11.15.17
Celebrating Exemplary Women Entrepreneurs
Tammy Y. Allen, Director, Marketing Communications & Programs|The NIIC
During Global Entrepreneurship Week 2017, we’re seizing the opportunity to brag on a couple of Women’s Entrepreneurship Opportunity Center (WEOC) clients. It is our pleasure to serve them and watch their ventures grow and evolve. Here are examples of exemplary “she-preneurs” we have worked with through WEOC.
Live On Goods was started by five women with various professional backgrounds and a common tie. All partners have senior family members and/or friends with physical limitations. The company’s mission is to make a line of products to allow these individuals to continue to enjoy their lives with dignity. And that’s exactly what they do with their innovative line of tops.
Made in the U.S.A., bonTops® are waterproof, stain resistant, have a signature pouch to catch spills and front Velcro® closures to allow easy on and off. The bonTops come in three women’s styles and two men’s styles, available in several different fabrics. It’s all about enhancing quality of life. To hear more about their story, check out the Insight interview on WPTA 21 TV from earlier this year.
The founders of CapeAble Sensory Products, LLC share a similar vision. The dynamic duo Marna Pacheco and Susan Hickok founded the company, which manufactures and sells weighted blankets, weighted wearables, and sensory enrichment tools to help improve focus, provide comfort and relieve anxiety. CapeAble has created a new standard in the weighted products industry. Each product is designed to instill hope and provide comfort for children and adults alike.
The co-founders sought help from The NIIC in the spring of 2016 when the company was going through a significant change in terms of their business model. Through several mentoring sessions, they were able to revise their business model and write a business plan to present to the bank for an U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan. CapeAble was recently named as a national finalist for InnovateHER Business Challenge in Washington, D.C. Although not winners of the competition, they are winners in our book.
We applaud all of these women and those in our region who impact and improve so many lives through their companies. For these reasons and countless more, we invite you to join us this week to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week 2017. Visit our website for more information about events at The NIIC. It’s said, “It takes a village.” And that means you, too!
