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Brunch Hunch

Elisha Currie

There Are No

The Last Step Begins With Taking The First One

There Are No If, Ands, Or Buts About It!

A Letter From The Editor

A Letter from the Editor

One of the toughest challenges for an entrepreneur is making the decision to pour all of themselves into their dreams. For me, the difficult part was dropping the crutches and learning how to faithfully balance my life on the foundations of what I wanted to become.

A Letter from the Editor

What if tomorrow didn’t arrive? All of your plans, hopes and dreams wouldn’t have a street to park on. What if everything that you decided to put off until tomorrow never happened? There would be no reason to save for a rainy day, and you could spare someone the trouble of making promises. What if your last opportunity seemingly expired today? What would you do?

I admit that sometimes my dreams have felt like nightmares, especially when things don’t sound and look familiar, or make any sense. As I have learned from other ‘dream chasers’, the plan began with a thirst of independence. Yet, I would soon learn the journey can be a draining experience. That is why it’s so important to know where the refilling stations are positioned along the way.

I’ve been told that I often seem like I do too much. Honestly, I feel like I am not doing enough and I’m a firm believer in knowing that God wouldn’t put anything on me that I couldn’t handle. I sometimes wonder how life would be if I chose to sit idle and accept what it presented to me. I have found that to be very boring. In my opinion, opportunity is a blessing that isn’t afforded to everyone. A challenge to me is an adventure. What is the worst that can happen? If I do nothing, I fail, and if I try I don’t, but instead learn something new about myself. Relinquish your pride and in return acquire life.

During the moments when I have run out of answers and solutions, I pause and reflect on the reasons why I decided to be an entrepreneur. These are times that affords me an opportunity to refill my desire to continue and press on. When I doubt my ability to finish the job, I think about the first step I took to begin, then I am refilled. As I encounter naysayers and ‘dream-killers’, I am once again refilled because it proves that I’m headed in the right direction. This is another important step of my journey.

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The best advice ever given to me happened when someone told me to make my tomorrow happen today. In doing so I have pressed my way through doors with a key that only hope provided. I have also learned the difference between what God blesses me with and what life can burden me with as well. I compare it to knowing when to be confident and when to be quiet, because someone may get it confused with being arrogant.

As ‘dream-chasers’, instead of doubting ourselves, we should take value in the many accomplishments of our lives. To make it from the first step to the fifth step, it demanded perseverance, determination, faith, accountability, and sacrifice. So, to make it from the sixth step to the twentieth one, we must prepare ourselves to repeat what was done previously and apply a few more methods if needed.

Of course, we will make mistakes, and yes, we will stumble, but what’s important is that we learn from these occurrences and allow them to strengthen us. It’s also possible that we may repeat some or even all of the same mistakes, and that too is okay. Remember that everything plays a significant role to help us reach the final step of our journey. Only then we will see how important taking the first step was.

Email or Telephone terry.editor@yahoo.com 336-340-7844

Make you tomorrow happen today, but most importantly make it count. Life is but a whisper and we must put ourselves in a position to hear what it is telling us. bimonthly

Make you tomorrow happen today, but most importantly make it count. Life is but a whisper and we must put ourselves in a position to hear what it is telling us.

Terry L. Watson Editor/Founder

Terry L. Watson

Photo by

Huami Magazine Cutest Baby Jonas Jackson

August June Desserts Natosha Fleming

Go and Giving Back Qweshanda Mauney CenterStage In The City

& Lamont

Rodriguez

Marquise Broadnax

the owner of

Cynthia Reynolds There is magic in her fingers. From Washington, DC to Charlotte, NC

Elisha Currie Brunch Hunch

Information and Photos by

Elisha Currie

Elisha Currie is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and currently resides in the District of Columbia area. She’s a proud mother of a young son, a wife and a budding entrepreneur.

As a young professional, and a food lover she quickly grew to appreciate her weekend rituals of brunching with her girls. The opportunity to engage in endless conversations with her friends while sipping bottomless mimosas has become her ultimate form of relaxation.

