Ashley Mooneyham, founder of Momease Solutions, discovered the sorry state of breast pump technology the hard way. As a new mother three years ago, she found she needed four 15-minute pump cycles just to fill one bottle—and babies drink a bottle every two hours or so....
Letter From the Editor
MyWeels founder on catching a fast-moving ride
Elam Baer faced a big problem when Uber and Lyft threatened to leave town over a Minneapolis City Council ordinance dictating pay for drivers this spring. What he did next—create a rival rideshare service in just weeks called MyWeels—is an impressive example of...
Mercury Mosaics founder on the courage to be a beginner
“You have to be willing to suck at something new.” That’s what the founder of Mercury Mosaics, Mercedes Austin, thinks about growing her custom tile-making business to each new level. I’m loving her viewpoint as I embark as a beginner on so many pursuits. Austin is a...
A Bar of Their Own founder on ignoring the experts
On day 31 at her new bar that shows only women’s sports on all its TVs, owner Jillian Hiscock assessed a gonzo opening punctuated by women’s March Madness and Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark. “We survived. That’s what it was like,” she said with a laugh, detailing lines...
Listen then act is winning recipe for CKC’s founder
If you’ve ever packed lunches for your picky kids—no crusts for this one, hair-trigger gag reflex for that—imagine trying to please 45,000 mostly school-aged customers a day. That’s the challenge for Nancy Close, founder and CEO of CKC Good Food. At age 24 she bought...
‘Help one another’ urges Charter Solutions CEO and Hall of Famer
Anyone who meets Dee Thibodeau gets an instant jolt of confidence and can-do spirit, qualities that bounce off her during a dizzying string of daily meetings that she considers routine. “I am a very social person, so I am out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And what...
Kobi Co.’s advice: Take control of your future
After 28 years at a banking and investment firm, Tasha Harris found herself on the wrong side of yet another management change. “I very quickly went from the golden child to the black sheep,” she recalls. “It became toxic for me. I had to medicate myself to get to...
Prosperwell’s owner turns harrowing past into her ‘why’
“Today is a hard day,” said Nicole Middendorf this August 4. Because 13 years ago, with two little kids, she gathered the courage to make a 911 call and report domestic violence against her then husband. I had followed the local radio talk show host and owner of a...
When it’s time to manifest
I quit my day job at Franchise Times in a rage in May, after the owner got cold feet and killed one of my articles detailing serious allegations against a large franchise brand. At first, I felt devastated to let down the dozens of individual owners who were counting...
Galley Group calls for aspiring chefs
The folks behind the North Loop Galley food hall in Minneapolis are putting out a call for entrepreneurial chefs to launch their restaurant concepts with “minimal upfront cost, maximum brand exposure and dedicated ongoing support,” as the Pittsburgh-based outfit calls...