What a privilege and honor it is to be amongst these amazing female entrepreneurs. Fun fact, all of these women you are about to read about are 30 years old or younger! Many of these women have been in business from their early to mid twenties!
Umm…can you say, boss babe?!
Many of these women and I have previous connections and some I have gotten to know through this blog post, but it is truly inspiring to read about their journeys to reaching their dreams. There is nothing that I love more than women supporting women and I am thrilled to be able to use this platform to highlight their hard work, dedication and passion for their skill.
The world needs more women like these badass ladies below!
Owner: Jessica Rebstock
My name is Jessica Rebstock and you all know me from this space I’ve created. Since February of 2017, I have watched this blog grow from what was just a hobby to a fully functioning multi-faceted business that has given me more opportunities than I could have ever dreamed of! I’ve got to know so many of you through this platform and space where many of you have told me you find peace and comfort knowing that you are heard and someone out there (me) can relate to you.
I have shared everything with you all, from my home to my lifestyle and all of the inspirational instances that have taken place in my life. I hope you know how grateful I am for each of you! Thank you for being here and staying along this journey with me. Trust me, this is only the beginning!
~Follow Hello Gorjess At The Links Below~
Owner: Amber Leblanc
Hi! I’m Amber, a Louisiana-based stationer, abstract impressionist painter, brand designer, & creative living in New Orleans, Louisiana.
I’ve been on my creative journey since I graduated from Nicholls State University in 2015, earning myself a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree concentrating in Graphic Design. From there, I have worked as a graphic designer for a stationery business, LSU, and Mignon Faget, LTD. I started establishing my design and art business on the side while working full-time at the other jobs until January 2020 I decided to go full-time with my own business!
Aside from creating, I particularly love traveling, meeting new people, and running around the neighborhood with my goldendoodle, Archie :D.
I think what I love most about having my own business is developing client relationships. It is always a rewarding experience to connect with people from all over and learn what inspires them and collaborate on something beautiful!
~Follow Amber Leblanc Studio At The Links Below~
Owner: Brittany Blanchard
You hear the stories of the little girls who always had one big dream her whole life. Well, I, Brittany Blanchard, now grown am living proof of those girls achieving their little girl dream. Owning a cheer gym has always been on the top of my goal list. I’ve spoken about it so much I’m sure I drove some crazy.
You can say participating in gymnastics in elementary school is where my love for cheer started. While cheerleading and gymnastics are similar, they are very different. Going into junior high, cheerleading try outs was the cool, new thing. Before, there was only a pep squad. Since I am always up for a challenge, I took it head on! Once I became a part of a cheerleading team, I was won over by the cheer world. Yes, cheerleading can be loads of drama and girl talk, but for me it brought serenity to my life. Growing up in a broken family it was home more than home itself. It was the only time I felt no outsiders could tell me any different and those that tried I acknowledged it and grew stronger. Cheerleading made me feel beautiful, brave and strong, so much that I continued cheerleading in high school. In high school, I was introduced to the competitive cheer world and man did this take my love to a whole new level- head exploding emoji with shock knowing there were athletes from all over the world doing skills I can do plus so much more! I had to know it all, see it all and I wanted to learn it all! Through these school age years, I went from knowing little to becoming team captain in junior high and high school. I became All American at cheer camps, went to Hawaii and cheered and so much more. I admired all the coaches that came into my life. Some of them may not even realize the impact they had on my life to this day. I soaked up all the knowledge and opportunities given to me because I knew that one day I would be a coach!
After physically breaking my back from cheering in high school, I was addicted to narcotics. Doctors told me I should quit cheerleading and tumbling, but my passion ran too deep to give up. The thought of a 19-year-old having major back surgery and missing out on college seems insane, but I started to hate my life. I was not the same girl I was prior to taking the numbing nonsense. I became ruthless in negative ways, ugly to my loved ones and totally lost sight of the dream I had as a little girl. Doctors told me surgery and becoming more aware of my health could help. Again, challenge accepted by Brittany! I now have 2 rods, 4 screws and an artificial disc in my L5, S1 area of my back. Since my surgery I have been clean of all things pain pill related. I can also still tumble just like I did in high school if not even better now knowing the proper and natural way to nourish and strengthen my body. This season of my life is a huge reason I coach the way I do today. I always tell my athletes, “Skills are not made from repetition. Skills are made from strengthening our bodies and then perfected and mastered from repetition!”