In many ways, Elisha believes brunching is evolving and is no longer just a simple meals between the breakfast and lunch hours. Elisha states that, “Brunch is growing into a way of life! Brunch culture is here to stay and now it’s safe to say that brunch has officially replaced shopping as one of my favorite pastime!”

Elisha’s love for brunch has grown so strong that she and her husband decided to create a mobile brunch finder app to help find the best brunch restaurants in both your local area and all around the world. Elisha jokingly states “Trust me, I would have included other planets and galaxies if I could have, but I decided to start with our globe.”

Brunch Hunch is a free brunch finder app and is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. If you can’t live without a good brunch, and would love to join the brunch culture, please feel free to download Brunch Hunch for free today and join the brunch movement.

As Brunch Hunch hgrows, Elisha also plans to continue her entrepreneur spirit and join her husband in the development of additional mobile applications to help transitioning veterans from active duty to civilian life.

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LamontStephanie CenterStage In The City &

By Terry L. Watson

At sometime or another, the need for a dedicated event planner will arise for most people. Whether for a wedding reception, anniversary celebration, corporate event, or birthday party, there is a certain level of attention required to successfully produce these kind of affairs. Fortunately, there is a company who is proven and capable to answer the call. That company is CenterStage In The City.

At first glance, it would be understandable for someone to think that owners, Lamont Bradsher and Stephanie Carver have been working together for quite sometime. However, their collaboration has been in the works for quite sometime.

Lamont and Stephanie grew up in Roxboro, NC. They were classmates and childhood friends and have enjoyed a friendship that has lasted for over 20 years. That friendship is what lead to the creation of their joint business venture. Over time, they began to run into each quite often. Stephanie was hosting and decorating events with her business, Perfect Harmony Graphics, and Lamont was managing Sumthin 4 Tha People and providing live music and sound services. The opportunity to do more together became obvious and so after a few short months of prayer and consultation, both of their businesses merged and came together to form CenterStage In The City.

Their professionalism is complimented by their dedication to meet their clients needs, and ensure that every aspect of their service is executed, flawlessly. “CenterStage represents the climax of the event, where everything comes together,” they share. “People seek the services and talents of event planners mainly because they do not have time to or are not capable of producing the occasion for themselves. We understand our clients frustrations and work diligently to address all of them. It’s not just about booking a date, we are here to create memories that last a lifetime,” Stephanie says.

Photos by Still Shots Photography

With CenterStage, Lamont is the director of marketing, and live sound production. Stephanie serves as the director of sales, venue host, and decor. Collectively, they are wellversed in every area of event planning and capable of handling many of their business needs in-house simply by eliminating the hassle of juggling a long list of vendors, timelines, and payments. “We are a one-stop shop. We are here to answer every question from the beginning, when the lights come on, until the end when, the doors are closed,” Lamont says.

Lamont is the owner of Sumthin 4 Tha People Band, a group of young church musicians which was formed nearly 19 years ago. From their first gig at a family reunion, their performance list now includes festivals across the city of Durham and around the country. When not leading the band and co-managing CenterStage, he serves as the director of Sound Media and Technology at his home church of Union Baptist Church in Durham, NC under the leadership of Rev. Prince Rivers.

For Stephanie, in addition to co-managing CenterStage, she is a community advocate and facilitator of LifeLine Unified, Know The Facts, and owner of Perfect Harmony Graphics. Created in 2006, Perfect Harmony Graphics services include executive copy/print administrative services for flyers, banners, obituaries, weddings, graduation celebrations, and creating custom decorations.

Stephanie attends Faith Assembly Christian Center Durham, under the leadership of Apostle Mary D. McKenzie. There she learns to apply the word of God to effectively lead her in the community. She is also is an ordained elder/ evangelist, team lead on witnessing team, lead of Flags of Glory, serves on the intercessory prayer team, and sings on praise and worship team.

“We are proud parents of school age and college age children with a common goal to be the best example our children see. Through business, we make a difference in our family, church and our community. We love what we do and we have fun doing it by keeping Jesus as our focus for strength,” Lamont says.

