omaha and Lincoln locations. After working to build the LaborMAX name in the market, Jenny had the opportunity to open a third location in Des Moines. “I love being a member of our community and the beautiful state of Nebraska. We take pride in the joy of finding people jobs that sustain their families and help rebuild their lives as well,” said Jenny. The LaborMAX Staffing motto is, “Changing people’s lives is what we do, putting them back to work is how we do it.” To learn more, visit www.labormax.net or call the Lincoln office at (402) 805-4720. 44 Strictly Business OCTOBER 2020
Manna Industries is the first beauty company of its kind in Omaha. It is fully owned and operated by women. Manna Industries was founded by Marcie Manna in 2018. Marcie, who has been in the beauty industry for over 20 years, realized that the Midwest needed more education for cosmetologists and products for the everyday consumer. Marcie currently has three lines: Manna Glow, Manna Hair, and Manna Cosmetics. Manna Glow has four professional spray tanning solutions, sunless mousses, and bronzing mist. Manna Hair includes hand-tied hair extensions, tape-in extensions, and custom hair pieces. Manna Cosmetics has a base line of products for face, eyes, cheeks, lips; and limited edition collections which include eye shadow palettes, lip kits, and highlighters. During the nation-wide shut down, Marcie realized that despite the pandemic, her sales skyrocketed, which helped her realize that women love to feel beautiful regardless of what is going on in the world. At that point, Marcie decided that makeup and sunless tanning products were the front runner for helping women feel confident in their skin. In her spare time, when she is not working on Manna Industries or working at the salon she owns, Manna Salon, Marcie enjoys spending time with her husband, four kids, and friends. Marcie has high expectations for Manna Industries, and hopes to one day become a well-known nationwide beauty company. Learn more online at mannaindustries.com. #PrintProudDigitalSmart
Many of the following women were brought to our attention by their collegues, clients, staff, friends, or family. It’s clear that they have touched the lives of many through their work and their passions. All of these women felt strongly enough to invest in their own stories and share them with our readers. We are honored to have this opportunity to present them to you here. Please join us in celebrating the following women-owned businesses in Omaha. Read their story, support their work, do business with them. Who knows, one of them might even become your future mentor!
