Tommy McInerney
I started boxing at the age of 18yrs old and started training/teaching boxing about 13 yrs. Ago. Through my years of teaching boxing I have worked with a large variety of Boston’s VIP people from Professional Athletes, Radio/News people, Olympic Gold Medalists, and the A-list people that has built Boston to be a better place and that is what put me on the map. I have a large clientele base that trust me and I believe that is what made me who I am today. I have to say teaching boxing was a hobby for me, came easy for me, so there was never any pressure, and not to people can say they love their job. So yes, it has been smooth road. Read more>>
Jack Finucane
I went to school for music performance but was always fascinated by the mechanics of my instrument, the saxophone. I was privileged enough to be accepted into the masters program at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2011 and also simultaneously began apprenticing in saxophone repair with master craftsman Ernie Sola. Upon graduating I faced a tough decision; move to New York city to pursue a career in music or open my own business here in Boston repairing saxophones. The Boston Sax Shop was opened shortly after I graduated and I’ve never looked back. Read more>>
Ryn Midura
I first learned about herbalism when I met Katja, my wife and partner, through mutual friends. She introduced me to herbalism when we started dating. At the time, the job I was in was an on-call gig with substantial downtime between calls, so I was able to study intensively while still earning a living. Not too long after, I started teaching classes with Katja, then seeing clients. Meanwhile, she was stepping back from her tech job in stages, and establishing her own herbal practice and the foundations of our center. Ultimately, she was able to transition to full-time herbalism, and after a couple years I was too. We’re one of a very few married couples in the US in which both partners are full-time herbalists! Read more>>
Derrick Campbell
I moved to Boston in 1997 seeking fame and fortune, but instead landed a job at Guitar Center. In the process of selling guitars, customers would often ask if I taught guitar, so I started teaching house call guitar lessons when I wasn’t working at the store. Within a few months it got to the point to where I was teaching and working about 80 hours a week with no days off, so I stopped working at Guitar Center and started teaching full time at Music Maker Studios in Brighton. Since then, I’ve accepted positions at other places including Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, and the Boston Center for Adult Education, where I teach group guitar classes. Read more>>
Angela Wilcox
Leashrly Life is owned and operated by professional dog trainer, Angela Wilcox who is also the proud owner of an eleven-year old mixed breed pup, Maizie. Angela has worked with dogs for many years and enjoys the companionship and satisfaction she gets through Leashrly life. Trained at Pawsitive Dog Training School for Dog Trainers by Mark MacRae, Master Trainer/Owner, Angela participated in intensive, hands-on training with a variety of breeds and temperaments. She has completed all requirements in the Dog Trainers Program and is qualified in all levels of obedience, behavioral modification, temperament evaluation, breed selection and basic medical. Read more>>
Alex Ostiguy
I got my start in the landscaping industry when I was 17 years old. I started by working for other local landscape companies. I did this for about 6 years as I learned the ropes before starting my own business in 1996. When I started it was just me, a lawn mower and a pickup truck and all I did was strictly residential lawn maintenance and snow plowing. As time went by and I developed relationships with many great customers the company started to grow and I started to hire employees and bought more trucks and equipment. With the trust we developed with our growing customer base we were constantly receiving requests for additional services such as patio and wall installations and irrigation system installations. Read more>>
Kevin Poirier
One of my first jobs out of design school was with an advertising agency in the Back Bay. Great experience from many perspectives, I gained a lot of valuable design and marketing savvy, but one big frustration were all the roadblocks and redtape that got in the way of the creative. Project managers translating client needs to creative directors. Art Directors conveying ideas to designers: like a game of “telephone” the entire message got butchered — back to the drawing board, and the costs keep rising. I started PearTree Design right after that job, without much of a sense as to how to run a business, but knowing I could provide top-notch design work to clients by working directly with them, and cutting out the red tape. Read more>>
Kari Heistad
In 1998, I followed my heart to Greece chasing the man I loved. While I was there, I began doing consulting work and when I decided that he was not the love of my life and I returned home I continued as a consultant and a trainer. At the time, it was perhaps not a completely sane idea, as I had only $52 to my name, but never the less, I plunged into building what would become Culture Coach International for the second time in two years. The company has changed names, expanded, contracted, morphed, adjusted and pivoted based on the marketplace over the past 19 years. Read more>>
