“At LAEDA I’ve been given the opportunity to speak with a community of women in business who have persevered through every obstacle in the entrepreneurial journey,” Ashley explains. “I’ve learned a lot from hearing how they found success through their own strength and the help of LAEDA. These women continue to excel within the LAEDA network and thanks to this internship, I’ve gotten to learn from these successes for my own future as an entrepreneur.”

During March, LAEDA’s Women’s Business Center celebrated Women's History Month by highlighting the entrepreneurial journeys of women in our alumni network. In collaboration with Ms. Sophie Werner, Assistant Program Manager for the LAEDA Women’s Business Center, Ashley has conducted outreach to gather content for our Women in Business Instagram Campaign which has highlighted several of our alumni and a student from our fourth cohort of the Women’s Business Academy.

Ms. Naeemah Hickson, Founder of Bringing Happy 2 Your Hour (BH2YH) and Session 85 Graduate tells Ashley about her experience: "My entrepreneurial journey hasn’t been easy because I am a social worker by day and bartender by night. The energy you give is the energy you get back. My best advice that has been working for me is ‘what’s for me, will always be for me.’ That keeps me going."

Ms. Delores Corbett, owner and CEO of Secure Benefits Group LLC and Session 65, shares about her road to business ownership: "My business journey has been challenging at times as it took a while to find footing and gain a reputation as a high caliber broker in the competitive, ever-changing insurance industry.”

Ms. Dorriane Judge, Owner and Operator of Reflections By Dorriane, LLC Dorriane and Session 86 student describes her business journey to Ms. Werner, her business counselor: "Aside from motherhood, my entrepreneurial journey has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding journeys I have ever embarked on. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would hold the position of being my own boss. It is a position that demands perseverance, complete effort, and intense passion. I am incredibly blessed and honored to have the opportunity to capture these momentous milestones. This is only the beginning for me, I am ready to utilize my business plan to expand, evolve & make an imprint in my community as a successful maternity & newborn photographer."

Ms. Valerie Stancill, owner and CEO of Cloud9 Wellness and Session 71 Graduate reflects on her entrepreneurial journey: “Life is rude and disrespectful, but it’s what you make of it that counts. Sometimes the journey is really really rough, but you have to see what the outcome is.”

We would like to thank our alumni for taking the time to speak with the LAEDA Women’s Business Center. If you are inspired by the testimonies of these women and are looking to open or expand a small business here in New Jersey, request our business counseling services, a free service provided by the LAEDA Women’s Business Center.