The emerging company is currently constructing it’s own custom venue space and will host an event expo on July 26, 2019 where a special announcement will be made about their second business location and new event venue. h

B.E. Suite Hair Studios Marquise

By Dawn Cauthen Thornton

Not many entrepreneurs can start a business without actually being in that particular line of work, but when you have favor, nothing can stop you. Marquise Broadnax, owner of B.E. Suite Hair Studios, a full-service hair salon, opened the doors to not only allow stylists to offer their services, but to share the love of Christ.

Broadnax is an educator, business owner, and lead pastor at Revelations Life Empowerment Center. As a pastor, he helps people find their passion which also allows him to find his. “During my pastoral training, I was challenged to revisit the vision that I had written for my life some years back. And one of those things was to own a hair salon,” he shares.

He freely admits that he doesn’t know the first thing about styling hair, but he does have the gift of leadership. And he loves to be able to create the opportunity for others to utilize their passion. “My mom used to do hair and my sisters are hair stylists. I have so many people around me with that gift,” he said. The idea of opening a salon manifested in 2013 but he took time to research the endeavor, consult with other salon owners, and pray about the strategy needed to have a successful one.

The 32 year old knows it takes time, effort, and consistency, but he has seen major growth in the clientele since B.E. Suite’s grand opening in April 2019. His sister, Ashanti Harris, is lead stylist as well as the salon manager, while another sister, recently licensed as a cosmetologist, will start in the near future.

When it was time to decide on a name for the salon, he incorporated his own name, Broadnax, and came up with Broadnax Elite. Elite sets the standard for the type of service the salon provides during each customer experience, as he wants that to set them apart from the rest of the salons in the area.

It’s evident that the Danville, VA native enjoys uplifting those around him, including his students. He’s been an educator for over 13 years, starting as a substitute teacher, then a teacher’s assistant, and is currently a middle school choral director and a college professor at NC Central University, although he’s an alumnus of NC A&T State University.

“During my pastoral training, I was challenged to revisit the vision that I had written for my life some years back. And one of those things was to own a hair salon.”

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Photos by Still Shots Photography

“My alarm clock goes off every morning at 6:15 a.m. and says ‘Change the world one student at a time’. So that helps me focus on what I’ve been called to do. So when I go through the doors of the school, I look at my students and know that I have to do whatever I can to help them get to wherever they want to go,” Broadnax explains. He knows that black male teachers are a rarity, so he makes a concerted effort to be present.

He makes the same effort with his hair studio by conducting random visits to check on the clients as well as the stylists. The stylists are the backbone of his business and without them, it would fail completely.

Just listening to all the ventures Broadnax is involved in makes me tired but staying busy is all he knows. The eldest of eight children takes his brotherly duties seriously too, void of his overloaded schedule, and sometimes gets reprimanded by the younger siblings for acting like he’s their father. He wears the badge proudly.

“I’m stretched but I don’t feel like I’m stretched,” he laughs. He values family time and makes every attempt to spend it with his large family, though his siblings are spread out. Considering he is the oldest, he hopes that he’s paving the way and setting a good example for the younger siblings to follow. Years ago, he may not have been able to say that he wanted anyone to follow in his footsteps. He was failing in school, not taking his education seriously, and wasn’t sure if he would even finish with a degree. But God, and grandma. During visits, his grandmother would always ask him had he finished school yet, even though she, nor his parents earned degrees. She saw the value in education and how it would change his life. It took longer than expected, and he didn’t end exactly where he started, but Broadnax continued pushing forward and earned his bachelor’s degree as well as his master’s degree, and is currently working towards his Ph.D.

From reinventing his first business, to creating a new one with B.E. Suite Hair Studios, and everything in between, he understands that never settling and never allowing others to settle is his purpose. He shares one of his favorite scriptures, Romans 8:28 – ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’.

Broadnax truly feels that he must live up to those standards.

