Dena Howard
Inspired by faith, conviction, and devotion. As a child, I enticed to create the “art of hair.” I never actually realized it would turn into a profession until I reached college. This was when my real journey in life was evoked. I needed to find my pursuit of happiness and enjoy my true passion as an entrepreneur in the salon industry. Read More>>
Andrew Jones
Fair & Square Imports is owned and operated by myself and my wife Kate Jones. We moved to McKinney from Northwest Indiana, where we had met at Valparaiso University. We have been married for 8 years, and have owned Fair & Square Imports for almost 5 years. Read More>>
Joe Willis
I started as a photojournalist (Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Daily Iberian, et. al.) as Miami developed its fashion industry. I transitioned in to producing photographs for mail order catalogs and people advertising such as SeaWorld, AT&T, Brown & Williamson. Read More>>
Lance Selgo
Back in 2010 while working in Corporate America, a co-worker listed his Keller, TX home for sale. His Realtor listed the property with pictures that she took with her pocket camera, and the photos didn’t do the property justice. Interested in photography, I thought I could perhaps get a better result to market his property correctly. Read More>>
Jackleen Jones
Like most other physical therapists, I started with an idea that one day I will influence and heal and change the lives of every patient I came across. From the time I was 16, I had my entire education mapped out. I would graduate high school early, go to college, and head straight to PT school. Read More>>
Lanese Barnett
TradeMark Car Wash is a full-service car wash with two locations in Collin County. Since 2004 the company has washed upwards of three million cars and employs more than 100 staff, all earning a living wage. The brand is part of parent company, Car Wash Companies, which also owns and operates Tommy Terrific’s Carwash, an exterior only car wash with multiple locations in Dallas. Read More>>
Zach and Beth Welch
We started Forest Ink as a graphic t-shirt company when Zach was a Sophomore in high school to promote his art. Zach was very passionate about becoming an artist. I wanted to show him how difficult promoting his art and self-employment would be, but boy did that backfire! I had a background in retail and a in retail marketing. Read More>>
Rebecca Swieczkowski
Back in the mid ’80s at the beginning of the fitness craze, I was a married part time ballet teacher with 2 young children who unexpectedly became a divorced single Mom with myself and kids to support. I worked 3-part time jobs as a Gymnastic, Fitness, & Ballet instructor and started my own company, F.U.N. Fitness Systems, certifying & testing Group Exercise Instructors – collaborating with Joyce Ward and husband, Dr. Bob Ward, who at the time was with the Dallas Cowboys as the NFL’s first Strength & Conditioning Coach. Read More>>
Samuel Turner
Ever since I was a kid I had a love for photography, video, and film. Up until the age of 16 it was all a hobby, but after my birthday I decided to become a professional. Now 3 years later, I have multiple businesses spanning the photography and videography world. Read More>>
Jewel Odeyemi
I started planning events as a hobby for friends and family, years before venturing into my own business. The extent of my skills was, however, tested in 2012 when, after searching for a wedding planner who had the experience and understanding of planning a cultural wedding and couldn’t find one that was affordable enough for me or understood the traditions of a Nigerian ethnic wedding. I undertook the planning of my 400-guest count invitation-only wedding which was a lot of work but turned out to be a success with the help of hiring a month of coordinator. Read More>>
Linnea Donovan
I started coaching club volleyball at the age of 20. By the age of 21, I had qualified my club team for Nationals. By the age of 22, I was hired as a head collegiate volleyball coach (the seniors on the team were older than me.) At the age of 23, I started my own volleyball club in Dubuque, IA. Read More>>
Ada Liu
Not speaking a word of English, I immigrated to the United States in 2001 with the goal to open my own spa. In China, I went to college for music, but always had a fascinated interest in skin care. The women in Asian countries are taught very early the importance of taking care of our skin through regular facials and good skin care products, rather than purchasing a drawer full of makeup; we are taught to address and fix issues, not cover them up. Read More>>
Windy Gallagher, Wendy Shelley, and Kim Shumway
We’re all relative newbies to the kitchen wares business, but all have a passion for cooking, grilling, entertaining, and educating people on the joys of being a home cook. We’ve all been given the opportunity to take KitchenWares on the Square to a new level with our outstanding customer service, expertise, unique kitchen gadgets and accessories, along with our hands-on cooking class experiences. Read More>>
Mustafa Shabak
Mike’s Tire first originated many years ago in 1993 in Dallas, TX. As a family owned business, our goal was simply to provide affordable tires with the upmost greatest customer service. The original founder, my father Mike, destined to help lower income customers with tires that wouldn’t break the bank. Read More>>
Guy Houston
I was an only child, and my mom was a stay-at-home housewife who kept an immaculate home, so living in a clean house and doing what it took to keep it that way seemed natural to me. When I was 10, I went to work in my family’s grocery store. We lived in a small Texas town and were in competition with two national chain stores (A&P and Piggly Wiggly), both of which offered so-called savings stamps, which were very popular in the 60’s. Read More>>
Lynn Farestad
I was in the HR field for 30 years, when a restructuring resulted in me receiving the dreaded pink slip. I applied at many places, but nothing resulted in employment. AT that time, my Mom had just been diagnosed with brain cancer and my father was battling dementia – so traveling a lot really wasn’t going to work. Read More>>