Marnie Millington and Arden Hill
Although we grew up in different parts of the country, we ended up at Boston Children’s Hospital & really admired each other’s work. We became good friends and after a few years of working together, we realized that we wanted to create a small, loving environment where we could expand the ways in which we helped children and their families. All roads have bumps. When we started, we knew how to help kids talk and eat, but were newbies when it came to creating a company and all of the administration that came with it. Renting and renovating spaces, billing, hiring and firing…gosh all these things were new to us! Read more>>
Barbara Campbell
After college, I started working at a front desk of a hair salon/spa in Wellesley. I loved the atmosphere and decided to go back to school for aesthetics. Worked for a dermatologist and spa. Then after having children I settled in newton working for a med spa. My friends at Vaiani & Clarke salon offered me a spot down stairs and I jumped on it. I built my life and work in newton thru my friends, schools, and the gym. I am truly in the most amazing place. So far since it’s just me it’s been a smooth road. Read more>>
Diane Kelly
My background is in cardiac ultrasound. I worked in the field of cardiac ultrasound for 28 years. I was not very happy with my last job in this field, which was working as a Clinical Application Specialist for Biosense Webster. I have always wanted to run my own business, and particularly 1 that involved animals. So, in 2014 I decided it was time for a change and time to open my own business. I took the summer off and began to research franchises or a business to buy. I decided to purchase a dog grooming business down in North Carolina. In October of 2014, I drove to North Carolina and spent a month working at the dog grooming business. I really enjoyed the grooming, but was not all that pleased in the town the business was in. Read more>>
Irina Koles
It all started with my passion for cooking since I was 14. Hundreds of recipes from magazines, favorite chefs, family and friends, were saved and have been practiced. Family events’ planning and menus became totally my responsibility. Our guests started to name their recipes: “Irina’s marinated meat”, “Irina’s pie” “Irina’s cake” etc’. Interestingly enough, I’ve never considered becoming a professional chef. Everything related to food – menus, shopping, cooking and of course eating, all started as and remain exclusively a hobby. Graduating from Medical School, raising a family, moving across continents, countries, and changing professions, have never impacted my hobby of cooking. Read more>>
Stacy M
adison
Original founder of Stacy’s Pita Chip Company, Stacy has started her newest venture, Stacy’s Juicebar. It was created from the roots of when she had a food cart in downtown Boston serving healthy sandwiches and salads, Today, this is the basis of the juicebar. She combined this long term healthy food passion with what she learned being a board member of evolution juice (sold to Starbucks). Stacy’s Juicebar is certainly a smoother road than the pita chip company. Experience helps and so does being properly financed, however the juicebar biggest struggle is education the community on healthy living and food choices, but now after 4 years, people have caught on and we are a part of daily life in Needham. Read more>>
Fernanda, Ana Paula, and Roberta Mendes
In less than ten years, four sisters from Brazil turned a faraway dream into a reality, and on March 1, 2010 Bella Sisters Salon and Spa was born. In 2000, Roberta Mendes came to America from Brazil with her mother; she took her first job as an assistant at Dellaria Salon in Natick. Soon after, her mom joined her at the salon also taking an assistant position. After some thought, Roberta’s mom decided she wanted to go back to Brazil and tried to convince Roberta with no success to go back with her. Despite barely speaking English, Roberta was determined to make a life in the U.S. Upon returning to Brazil, Roberta’s mom asked her daughter Ana Paula to visit Roberta so that ultimately both sisters would both return to Brazil. Read more>>
Karma Kitaj
My family was not at all entrepreneurial, my father being a research chemist and my mother a high school English teacher. But my mother always said: “If you don’t toot your own horn, no one else will.” So, I’ve learned to toot. And have fun with it, hoping I don’t alienate too many people. So far, I haven’t lost friends that I know of. My first foray into starting a business was going into private practice as a psychotherapist with only a Master’s degree in social work. I’m not a team player and always liked to work on my own, setting my own rules and agenda, working as much as I wanted and having only myself to blame if things didn’t work or praise myself when they did work. Read more>>
Rebecca Savard
In 1990 while working in a pet store, I realized the need to be able to see people’s fish tanks in their location and Fish Works was born. From there I started going to homes and offices to access their tanks which turned into maintaining their tanks for them. Since then we have moved onto customized aquariums which we design and install. We work with architects and contractors as well as the clients to design the best fit for the location. We currently maintain over 300 tanks every month in many well-known locations from 10 gallons up to 500 gallons. Read more>>