“So when I go through the doors of the school, I look at my students and know that I have to do whatever I can to help them get to wherever they want

Natosha Fleming August June Desserts

By Terry L. Watson

The name August June Desserts is derived from her birth month (August), and her son’s birth month (June). Natosha Fleming loves to cook and bake and was looking to find a hobby that was related to cooking. That is how her business August June Desserts was born. Over the past eight years, August June Desserts has evolved into a state-approved, home-based cake studio/bakery that is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Before starting her business, Fleming stated that she already knew how to bake, but wanted to learn how to properly decorate cakes. In 2010, she took a few cake decorating courses at Michael’s, and that was really the start of August June Desserts. She shared that family and friends really liked the items that she baked, and it was suggested that she go into business selling desserts. The business began to gain more exposure due to word of mouth, and she sued skill sets obtained from work experience over the years and applied to them to the business.

August June Desserts specializes in made from scratch custom cakes and gourmet cupcakes for occasions such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, bridal showers, or just because it’s Wednesday and their client wants to have a cake. “I believe that there is nothing better than a freshly baked dessert. I enjoy creating custom cakes and desserts that are beautiful and delicious,” says Fleming. They offer cupcake flavors ranging from classic vanilla to egg nog. Their cake and buttercream flavors can be mixed and matched to provide the perfect custom cake flavor such as lemon cake with strawberry filling, and white chocolate buttercream. There is also the AJD Gourmet Cupcake Collection, which is a specialty cupcake line that has six sweet and savory flavors such as Lavender Honey, Rosemary Cilantro Cheddar, and Wild Mushroom. Additionally, they design custom dessert tablescapes.

Besides running a business, Fleming is also a mother, a connoisseur of good music, great food, books, and interior design. Being in the kitchen and her love of food is inherited from her late father Neville Bullard, a native of the Bahamas, an excellent cook as well. Fleming was born in Miami, Florida and is the second oldest of five girls. She moved to Warner Robins, Georgia at the age of 15, is an alumnus of “THEE ILLUSTRIOUS” Hampton University, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. She worked with a community action agency in Georgia in various roles before moving to Charlotte in 2005, and has worked in corporate America for the past 13 years. She has been baking for the last eight years.

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Photos by Rae Images

Cynthia “SewCynt” Reynolds

By Terry L. Watson

When examining the garments Cynthia Reynolds creates, one would be led to believe that she has magic in her fingers. That would be an accurate assessment. She is the creative designer and face of Cyntsational Designs, a custom clothing and garment design company.

Cynthia is a mother, sister, auntie, cousin, and friend. Her life has had its share of ups and downs, yet she has maintained and persevered through them all. Most importantly, she is a God-fearing woman who and true testament of someone who exercises their faith to its fullest capacity. “I inspire, challenge, and motivate myself to go above and beyond my own expectations. I believe there are no limits to what I can accomplish and I’m always eager to learn more about myself and my craft,” she says.

“Cyntsational Designs is a form of art that I design and create through sewing. It is not only my brand, it’s also my love and passion and something that allows me to feel honored and humbled. I’ve been sewing since the age of 18 and have always known this was what I wanted to do. I’m extremely blessed to be able to express my thoughts and ideas in the form of clothing and other items,” Cynthia says. “Every piece is meticulously thought, planned, and executed with compassion.”

Photos by Cynthia Reynolds

She has always had the desire to sew and been equally creative with both design and home interiors. Her business began in Charlotte North Carolina, amidst her divorce. While she drudged through her thoughts of single parenting and isolation, a very dear friend suggested that she find something that she liked to do to occupy her time. She also needed to do something that would generate an income.

“I decided to design and create my daughter a dress to wear for Easter. From that design my younger sister also wanted different pieces made and would eventually become a constant source of encouragement for me. My confidence grew as well as the desire to do more,” she shares.

While others admired her sister’s pieces, more work and opportunities began to pour in. What began as pleasure and a hobby became the birth of her business.

Today, Cynthia’s product line includes custom church usher uniforms, women’s dresses, After 5 attire, formal wear, infants and toddlers wear, little girls formal wear and Easter designs. She also produces prom gowns, bridal gowns, wedding party gowns and dresses, suits, garment bags, handbags, and more, and she is constantly evolving and learning new ways of how to expand and improve her brand.

