Celebrating the Solopreneurs

We’re celebrating six successful female solopreneurs in our community. These assertive women started their own businesses and have carried them through beautifully. If you’re thinking of branching out on your own, look to them as role models, and go for it.

Stephanie Martin

A Chance Re-Employment and Training Agency, LLC

Founded: 2018 / Employees: 32 Martin’s company assists individuals with occupational barriers by helping them obtain workplace skills in preparation for securing suitable and sustainable employment.

Challenges: Obtaining outside business capital funding and finding employers who are open to giving my candidates suitable employment opportunities has been the greatest challenge.

Support / advice you’ve received: I have a team of amazing mentors and an advisory board of business professionals who can help guide me through the challenging business process. Also, I am a recipient of the 2019 Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Bridge program where Ambassador Enterprises is my sponsor, and they have helped me make more strategic business decisions.

Advice for female entrepreneurs: Don’t let the male-dominated business world make you think you are not equal. Never give up on you because once you do, others will too. It is also important to do your research about the products and services you offer. This will help you gauge the competition to make sure that what you offer is innovative and scalable so you can have continued success and growth.

Patti Nix

Anne Grey Flowers

Founded: 2018 / Number of employees: 1

Amanda Van Zant

Nix’s business is a studio-based floral design company that provides weekly floral subscriptions for local businesses and customized full-service wedding and event floral design.

Challenges: Marketing the business properly has been the hardest thing to learn in the age of social media. Because I do not follow the traditional flower shop model of providing retail services, relaying my services to the public has been a unique challenge.

Support / advice you’ve received: My husband and I opened our first business venture (Anne-Grey Cooperage) in 2016. We have gained an immense amount of confidence and wisdom on entrepreneurship from simple trial and error—failing and learning and trying again. My husband (Matthew) is my greatest support system, and we have faith that we can achieve our goals together.

Advice for female entrepreneurs:

Confidence is the key to gaining any momentum. If you feel you have a calling only YOU can activate it; no one is going to turn it on for you. It’s your responsibility to build yourself into the person who can live a great life. It is important to develop the power to build your mental strength, emotional intelligence, and physical health. I would encourage you to stay focused on a creative plane, as opposed to a competitive plane.

Women’s Reproductive Ultrasound of Fort Wayne

Founded: 2007 / Number of employees: 2

Van Zant’s business provides reproductive and OB ultrasounds.

Support / advice you’ve received:

Currently, I work on a monthly basis with a women’s entrepreneurial service to help develop strategies and business plans for growth and advancement in the imaging field. Challenges: Expansion of services and hiring additional help.

Advice for female entrepreneurs: Don’t give up. Nothing about starting, building or growing a business is easy. But maintaining strength and endurance through hard times is what separates success from failure. Never be afraid to ask for help and lean on others; you need support to thrive. You cannot do this alone. There is no greater reward than building and growing your own business.

Sharon Tubbs

Move Forward Communications

Founded: 2012 / Number of Employees: 1

Amanda Tokos

Franchise Consultant, C2Believe LLC

Founded: 2019 / Number of employees: 1

Candice Muson

Move Forward Communications is an empowerment agency that uses inspirational speaking, writing and coaching to help people and nonprofits reach their potential and achieve their goals. Tubbs started the business after spending 17 years as a newspaper reporter and editor. She enjoyed her career, but through prayer she realized that God had a new direction for her. She continued her writing career, but focused on faith-based books, rather than journalism.

Challenges: Spreading the word about my services. I’m from Fort Wayne but lived in Florida for 20 years before moving back to Indiana in late 2015. I’m continually striving to expand my audience in Indiana and beyond. Another challenge is staying encouraged as a female business owner. Too often, I’ve been discouraged by suggestions that I should get a real job. There have been times that I tried to do just that. My faith, however, keeps pulling me back to my calling.

Support / advice you’ve received: I’m grateful for the support I get from my family and others of Come As You Are Community Church. Both help me stay excited about helping others through my business. I always get great advice through my pastor’s sermons. Here’s a recent quote from him that stuck with me: “Stop holding back. You owe it to yourself and your Creator to step into your greatness. It’s what you were born to do” (Pastor Anthony Payton.)

Advice for female entrepreneurs: Stay focused on how God is using their businesses for His greater plan. When you see how your work fits into something much bigger than yourself, stay focused on that, work hard, and you will find true success.

Having almost 10 years of experience in franchising as a multi-unit owner and operator, Tokos is now helping others achieve their dream of owning their own business. As an independent franchise consultant and broker, and through her affiliation with The Franchise Consulting Company, she represents hundreds of franchise brands nationwide. Her role is to assist her clients by assessing their personal, professional and financial goals, and then aligning those goals with a business model and brand that fits those parameters. She is an advocate and coach for her clients throughout the discovery process, providing them with support and information to assist with their research, due diligence and validation. She also has funding and legal partners to assist her clients. Additionally, she works with clients who are interested in franchising their business model and/or want to join forces with a franchise development team to help grow their concept.

Challenges: Fear... anytime anyone is deliberating making a major decision, it’s normal to feel a sense of fear and panic. I work with my clients closely to understand them as they process these emotions and help them get to a point where they feel they have enough information to make a calculated decision to either purchase a franchise license or not.

Support / advice you’ve received: Be openminded. Be willing to move forward without having all the answers. Be willing to work hard. Be resilient. Don’t compromise your values. Everything you need is within you. Surround yourself with positive energy and people who support you. Know when to let go. And then repeat as many times as your heart desires.

Flourish & Flounce LLC takes away the stress of designing and shopping for seasonal tabletop décor with the concept of a tablescape-ina-box. Each season, the company releases various original tabletop centerpieces and tablescapes to spice up a dining room table that can be purchased one time or ordered as a yearly subscription.

Challenges: I had my first baby and started a business all in the same year! Balancing my time between work and my child has been one of my biggest challenges. I am surrounded by many people and organizations that allow me to tote him along. Each day seems to have a new challenge; I take each one as an opportunity to learn and grow as an entrepreneur. Center has provided a huge support system with other female entrepreneurs, business workshops and countless other resources. I’ve also found an array of support from other women and men in business in the community. It’s amazing to see how many people are willing to help if you just ask. Of course my husband has been my biggest cheerleader throughout this whole journey. He is an equal partner in parenthood and is always encouraging me to keep going.

Advice for female entrepreneurs: Be positive! You’ll be amazed by how much positivity will help you find solutions to problems instead of accepting defeat. Things will get hard, but you can do it. I think it is also important to find a community of people with similar goals who can help you stay accountable, allow you to network, and support you. a