Please share with us your proudest milestone of 2021 and what you are looking to accomplish in 2022.
Brandy Watson, BA LE
Bare & Lush Co.
My proudest milestone of 2021 was finally giving up corporate employment to pursue my entrepreneurial journey full time; the result was six-figure revenue growth by learning how to market my 4-year-old business and pay myself, which was significant to the success of the company this year.
I look forward to scaling my skincare line, bringing on more products and moving more into branding the line (labels and names). I hope to have 60% of my income generated from retail while working in the office less in 2022.
Lilly Aguilar
Solutions Cleaning Services
As a minority- and woman-owned independent subcontractor, our proudest milestone of 2021 was to stay in business providing quality services in the construction trade. Due to the pandemic, workflow was drastically reduced as existing contracts and projects were out on hold or canceled. So, with a need for diverse revenue streams and steady cashflow, we were compelled to diversify our services and expand to the commercial and industrial markets.
As a Latina owner, I want to continue breaking gender and cultural barriers in the construction industry while creating work opportunities in the community Our goal for 2022 is to expand into the public sector by utilizing our MBE, WBE, and DBE certifications to market Solutions Cleaning Services and win more cleaning projects to scale up to $1 million+ in revenue We are currently working to create that capacity while motivation team members to maintain our success, and we continue to build relationships and assure new clients of the mutually beneficial outcomes from hiring certified subcontracts like us, highlight the role of minority women entrepreneurs in our communities.
Yaribel Tirado
True-Blue Welllding and Fabrication, LLC
“True-Blue Welding and Fabrication, LLC is a company that fabricates stainless steel tanks for manufacturers of essential products like food, beverages, personal care and household products. Since the pandemic began, it has been very difficult for our clients – and most businesses – to predict the direction of things due to rising material costs, shipment delays, business closing and staff reductions. It’s been very challenging to stay afloat, so we feel blessed to remain in business during tough times. Our proudest milestone of 2021 was to complete the Goldman Sachs 10KSB entrepreneurship program, which taught us the skills to quickly improve our business and helped us prepare a detailed growth plan that will be extremely beneficial in the future. The upcoming year looks very promising as we put our new skills into practice and take on new business opportunities with a more confident and professional approach. We look forward to seeing our plans for growth flourish and our hard work begin to pay off all while being an inspiration to those around us.”
Jessica Wolak
Adelante Construction Group
My proudest milestone of 2021 has been servicing the Green Era Renewable Energy and Urban Farming Campus. Adelante provided electrical construction services on this innovative project, which is a redevelopment effort in the underserved Auburn Gresham area on the south side. The nine-acre site will feature a 7 – acre farm and a 13,000 – square – foot greenhouse ( allowing for year-round food production ) and STEM youth education and training for local farmers and gardeners. It will serve as an incubator for green entrepreneurs and implement innovative technology in the form of an anaerobic digester that, through a natural biological process, will break down approximately 85,000 tons of food waste ( offsetting approximately 42,500 tons of CO2 per year ) and create nutrient-rich compost to grow organic produce. I am particularly proud of this project as it combines the value of green construction, sustainability, and renewable energy with our company’s vision of improving the infrastructure of the neighborhoods of the City of Chicago in 2022 and beyond.
Mary Aregoni
Saigon Sisters, Bang Chop
My proudest milestone was to revive my business and keep all three restaurants open, rehiring three employees and gaining two new hires. In 2022, I look forward to developing my team and continuing to mentor and collaborate with other women-owned businesses.