Tanya Gottlieb
My experience began during my teenage years. I watched the world of fashion come to my door through the innovative technology of EBay. While in high school I landed my first part time job at a local consignment boutique. Read more>>
Jem Bahaijoub
GIT Mom is 4 years old. My very good friend Lisa inspired me to start the business – she actually pushed me into it by accident, and I often joke that she was my last free client! Her first son was not a sleeper and Lisa really had no clue how to survive. Read more>>
Elissa and Rachel Barsky
Introducing PakRat – the cool new way to carry all of your essentials and look GREAT doing it! Invented by sisters and co-founders, Rachel and Elissa Barsky, after Elissa returned from 4 months backpacking through Central America and quickly learned how easy it was to become a target for pickpockets. Read more>>
Selamawit and Solomon Abebe
Selamawit “Selam” Abebe has always been passionate about cooking. When she was a little girl, she spent hours in the kitchen of her parent’s restaurant in Addis Ababa, making a mess but learning delicious traditional Ethiopian recipes. Read more>>
Michal Muszynski
Growing up In Poland I was always surrounded by art. Painting, drawing, sculpting, and music became part of my life from a very young age. That’s where I found the passion and love for art. I began to explore my passion for painting and drawing and soon discovered that I have a talent for creating amazing work. Read more>>
Robert Erving Potter III
I grew up on a farm, I may live in the city now, but I’m a farm boy at heart. I had un-diagnosed dyslexia as a child so creating images became very important to me at an early age. In kindergarten Look, LIFE, Vogue and National Geographic, were my favorite magazines. Read more>>
Ronit Wiener
I’m a self taught painter and have been painting for over 25 years. Most of my work is about strengthening women’s understanding and worth of themselves through imagery and word art. I’ve also been an avid workout fanatic for decades. Read more>>
Adam Victorn, Charlie Greengoss
Vinyl For a Cause started in Adam’s basement in Wilmette, almost two and a half years ago. We were watching videos of bands covering other bands – specifically Brand New covering Modest Mouse – and got to talking about how special it is when bands influence one another and mold their sound. Read more>>
Tim Enarson
My business partner and I started out 2.5 years ago wanting to start a brewery. Due to the high capital needed to start a brewery, we started look for other ways to break into the craft beer industry. Read more>>
Matt Alexander
I am honored that we are interviewed! We started our company on a negative working environment that i was currently in—- Back in 2006 (i was 25) I did a bunch of side work for my previous boss of the company i was working for (handyman, remodeling, carpentry, etc.) and i had gotten “tired” of getting “paid”—–he always said, “you get paid when i get paid…..”—– Read more>>
Sarah Sharpe
I always knew I wanted to go into the fashion industry. While in high school, I worked at my local Nordstrom in Oakbrook, IL and knew I wanted to work with the company after college. Read more>>
Patrick Brady
I grew up in Westchester in the western suburbs. I attended Fenwick High School and Davidson College in North Carolina. My wife and I met at while at Davidson. I played baseball and she played field hockey. Read more>>
Rob Stoner
CTI started as a software development firm back in 1984. Some of the first systems we developed were for companies like Snap-on Tools and Harley Davidson. Our niche was (and still is) developing solutions which “bolt-on” to existing business systems – such as SAP, LN, JD Edwards, etc. Read more>>
Todd Ogren
During the economic downturn following 2008, I needed to create a new venture due to the fact that construction work had virtually disappeared. I had been a general contractor. I had almost 100 guns of my own and my wife said I’d better start a store because that is too many to have at home. Read more>>
Andrew Steiner
I learned about making images by watching my father, a commercial photographer, and from avidly reading and watching anything I could find about photography. I grew up in Rochester, NY, where I attended The Norman Howard School for students with learning disabilities. Read more>>
Dr. Xin Hu
I came to America in the year of 2000. I brought more than 11years of hospital working experience as a Chinese medicine doctor from China. I want to build a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic in U.S. As a Chinese Medicine doctor should can help many different condition, and some people’s suffer are pretty hard , that keeps me hard working and nonstop studying. Read more>>
Lisa Elkins
When I started 2 Point Perspective in 2006 it was to create an architecture and interior design firm where clients could come for stunning design combined with intelligent building systems. During these past eleven years, our team has had the honor of working with business owners, restaurateurs, salon owners, dentists, home owners, and more to create striking spaces and buildings. Read more>>
