Meet Meagan. A Concord resident and lifelong educator with a passion for helping struggling readers. Meagan never imagined she would one day run her own business. But after 16 years of teaching, a spark of innovation led her to create a hands-on learning tool—one that...

Meet Amanda. A lifelong reader and storyteller, now founder of Read and Found Books, an online bookstore she launched in June 2024, specializing in books by authors of color. As a Rowan County resident living in Kannapolis, Amanda’s journey to entrepreneurship has...

Meet Grant. He’s the Program Manager for Flywheel Foundation and a driving force behind the Retail Lab Program at the Cabarrus Center in Concord, NC. His passion for supporting early-stage entrepreneurs is unmistakable. The Retail Lab, made possible by a small...

Meet Heri. A Puerto Rico native who turned his love for culinary creativity into Borinquen Kombucha, a kombucha brand that’s as approachable as it is innovative. Heri’s story is one of persistence, resourcefulness, and the power of community support, culminating in a...

Meet Macie. A Concord native who transformed her passion for community connection into a thriving social forum known as The Downtown Dirty. This vibrant platform, which started on Instagram, has become the go-to resource for events, small businesses, and social...

Meet Melissa. She’s a Kannapolis resident and proud owner of Willow's Handcrafted Collars. But it wasn’t all that long ago that Melissa was raising her three children and heading up their school PTOs, with zero expectation of ever owning her own business. As her...

Meet Robin and Andrew, the husband and wife team turned wine enthusiasts behind Cellar Door Wine Shop in the heart of downtown Concord. With Andrew’s career in Software Engineering Management and Robin’s background as a Speech-Language Pathologist, they never expected...

Meet Ethan. He’s the owner of Skyview Strategies where modern drone technology is leveraged to solve traditional problems. On any given day, Ethan can be found using a customized commercial drone to pressure wash water towers, clean hotel roofs or exteriors, or even...

Meet Equality and Stephanie, Rowan County residents and sisters with inspiring entrepreneurial journeys. Equality Biggers, the owner of Bigg on Natural Beauty, creates personal care items including body butters and hair growth oils. Stephanie Watkins is the owner of...

Meet Tanya Freirich. A registered dietitian and Rowan County native and resident, she has a lifelong passion for helping others. Her entrepreneurial journey is not only a story of personal transformation, but also of hope for those battling autoimmune diseases,...