December Aviatra of the Month: Megan Grote, With Grace B. Bold

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After her mother was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at the age of 42, Megan Grote was inspired to start With Grace B. Bold, a clothing line dedicated to meeting the unique needs women have after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

As a fashion designer with multiple design degrees, Megan was able to approach the challenges many women face when undergoing treatment for breast cancer with both fashion and function in mind. The creation of With Grace B. Bold has enabled her to utilize her immense passion for impactful design to launch a company that elegantly meets the needs of a vastly underserved market.

While With Grace B. Bold currently has three staple pieces: the EILEEN, the ANN ELIZABETH, and the JULIE, Megan initially found it difficult to access capital to launch and grow her business. That’s where Aviatra Accelerators came in. After completing the 2019 LAUNCH program, Aviatra awarded Megan a $5,000 grant and provided her with the resources and confidence she needed to conquer this obstacle.

Megan has experienced tremendous growth since completing our LAUNCH program. She recently added a brand-new product and new vetted manufacturing partners, and her sales have climbed steadily. Aviatra looks forward to continuing to support Megan as she grows With Grace B. Bold into an all-encompassing fashion collection full of products to help women regain their self-esteem and feel beautiful throughout their treatment journey and beyond.

“Aviatra’s LAUNCH program is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself and my business! The entire experience was invaluable. I gained professional skills, learned how to run my business with confidence, and have experienced significant growth for With Grace B. Bold since finishing the program. The mentoring they provide is perfect and is tailored to your specific needs, and your cohort members become valuable connections for the future of your business. You make friends, feel supported, and develop all the skills necessary for your business to succeed!”

 – Megan Grote, With Grace B. Bold

Click here to make a donation in honor of Megan.

September Aviatra of the Month: Mindy Bailey, SparkUp

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Early in her career, Mindy Bailey worked at an experiential marketing agency in Chicago. While she was there, she cultivated her ability to help brands and organizations drive engagement through experiences.

Passionate about creating connections, Mindy took her expertise and founded her business, SparkUp. SparkUp creates elevated experiences delivered with flawless execution for organizations. Mindy and her team guide their clients through a process that allows them to clearly define goals for success. Then, they execute and allow the client to be immersed in the culture-building engagement. They take an idea from a small spark to a full flame.

Mindy was part of Aviatra’s 2019 LAUNCH® program. Our ten-week program was invaluable to her, and she learned how to not just work in her business—but work on it. She saw immediate growth in her communication skills and is grateful for the connections she made.

We are so proud of Mindy and her success and can’t wait to see what she does next!

“Being a part of the Aviatra LAUNCH program allowed me to be intentional about working on my business and not just in it. I saw immediate growth in my ability to communicate what value SparkUp brings to organizations. The connections are priceless and I am very appreciative of the opportunity.” – Mindy Bailey, SparkUp 

Click here to make a donation in honor of Mindy.  

 

April Aviatra of the Month: Mavis Linnemann-Clark, The Delish Dish

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Mavis Linnemann-Clark graduated from culinary school in 2011. One year later, she decided she wanted to take her skills and bring globally inspired dishes and artisan jams to her hometown. That’s how her business, The Delish Dish, was born.

The Delish Dish is a full-service catering and events company located in Covington, KY. Food inspired by the cuisines of the world is their passion, and they cater events from 10 to 500 guests. Their mission is to create unforgettable events and celebrations for their clients with outstanding food, exceptional service, and unique presentation.

Mavis’ business got off to a strong start, but she knew she needed some resources to help her grow. She learned about Aviatra Accelerators in 2010, enrolled in the program in 2012, and was a finalist in the spring of 2013. During that time, she learned how to work on her business rather than in her business—and her hard work has paid off immensely.

Now, The Delish Dish recently celebrated 10 years and is thriving with 12 full-time employees and 20 part-time employees. In addition, in 2018, Mavis and The Delish Dish team were awarded the Small Business Administration’s Kentucky Woman-Owned Business of the Year and the Small Business Development Center’s 2018 Pacesetter Award. And in 2019, Mavis was awarded the Next Generation Leader Award in the Entrepreneurial Category by the Northern Kentucky Young Professionals branch of the Northern Kentucky Chamber, and in 2020, she was awarded the Kentucky Small Business of the Year by the SBA.

We are so proud of Mavis and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next!

“Going through Aviatra was transformational for me and my fledgling businesses. The program helped me learn how to work on my business rather than in my business, and after I graduated I moved my business out of my home and into a commercial kitchen. Since then, I’ve grown my company from a one-woman show into 3 businesses with a full-time staff of 12 and a part-time staff of 20.” – Mavis Linnemann-Clark, The Delish Dish

Click here to make a donation in honor of Mavis.  