For weddings she can service the bride and her wedding party, even on the day of wedding, providing any last-minute alterations and making certain everything is perfect. She will also travel to different states for fittings and consultations.

For her business to thrive, Cynthia knew she would have to pour her heart into it. “My drive, motivation and determination are immeasurable. I love the fact that my business allows me to envision art in the form of sewing and then take that vision and create beautiful and unique pieces. It has also given me the opportunity to meet many people from different walks of life. I’m ecstatic when someone shares their vision of what they want, and I can bring their vision to life. The feeling is overwhelming. “I am also grateful for the flexibility my business provides to be there for my children and grandchild. I have an 18-year-old daughter teaching her to always have a plan and to pursue your passions is very important to me. I advise her to never give up despite life’s obstacles,” she said.

The life of an entrepreneur can often present its own set of challenges. For Cynthia one was finding ways to manufacturer the usher uniforms she creates. Another one was having the financial means to operate. “I remain confident, knowing the results will be rewarding,” she says.

Moving forward, Cynthia plans to continue to improve her craft. She also hopes to launch her own clothing line and possibly become a celebrity designer.

Qweshanda Mauney

By Terry L. Watson

by Qweshanda Mauney

Hailing from Columbia, S.C., Qweshanda Mauney is living her life the way she wants to; by walking in her purpose and encouraging others to do the same. She is a wife to an amazing, supportive, and understanding husband, and mother of two active, opinionated, and inquisitive sons. She is a licensed cosmetology professional, with over 24 years of experience in the beauty industry, and licensed cosmetology instructor. With this role, she serves as an Executive Master Level educator with Farouk Systems, the manufacturers of CHI and BioSilk products.

Qweshanda says she is grateful that God has allowed her to operate in that which also captivated her at a young age, and for such a long time. Now she is prepared to show her gratitude by giving and restoring hope to entrepreneurs and business owners that have faced obstacles.

Though things are sort of changing in regards to the way she does business, her approach and committment hasn’t. As the owner of Salon Q –Private Beauty Studio, she has decided to retire from behind the chair, and not accepting any new ones. She is also the owner of Q & A Cosmetology Association, LLC, and QLovesHair.com, which offers information and insight on various topics including ncluding beauty business strategies and host R.E.S.E.T. work sessions.

“I started Salon Q in 2010, as a residential private salon. My son had been diagnosed as autistic and began to receive home therapy. His sessions totalled 30 hours per week and required parental supervision, and forced me to choose between working at my salon suite, or closing it all together to focus on his needs. I chose to work from home and eventually converted our garage into a 400 sq ft salon space, and I never looked back,” she says. Qweshanda conitinued on this path until deciding to retire from the behind the chair in January 2019.

Photos

Her other venture, Q & A Cosmetology Association, LLC is an organization dedicated to the education in the beauty industry. It is approved by the South Carolina State Board of Cosmetology to provide Continuing Education Courses for our fellow Cosmetologists and offers mentoring and shadowing programs for other licensees.

QLovesHair.com was started in 2017 during a season in Qweshanda’s life when she experienced a few adverse physical conditions which encouraged her to explore other ways to make a living. She began by posting educational videos for her clients and fellow licensees on YouTube. This grew into more educating and mentoring opportunities, and assisted other industry professionals with creating and developing their own businesses and branding campaigns. She continued along this path, which has opened even more doors of opportunities.

Beauty Business Strategist (BBS, No BS) she shares was created to help develop and implement successful business and branding strategies for entrepreneurs and beauty business owners. She offers short- and long-term coaching services in business including starting, operating, profits, customer service, salon morale and comradery, and more. There is also a component that touches on branding which involves brand development and refreshing, video and photography, websites, and business stationary.

Love & Beauty TV™️ are webisodes that Qweshanda creates that are dedicated to the beauty industry that feature Master Beauty Professionals. In these she discusses various topics important to her industry such as hair and makeup, deregulation and professionalism. The information is obtained directly from the mouths of professionals. She also highlights many of the talented stylist within her community on the show.