Post high school, prior to opening the gym, I enjoyed and succeeded in other industries, but I knew my true calling. Now 28 years young, married to Jean’ Blanchard with 2 kids, Sutton age 6 and Lohen age 3, I am the proud owner of Coastal Cheer Academy LLC. The gym all started in 2017 in my home garage. After a few months, due to word of mouth, CCA grew bigger than my garage could fit. In this case, “word traveling fast on the bayou” was a huge blessing. For a year, I rented a space from another locally owned business woman- CrossFit Brackish. Within that year my husband and I began property searching for Coastal Cheer Academy’s forever home. The building process quickly started, and I was in my glory watching it build out daily. Each wake up meant a day closer to being in my own space and then bam, the pandemic began forcing closures of all human contact related businesses. In turn, this slowed down all gym income and build out progression. In 2020, CCA was only capable of training athletes for 3 of the 12 months. They say tough times make tougher people and it did just that!
Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.
Matthew 21:22
With a whole lot of prayer, faith in God and support from my husband, this dream is now a reality. Coastal Cheer Academy is now the only cheerleading facility on the bayou big enough to have a full-size competition floor along with all other state of the art cheerleading equipment athletes desire. CCA grew faster than I ever imagined. While I am oh so thankful and have future plans for the gym, this year I plan to fully admire the gym in its wholeness and enjoy the first year of the gym being operated in its forever home!
They told me I couldn’t, so that’s why I did!
XOXO, COACH B
~Follow Coastal Cheer Academy At The Links Below~
Owner: Natalie Haydel Barker
Natalie is a self-taught artist from Houma, Louisiana who currently resides in New Orleans with her husband and two children. Drawing her inspiration from her faith and the art culture of New Orleans.
Natalie works in her at-home studio and specializes in acrylic abstract and religious art with an expansive background in mixed media. She works mostly on commission and showcases her art twice a year at Southdown Marketplace, a local craft show in Houma. Her process is unique in that she asks customers to send scripture or an explanation about what their commission represents; whether a testimony, miracle, intention, or prayerful encounter. She then brings that to prayer and lets the Spirit guide her hands to create the piece. Natalie has pursued art as a career since 2014 and hopes to one day have an art gallery where customers can stop by to meet about commissions, view her art, or simply pop in to talk about all things Jesus.
~Follow Colors By Natalie At The Links Below~
Owner: Linzie Cheramie
I’ve been in the retail industry for the past 10 years, and I feel like during that whole time I was always working towards my “own thing.” I’ve always been passionate about fashion, but when I learned about some of the negative aspects of the fashion industry, I became very interested in slow and circular fashion. Thrifting was something I have done for as long as I can remember, so it felt natural to merge two huge parts of my life and start a business. We’re able to take items that would possibly end up in a landfill and give them a second chance at life with our amazing customers.
Rumours is two years old and I am always blown away by the support I receive. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to show people that sustainability is crucial, but also fashionable. The only goal I have for the future is to reach out to as many people as I possibly can.
~Follow Rumors At The Links Below~
Owner: Sarah Hebert
My name is Sarah Hebert. I’m a completely self-taught artist from Houma, Louisana & own my small business, Sarah KKreations, LLC. When I’m not painting, I cherish time with family. While married to my high school sweetheart, we’re raising a sass-a-frazz little girl, Brynli, and her Great Dane brother, Bentley.
I started painting after graduating college with a Marketing degree. Until that time, I hadn’t ever taken painting classes or painted at all for that matter. Although I’ve always been on the creative side, painting just wasn’t something I’ve ever tried. I started painting small things, like slates and wine glasses and decided to start selling them on Etsy. After about 2 years, I branched out to canvas pieces and began experimenting with different styles. I was taking on commission work and gradually establishing a “style” of my own. By 2018, SarahKKreations became an official small business.
Through years of a lot of hard work, long hours, and a lot of frustration, it has been so rewarding to see where my business has taken me. I have met so many other amazing creatives (Social media is so great to keep the creative community connected) & I have met and formed relationships with so many clients. I can remember a few years back, I dreamed of visiting clients in their homes to discuss the perfect artwork for their space(s). This is where I am now. I love personally meeting my clients and seeing their homes to be able to paint their perfect piece of art. Although times are a little different now, a lot of those meetings are over the phone, facetime, or email … I’ll take it!