Daniel Cohen
My family immigrated to Boston from Cape Town South Africa, so I guess you can say transition is part of my DNA. Though my family and I settled in Newton, we bounced around Mass. I grew up not really feeling settled in my environment, while my parents worked hard with a dream to own a home. Real Estate is connected to so many parts of our life web- It has always been a dream of mine to contribute to others growth and to be a positive figure in the community. That’s were I always start from, my values- working hard, never quit, faith, always learn and grow, be kind, help those when you can. Read more>>
Merita Mullen
I began my professional career as an Ice Dance coach at various rinks in the greater Boston area. One of the rinks had begun a Synchronized Skating team, and their coach had to relocate, leaving the team without a coach, or a candidate for the position. I was approached, and accepted the job, knowing nothing of Synchronized Skating. I educated myself, and grew that organization to eventually include six teams. We won a variety of National medals, one title, and represented the USA in two Junior World Championships. I then, with the help of dedicated volunteers created a new organization representing The Skating Club of Boston, where I had skated as a child. Read more>>
Deborah Hansen
The kitchen has been my workshop and my happy place for most of my life. Although I never considered a culinary career, I kept finding myself at my most joyful when I was immersed in food and wine. After earning a B.A. from Bates College and an M.A. from N.Y.U. Madrid, I opened my first restaurant in Madrid, Spain at the age of 28 back in 1992 (with my husband-at-the-time) … Over the next 5 years I would give birth to two wonderful girlchildren and earn my Sommelier Certification in that unabashedly food-obsessed and bustling city. My love for Spain and her cuisine, so firmly and respectably rooted in regionality and seasonality, never wavered. Read more>>
Abbie Allenson
I began working at North Shore Community Development Coalition (CDC) as an intern my senior year of college. I worked full time for four days a week during my fall semester and was able to not only learn about how the organization functioned, but the different roles my supervisor had including event management, marketing, graphic design, and grant management. After my supervisor stepped down to pursue her dream of living in Oregon, I was hired part time while I completed my degree. Luckily, the full-time position was saved for me until after I completed my degree at Endicott College and I started my position as Marketing and Development Manager two days after graduation. Read more>>
Kevin Marden Sr.
Having worked for a major corporation, (Beatrice Foods Co.) as a regional distribution director, I came to the realization that I wanted to further pursue this line of work by starting my own business. I had been working in the transportation industry since my family started a trucking company in 1962. What I needed to start World Class was a buzz word that would gain some attention and lead this new venture into the supply chain Philosophy of the 90’s. This term turned out to be “Logistics”, everyone was jumping on this band wagon and I wanted to take advantage and get our name out as soon as possible. Read more>>
Wayne Dills
After 20 years in the Action Sports Industry, I wanted to try something new. I spent 4 years in the wine industry from 2007-2011, first as a buyer and then as a salesperson in the Fine Wine division of a major distributer here in Massachusetts. I used one of my vacation weeks to attend a major food show in Paris to see what kind of products where available but not currently imported into the U.S. Six months later, I had some samples and took another vacation week and walked into some grocers and was struck by what I heard. There seemed to by an openness to new food items. In fact, a need for new food items. Read more>>
Mark Ciccone
I wouldn’t say that I am the typical Accountant or CPA. At least not the type that has been cast in movies or TV shows. I grew up in Walpole Ma, before going to Boston College High School. This was a unique choice for me since I decided to trade a 10 minute commute to school for an hour and fifteen minute public transportation commute into Dorchester Ma. I stayed on the Eagle path and attended Boston College before receiving my Masters in Taxation at Northeastern University. I played Rugby throughout my High School and College careers which culminated with being elected Captain my senior year at Boston College and being named to the D1 North East All Stars. Read more>>
Angie O’Donnell and Sue Williamson
Our story goes back to 1990 in Zurich, Switzerland, where we were working as summer interns as part of the Babson MBA program. That summer was full of exploration and our friendship was firmly grounded in a rich personal experience. Over the next 25 years, we grew our respective careers and our families while remaining in close contact no matter where we were living and working. We were always there for one another during life’s big milestones like Angie’s wedding, the births of our children, and the many anniversary and birthday dinners over the years. When Angie got the job offer to move to Hong Kong with Bank Boston, Sue was the first person she called to help her decide; and when Sue needed support with her career choices, Angie was always a phone call away. Read more>>
