The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Jeffrey Moore
For me, creativity knows no boundaries. Watercolors—on both Yupo and traditional paper—are often my compass, but I’ve also immersed myself in copper repoussé and chasing, metalworks, hand-fired jewelry, pottery, photography, and even culinary artistry. Baking a cake or composing a copper wren carries the same creative spark. When I create, I go in 100%, chasing excellence until I feel the work hum with life. Read more>>
Antoinette Black
That love for hair and creativity stayed with me. Eventually, I transitioned into a professional salon, where I served everyday clients who entrusted me with their crowns—not just for style, but for confidence, healing, and transformation. Over time, I realized I wasn’t just doing hair—I was telling stories. And I didn’t need a pen or a camera to do it. All I needed was a comb, a pair of shears, and a clear vision. Read more>>
Karen Calvo
When the Navy restationed me in Jacksonville, I brought my business with me. That’s when I officially launched *Tidy by Karen* and began serving families and professionals in the community. What started as small projects quickly grew into something bigger than I could have imagined — with dozens of five-star reviews and opportunities to blend luxury with real-life functionality. Read more>>
Stefan Vujanovic
Coming to the U.S. as a young child refugee wasn’t easy. My family and I faced the challenge of starting over with very little. Language barriers, isolation, and adapting to a new culture made it difficult to find a place where I truly belonged. Martial arts provided me with that foundation. Read more>>
Sonler Alexandre
Alongside that, my artistic side blossomed. I began painting and showing work in featured art shows, exhibitions, galleries, a museum , including my first international juried exhibition in Washington D.C. and later in my hometown. I also became an entrepreneur, launching merchandise that fuses my art with lifestyle products. Read more>>
William Luke
At 19, I caught felony charges that landed me on probation as an adult. At 21, I violated probation with new felony charges and went to prison. A year and a half later, I walked out. While I was there, I picked up a magazine with an article about tattooing. That single article lit a spark. I saw potential. I knew I wanted to pursue it. Read more>>
Jennifer Bleiweis
I had maintained my clinical acumen. From there I rented a small office and launched my private practice. I embraced technology with a website and an electronic health record. I also trained to be a Board Certified Health Coach through Duke University’s hybrid training program. Our cohort met in two, 1 week sessions in person at Duke and trained between these via Zoom. This was before COVID, so I was actually ahead of the technology curve! My practice now is 100% tele-health which offers me the flexibility to work with anyone in the state of Florida. Read more>>
Laggy George
I began my career in medicine and research, but life soon took me on a different path. After marrying and moving to Singapore, I chose to stay home to raise my two boys. Away from family and the familiar, I found comfort in painting, a long-lost hobby. Before long, I began sharing my work on Facebook under the name Paintings by Lejibismi. To my surprise, my art resonated with people in ways I hadn’t expected. It sparked conversations, evoked emotions, and created connections. Encouraged by friends, I began teaching and even exhibiting. In January 2013, my first art exhibition took place in Singapore, planting the seed for something bigger. Read more>>
Kyle Califf
Being an entrepreneur is probably the biggest reward but also brings lots of stress. Different kinds and levels of stress. Marketing and staying in the forefront of agents and referral partners has been key but also demanding. A young family and children that require your full attention even though you may be implementing a new system for your business. Covid also caused some shake ups and uncertainty that as a business owner and family took some time to navigate and understand. Read more>>
Laura Steelman
When I was growing up, my family encouraged me to try to be anything I wanted to be. They made no specific demands other than that they wanted me to be able to support myself, to be happy, and do something that I’d be able to look back on with satisfaction in my old age. Read more>>
Kyana Schrack
Shortly after Logan and I started dating I had been contacted to capture my first wedding, and I brought him along with me to second shoot. Logan is a gifted painter and artist, and his natural eye for detail and perfection balanced my go-with-the-flow, documentary style approach. From that moment, we realized we loved working together, and together were able to create a beautiful fine art photography experience for our couples that blended the documentary style approach with an editorial flair. Read more>>
Robert Acevedo
I began playing music since I was little kid. I started around 5 and I just fell in love with my instruments and with everything that involved that world. It’s been my whole life. I just love everything that has to do with music and percussion. I grew up listening to salsa and jazz pop rock. I’ve traveled played for some incredible musicians and artist. But all of that led to here and I tought to my self I would love to teach and help the future generations become better musicians than me so I opened up rimshot studios Read more>>
Roosevelt Davis
It started when I was just seven years old. I discovered that something as simple as selling candy to my classmates could open the door to making money. That small act lit a spark inside me. I wasn’t just selling sweets; I was learning about supply and demand, pricing, customer relationships, and even the importance of reinvesting profits—all without knowing the formal terms. Read more>>
Jaryn Lee
I began making candles while on the hunt for clean, toxin free fragrances. I suffer from severe migraines and most typical candles are a trigger for me. Once I began making my own candles scented with toxin free and skin safe fragrance oils & clean soy wax ,which then led to gifting candles to my friends and family. The candles took off unexpectedly & I dove into creating a luxury candle and home fragrance line. I now offer three signature scents all named after my favorite place & where I call home, Amelia Island. Amelia Candle Company captures simple elegance & brings luxurious & clean home fragrance into your home. Read more>>
Vitalina
Like most entrepreneurial journeys, launching Burdeina’s Design came with its share of obstacles. The early days were especially tough. Starting from scratch meant doing everything on my own — from building a website and managing social media to sourcing vendors, creating client proposals, and handling budgets. I wore every hat, and that could be overwhelming at times. Read more>>
Dyamond Duperval
As much fulfillment and autonomy being a business owner brings, the journey isn’t easy. Specifically, for me, as an event planner, I find joy and honor in producing events that allow my clients to dance the night away in peace knowing “I have them covered.” So much responsibility, yet so honorable! So many details, yet so thorough! So many aspects to manage, yet so sharp! So many personalities to professionally balance, yet so patient! Monumental amounts of love I have for this industry, Ideally, I’d love to retire from the industry and leave the business to my legacy. However, the challenges that come as a business owner brings about thoughts of season shifts. Read more>>
Laura Testut
Another rough going is finances of course. Having a website (for the photography) and listing tours and advertising etc all cost money that until you make decent money it can be quite an expense. I must say I believe that part to be the most daunting and can be the difference between “going for it” with a new venture and not. Read more>>