My hope for the future of my business is to continue to grow relationships with my collectors. I also hope to be able to work in more collections/available artwork throughout the year. Most of my work is commission work, so I want to be able to take some time out to create available artwork and more affordable options for those not particularly wanting custom work. Another huge hope is to be able to incorporate more “art for charity” opportunities. Creating art to raise money is something very important to me. I want to be able to do this at least a couple of times a year. For example, I started doing a SarahK fundraiser every year in October for breast cancer research- something very near & dear to me and so many others. I’d love to be able to create more of these opportunities to help as much as I can.
I am beyond grateful for the support of my family, my collectors, my followers, and other supportive business owners. I am so blessed to be able to do what I love every day. Looking forward to what next year brings ~ Cheers to the New Year, yall!
~Follow SarahKKreations At The Links Below~
Owner: Janie Hebert
Hi! I’m Janie Hebert, owner and barre instructor at The Barre Room. Since graduating with an M.S. in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2016, I have been a full-time speech therapist for Lafourche Parish School District, promoting communication development in children who reside in the southern portion of our bayou community. When I’m not at school or at the barre, you can find me experimenting with different forms of movement and fitness, such as yoga and running, or catch me on the back patio listening to music, playing darts, and spending some QT with my husband (Tory), our two dogs (Sam & Louie), and our new kitten (Olive).
I’ve always had a passion for dance. Not just a passive appreciation for the art, but a true burning passion that I knew had to be developed into something more than nostalgia in my adult life. I had dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, like many girls, staying up till 3am on school nights researching and studying various genres of dance and obsessively watching and learning pieces choreographed by some of the most brilliant minds in the industry.
When I began college, I was utterly confused when choosing my career path, going back and forth between majoring in speech path or dance, or maybe minoring in dance, or wait maybe Spanish, because that would look good on paper and land me a great job…. until one day, a fabulous professor and advisor gave me the craziest idea. He nonchalantly said, “Why don’t you do both?” (referring to speech pathology and dance). TWO CAREEERS? WHAT? NO SHOT…… Fast-forward 48 hours, and this advisee was now a communication disorders major and a ballet minor. I ran around campus in a leotard and tights and sat through many communication disorders classes with blisters on my feet from 2 hour ballet practices for quite a few semesters until scheduling conflicts occurred, which ultimately prohibited me from graduating on time with my minor in ballet. I earned a minor in psychology instead, but sorely missed my time in the studio and with my fellow dance peers.
A few months later, I was introduced to barre fitness. I fell in love with the exercise, movements, and the nostalgia that came with being back at the ballet barre. I supplemented my college workout regimen with barre classes every chance I had. It made my heart genuinely happy and my body strong. While I was studying to become a speech-language pathologist, I always told people my dream job was to own a boutique fitness studio, offering barre classes.
Upon moving back to the bayou, I knew I would sorely miss my barre classes that I had found in Lafayette. After searching high and low and traveling outside of Lafourche to take classes a few times a month, my desire to open that boutique fitness studio exploded. My family and friends encouraged me to pursue a barre instructor training in TX in the summer of 2018, and soon after, we began prepping a studio space. We officially opened our doors on June 22, 2019. After such a great response from our community, we expanded to having 2 additional barre instructors and 1 yoga instructor. Here we are today!
Located in the heart of Lafourche parish and situated on the bayou side, The Barre Room is an intimate fitness studio dedicated to offering quality barre and yoga classes in a small group fashion. Community, mindfulness, and movement are at the center of our practices. While our classes appeal largely to women due to the femininity associated with barre, we are inclusive of all individuals, and are focused on improving health and wellness in our bayou community.
I would love for our studio to expand in terms of clientele, instructors, class options, and space. I also dream of having a small portion of the studio sectioned off as a boutique, carrying popular barre wear and athletic wear.
~Follow The Barre Room At The Links Below~
Owner: Saadi Francis
Daughter. Sister. Girlfriend. Friend. Graduate Student. Mentor. Entrepreneur. Sometimes I wonder how I even got here.