There is also, R.E.S.E.T.™️, a curriculum created by Qweshanda. “I know firsthand how life can swing at you hard, often without warning. This is especially damaging to small business owners that deal with traumatic experiences. They are their business, so when they suffer, so will their dreams, aspirations, and businesses too. I created this curriculum to share my experiences and how I recovered from them. The work session is a 2 day curriculum that is designed to help other get back on track. “It’s tough, it’s in your face, but it’s effective and I’m so proud of it,” she says.

Qweshanda says she pours into the lives of others because others too have poured into her. “I experienced a lot of pain and rejection in this industry, especially in the first half of my career. After a major illness, I was going to walk away for good. I didn’t believe I had the training or the skill to be as successful as I wanted to be. When I reached out to others, doors were slammed in my face, literally. I wasn’t prepared for what came at me,” she shares. Still she survived and succeeded but know that something needed to be done so that others wouldn’t experience the same things she had.

“Something is wrong,” she said. “We have the skill, but we lack the life balance and business knowledge we need and it is destroying us and our industry. I want to help change this because we work too hard and give up too much to not reap the fruits of our labor.”

Being a professional hair stylist offers a few unique perks. For Qweshanda, she loves the opportunity she has to leave a little bit of herself with those she interacts with. “I’m blessed to help people who’ve lost hope, decide to give it another try. I get to help people reach milestones they thought they’d never see. Watching people light up with joy when they finally understand the power they have and being able to help people reach their goals is a very rewarding experience,” she says.

Moving forward, Qweshanda plans to go full time with her projects. She is currently accepting new coaching clients and is prepared to conduct her first live event for R.E.S.E.T.™️ this fall. She has recorded multiple episodes of Love & Beauty™️ and is in the editing phase. She is always looking to connect with other professionals who love this industry as much as she does.

BetsyRodriguez KinderMission Foundation

By Yasmine Regester - Photos by JLG Photography

Nine years ago Betsy Rodriguez envisioned having a child care center and a non-profit organization to assist young women who did not have the resources to afford quality childcare, but didn’t know how to bring it to life. But in 2018, that vision became a reality when she co-founded the KinderMission Academy.

At KinderMission Academy, the focus is about providing students from six weeks – 12 years old, with exceptional academics following the motto: “Play, Learn, Create.” The lead teachers at KinderMission Academy all hold a degree or higher and receive extensive training from their mentor- teacher and additional programs. The Academy implements the Creative Curriculum focused on six learning centers: Science/Math, Manipulatives, Blocks/Music, Art, Language Development, and Dramatic Play.

Currently serving 56 students, KinderMission Academy will be welcoming 24 new students in the fall into its Early Head Start program, that is through a partnership with Guilford Child Development. The program is designed to make sure students will be well equipped as they transition into Kindergarten. A new afterschool program is also underway for school-age children that will kick off in the Fall, as well as acquiring additional staff, such as an intake case manager.

Originally from Miami, Florida, in 2011, Betsy was offered an opportunity to be a Director at a school in North Carolina, so she moved to High Point, North Carolina. After establishing a life in the state, building her career, getting married and then divorced, by 2017, she found herself as a single mother and in need of affordable childcare. After looking endlessly for resources to assist her in paying for childcare, Betsy found that she earned too much to qualify for any of the programs, however her debt to income ratio told a different story.

“I was blessed to have a child care provider who really assisted me in making payment arrangements, however not everyone that was in the same position I was in had the same outcome, and that is when I truly realized the epidemic most families are dealing with; sacrificing quality child care in order to make ends meet,” says Betsy.

The single mother shares that in 2018 she saw her opportunity to open KinderMission Academy and knew this would be the perfect avenue to allow her to assist those families facing the same financial challenges as her.

“It was through a life coaching session that God truly gave me the full vision of what my non-profit organization was supposed to be: KinderMission Foundation. KinderMission Foundation is my non-profit organization that provides scholarships for families to enable them with the ability to afford quality childcare that every child deserves and peace of mind that every parent should have,” says Betsy. She attends Elevation Church in Greensboro and does minisitry work with The Kingdom Nation.