March Aviatra of the Month: Maria Walkup & Laura McCarthy, LAMA Herbal Solutions

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After starting their journey with CBD in 2019, Maria Walkup and Laura McCarthy discovered that the majority of CBD products on the market were either not tested, not properly labeled, or of low quality. They became concerned that many consumers were unaware of what they were buying—and that’s when they came up with the idea for their business, LAMA Herbal Solutions.

LAMA Herbal Solutions is a local, women-owned, veteran-owned small business here in Cincinnati offering quality CBD oils, gummies, topicals, soft gels, and more. With wellness, quality, and trust as top priorities, they consistently research the industry for the best suppliers and products to improve the lives of their customers.

In October 2019, Laura completed the Aviatra EXPLORE® Program. The knowledge, insight, and confidence she gained through our program were invaluable and helped her learn what it would take to start and operate a business from the ground up.

Now, LAMA Herbal Solutions has two brick-and-mortar stores and an online store and was recently selected for a six-month pilot program with College Hill Urban Redevelopment Corporation.

Maria and Laura say they definitely would not be where they are today without the expertise, guidance, and support of Aviatra. We are so proud of Maria and Laura and can’t wait to see what they do next!

“Aviatra was instrumental in the launch of our company, LAMA Herbal Solutions. We were given targeted expertise and the tools we needed to successfully turn our business idea into a reality. The ongoing support that follows after graduating from the EXPLORE® program has been phenomenal. You can reach out to anyone at Aviatra and they are willing to help in any way possible. We would recommend Aviatra to any woman who has an idea that they want to turn into a business or a business they want to grow.”

Maria Walkup & Laura McCarthy, LAMA Herbal Solutions

Click here to make a donation in honor of Maria & Laura. 

February Aviatra of the Month: Annetta Waters, Annetta’s Beauty Bar

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In 2013, Annetta Waters decided that she wanted to open a salon—but she didn’t know where to begin. A friend told her about Aviatra Accelerators, and she made the commitment and joined the cohort that same year. Annetta took all the invaluable information she got from the program and opened Annetta’s Beauty Bar in 2014.

Annetta’s Beauty Bar is a full-service salon in a professional and safe environment structured for customer satisfaction. Specializing in multi-cultural hair straightening, styling, hair color, wig manufacturing, and make-up, Annetta’s Beauty Bar treats customers’ hair and skin with integrity and the highest quality of holistic products.

Annetta’s Beauty Bar continues to thrive today. In fact, last year, Annetta expanded the Annetta’s Beauty Bar portfolio and launched Eleven/22, a vegan, eco-friendly, ethically sourced hair and skincare product line. The product line consists of nutrient-rich hair products and skincare, particularly for sensitive and problematic skin consumers.

We’re so proud of Annetta and grateful she’s part of the Aviatra network!

“Aviatra Accelerators taught me how to structure my business and to never stop dreaming. I will never forget being in a room full of entrepreneurs who were different colors, ages, and different business types all eager to grow. It was so amazing to have unique subject matter experts weekly and a curriculum to guide us on the development of our dreams. Fast forward to today—I have had a salon since 2014, an amazing career expanding my enterprise, and I am still a member benefiting from the Aviatra network.” – Annetta Waters, Annetta’s Beauty Bar

Click here to make a donation in honor of Annetta. 

January Aviatra of the Month: Kim Beach, InsureWomen

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An avid marketer and sales professional with over 30 years of experience, Kim Beach started Village Insurance, an independent insurance agency, in 2018. Through that venture, she discovered that many females weren’t comfortable and confident in the insurance buying process.

Kim saw an opportunity to fill that gap and founded InsureWomen on March 8, 2021 (International Women’s Day). The mission of InsureWomen is to empower women in the insurance buying process and provide them with the respect and attention they deserve.

Kim was part of the 2018 Aviatra Accelerators EXPLORE® cohort. During the program, she received invaluable training, mentorship, and education and found the courage to launch both of her businesses.

Today, Kim supports more than 300 clients at Village Insurance.  At InsureWomen, she is creating a network of female agents across the country who have a passion for serving women in the insurance buying process. Locally, she provides leadership to several groups, including the Mariemont Area Chamber of Commerce, Mariemont Preservation Foundation, and Route 50 LINK. She recently ran for and won the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man/Woman of the Year for Greater Cincinnati (2020).

“The training and real-life knowledge I received from Aviatra in 2018 gave me a base of expertise and the courage to launch my own insurance agency, Village Insurance in 2018. After launching my agency, I saw a need for a female-focused insurance company and launched InsureWomen in 2021.” – Kim Beach, InsureWomen

Click here to make a donation in honor of Kim.