As a graduate student at Nicholls State University, I am on my way to earning my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling. As an entrepreneur, I continue to build my business every single day. U R WHAT U WEAR is an online boutique, urwhatuwear.com, which launched on September 5, 2020 after months of preparation during quarantine. Although my degree path is far from fashion retail, this has always been a goal of mine. From working in several retail environments to my friends shopping in my closet, I’ve always looked forward to some day diving into fashion retail. U R WHAT U WEAR has given me the opportunity to personally curate a retail store according to my style, which is rather bold and edgy. It’s curated for the trailblazer in all of us, the part of us that dares to be different.
As a huge mental health advocate, I want to encourage others to wear whatever they want, whatever makes them feel good! That is what I hope to provide to my customer. Moving forward, I want to grow. I wish to one day have a brick and mortar store, hire employees, and grow my men’s collection. However, my greatest goal is to design my own line of women’s clothing for U R WHAT U WEAR. As this will all come in time, I will continue to work hard and stay patient. I used to be so afraid of growing up, but I’ve never been more excited for what the future holds!
~Follow U R What U Wear At The Links Below~
Owner: Emily Becnel
Hi! I am Emily, owner of Rosé! I was born and raised here in Thibodaux. Rose’ was established in 2017 in Thibodaux, Louisiana. We are located in the Mike Ory Town center right next door to Big Mikes BBQ.
When I come into my store, it never feels like work, because I am doing something I love. As a little girl, I always knew I wanted to work in fashion. I never dreamed it would become a reality, but here we are, and I am loving every minute! My customers are truly my favorite part of Rosé. I love helping them find outfits that make them feel, not only beautiful, but confident! I always had the dream of owning my own store one day. I have always loved fashion and shopping and one day I made that dream a reality! With a lot of hard work, tears and meltdowns, I made Rose’ come to life. I could not have done it without the support of my family friends and the town of Thibodaux!
With everything that has happened with the shutdown of small businesses due to the Corona Virus this year, I guess my one big hope is to make sure my business grows and survives even through setbacks that I may face. I hope to have an even bigger social media presence in the new year and hope to branch out to a second location within the next five years. My goals keep growing for this store, but those goals are only made a reality because of my team, my customers and the support that everyone has shown my small business.
~Follow Rosé At The Links Below~
Not Pictured
Owner: Braylin Cheramie
I’m 27 years old and I’m originally from Larose, Louisiana. I graduated from Paul Mitchell Cosmetology school and worked in Baton Rouge for 4 and a half year before moving to Thibodaux.
Bellamy Beauty Lounge is a full service salon that started in 2017. I had always envisioned owning my own salon and when I wanted to move closer to home, it just seemed like the right time and I took a chance! With a lot of hard work and blessings it paid off! Now, Bellamy Beauty Lounge has been open for 3 years and has gone from a 2 chair salon to a 4 chair salon. I work along 2 other experienced stylist, Jena Bergeron and Paige McMillan. We have created a salon atmosphere that is positive and enjoyable.
For the future I hope to continue to grow and give a positive salon experience to all of our guest!
~Follow Bellamy Beauty Lounge At The Links~
“Just a girl boss building her empire “
Photographs By: Andréa Brunet Orgeron
These are wonderful stories about hard work and dedication. Personal struggles and faith on the road to success makes us strong .
Hey Jess,
love this post. I too am a blogger, lilbitofmumsiesworld.blogspot.com. I remember that little girl in church sitting between her loving parents, always having something to say. I wanted to share that after 30 years of nursing, going though a divorce after 30 years of marriage, I am now an artist as well. Took 8 years ol painting lessons as a child with MS. Godlyn Serigny, I had stopped that while raising my family and nursing. Finding myself, single and retired I was looking for something to add to my life. I prayed on the rosary my mom gave me before she passed, “God tell me what Ineed to do.” The next morning I painted a portrait of my neighbors home. Since then I have not stopped painting portraits of homes on old music and slate. I have painted over 100 pieces and have over 100 orders! Self made artist, and I love what I do. I make my own hours so I can spend time with my little grandgirls. Follow my blog if you get the chance!
Keep up the good work, Jess
Lilly Riera
Hi Ms. Lilly!!! It is so good to hear from you! WOW! I love your story so much. I am so proud of you and so excited for you. You are awesome and I am so glad your journey led you to blogging and expressing your creativity. There is nothing greater than expressing yourself by creating! THANK YOU FOR REACHING OUT!!! SO nice to hear from you!!
Inspiring women!
Thanks so much!