KinderMission Foundation is a newly formed non-profit organization founded June 2018, under the umbrella of KinderMission Academy, and is currently serving families in High Point, North Carolina. KinderMission Foundation offers scholarships for tuition assistance and free financial coaching to the families they serve.

“It was through a life coaching session that God truly gave me the full vision of what my non-profit organization was supposed to be”.

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“Financial coaching is about parent success,” Betsy explains. “The purpose is to assist families, what we’re doing is bridging the gap. We don’t want them to continually need assistance. Teach them how to budget and get into a position to afford childcare without any assistance.”

The staff works one on one with families on monthly budgeting, home ownership programs and employment and educational opportunities for parents. “When parents have stability, children have stability,” says Betsy.

Betsy Rodriquez

KinderMission Foundation’s mission is to foster a safe and empowering environment for children and their families to excel through quality childcare. When providing tuition assistance, the debt to income ratio is evaluated to determine the scholarship eligibility and the additional financial coaching helps to guide parents to outgrow the program.

“The community has conveyed a high need for more quality child care that is affordable. Most financial assistance programs are solely based on income limits according to family size and do not take into account the increasing cost of living and the financial challenges most families face,” she says.

Betsy is working on fundraising for student scholarships and says it is a joint collaboration between the school and the parents. Parents help raise money for their child scholarship, which goes straight back into the school. KinderMission Foundation also accepts donations.

“I want donors to know that they are not helping particularly low-income families, because most low-income families qualify for a lot of the programs already in place. You are helping those families that are in-between. The parents may have graduated college and/or have decent jobs. But once you factor in a mortgage, car payment, student-loan payments and regular bills, they don’t have an extra $1200 per month for childcare,” she notes.

She credits her two daughters, 11 year-old Sarai, and four year-old Kassidy as her biggest supporters. She said she understands that she is also leading by example on how to work hard and go after your goals. “Children soak up everything, so it matters what they see and are learning. My children have been so good through this whole process. They stick it out with me through long hours at the school and always encourage me,” says Betsy, who adds they are the ones who teach her about a balance between work and having downtime.

She shares that her future aspiration is to have the KinderMission Foundation provide childcare scholarship assistance to families at other schools across the city, the state and eventually nationwide. “There is a high need in Early Childhood Education and affordability for parents, and KinderMission Foundation will be used as the vessel,” she adds.

Fleming has found love in operating August June Desserts. “I love the fact that I can create a cake from scratch, knowing it’s a work of art that will be a beautiful and delicious experience for a client’s once in a lifetime celebration. I also love the freedom that entrepreneurship affords. I am able to set my own hours, guidelines, and share my talents, all while making a profit,” she states.

Fleming also acknowledges the many challenges that come with running her business. The main challenge she says is balancing work and life. “I have a full-time corporate job, and as we all know, being a parent is a 24/7 job. As a small business owner, I manage all aspects of the business and wear many hats that range from being the owner, baker, website designer, branding and marketing person, graphic designer, photographer, and anything else that is required. All of that takes a lot of time, and I am still adjusting to it all. Another challenge for her is learning that everything in business doesn’t happen overnight. She admits that it’s a long and tedious process that requires adequate preparation.

“As

a small business owner, I manage all aspects of the business and wear many hats that range from being the owner, baker, website designer, branding and marketing person, graphic designer, photographer, and anything else that is required”.

Fleming says her mother, Eleanor Bullard has impacted her life and business with her strength, and by providing inspiration on how to be an entrepreneur, as she owned a clown business and a cleaning service. Her father’s impression was felt through his cooking, work ethic (he was a teacher for over 35 years), and his zest for life. “My father’s passing had an effect on my life, as it taught me to take time to enjoy life,” she says.

The future looks bright for August June Desserts. This year, they started a blog, August June’s Kitchen which discusses topics ranging from baking, recipes, business, and motivation. Classes teaching business/ branding photography, and cake decorating are also on the forefront. They will also hold pop-up shops at retail locations such as West Elm, and participate in vendor events to introduce and promote the August June Desserts brand to new audiences.