John Marcoux
I took a class called “Explorations in Meditation” during law school and sensed possibilities beyond the hyper-rational legal training. While working as a corporate attorney, I took my first hot yoga class. I entered the room believing that I was an athlete in decent shape; I exited the room thoroughly-humbled but stress-free, so I took class every day with modest ambitions. Read more>>
Paris Farrell
Well I’m originally from the Philadelphia area I’ve been in Chicago for about seven years now and every year has been pretty much a progression towards me further in my (day job) career and artistic ability. Even though I consider myself a professional artist today it wasn’t an easy path to success. Read more>>
Courtney Spaeth
When my husband, kids and I moved to the Kenosha area in 2010, we didn’t have friends or family down here so it was a little lonely. Having worked in a natural food/supplement store for a few years and having a background in Holistic Nutrition, I was somewhat familiar with ingredients and “clean” products vs. not-so-clean versions. Read more>>
John Okon
We started over 20 years ago with a cotton head covering for cyclists to wear under helmets (the Genuine Do Wrap). We started selling in independent bike dealers and running stores in Chicago. Our first customer was Vertel’s when they were on Wells. Read more>>
Craig Jobson
Craig Jobson, Professor of Art and Design ( now retired ) transformed 22 years of art direction for design, books and magazines into a passion for the publication arts. Though born in Detroit Michigan, he spent his early life and college years in Austin, Texas. Read more>>
Fotini Filinis
After living in Greece for 13 years I came back to the U.S. with my husband and two children because of the economic crisis there. Our entire lives packed into 4 suitcases and with heavy hearts, we left our family and friends behind to start again from zero. I have to say, it’s definitely been a journey. Read more>>
Bill Mehilos
Initially my catering company started out as a BBQ sauce company.I developed Head’s Red BBQ Sauce when I got involved in BBQ competitions in the Midwest area in 2002. I had always enjoyed cooking authentic slow cooked BBQ at home and decided to try my luck competing with other BBQ cooks from across the country in these competitions. Read more>>
Half Pint
I opened Half Pint Shop in the winter of 2014 as an online children’s store. Before the birth of my first son in 2011 I worked in retail, marketing and social media and took a break to be a stay-at-home mom. Read more>>
Jeff Badu
I founded the firm in September of 2016. After working in public accounting for several years, I decided to pursue my entrepreneurial dream and started my own tax practice. Due to my love for helping people and my extensive expertise in taxation and personal finance, I decided to launch Badu Tax Services, LLC. Read more>>
Heather Sullivan
I was inspired to become an acupuncturist when acupuncture had played a vital role in my own health. I have long suffered from anxiety, insomnia and depression, battling it from puberty on. Read more>>
Lauren Hamilton
I wasn’t always a baker, although I thought myself to be as I made graham cracker crusted, jelly bean infused chocolate jello for my family at age 10. Ever tried chocolate jello? Don’t. I have always had the passion of making people food, it’s such a simple way to bring joy to others. Read more>>
Jon Principe
I am a married father of two small children who was born and raised in Kenosha WI. I was a police officer with the city of Racine Wisconsin for 14 years starting in July of 2001. In 2015, after a good career I decided to leave the police department and go into private business. Read more>>
Jamie Schachtel
I originally designed women’s clothing for my own company in Chicago. It was called Louviere and we manufactured on Montrose and Ravenswood with showrooms in New York and Dallas. I purchased a children’s furniture store on Armitage and Halsted called Bellini. Read more>>
Tom Welch
In 2013, the Edgewater branch of the public library was closed for reconstruction. Karen Dreyfuss of Alderman Harry Osterman’s 48th Ward office headed up a committee to try and come up with creative solutions to meet the needs of the community while the library was “down”. Read more>>
Daniel Miller
Over 6 years, I recruited for a headhunting agency and moved up the ladder into corporate training and management. Then in 2009, I was hired by an eCommerce startup, BuyHappier.com (Now called Digital Brandworks) that literally only had a business plan and yet to open an office. Read more>>
Gina Fitzpatrick
I am the owner of One Key Yoga. I’m a mother of 4, living in the city and was trying to navigate the public school system and all the intricacies of family life while contributing financially too. I fell in love with yoga because of its fierce healing and spiritual components and I wanted to learn to share it. Read more>>
