We were fortunate to catch up with some brilliant artists, creatives and entrepreneurs from throughout the Houston area and they share the wisdom with us below.

Mia Young | Small Business Owner

Navigating a small business during highly competitive times can be difficult. However, persistent effort can lead to success despite the inevitable ups and downs. Read more>>

Dayle Zelenka | Permanent Jewelry Business Owner, Landscaper, Mom, Wife

I think one of the most important things I have done as a mom, wife, & woman is to start The Welded Company. The few months in between having my son and starting my business I would say was one of the hardest periods of time in my life. Going from working full-time to staying at home. Going from being very social & active to staying at home. Going from contributing financially in my household to relying on my husband to provide for us. It was a form of “culture shock” for me. I was not the best version of myself that I could be and that was unfair for my little family. Having The Welded Company to help me be immersed with amazing people and being able to turn my “mom brain” off for a bit and just be Dayle is the by far one of the best things I could’ve done for our family. Read more>>

Shalandria McGlown-Allen | Owner/CEO of Hot Commodity EyeWear

Honestly, risk scare me but my passion is bigger than fear. I take deep breaths daily to keep pushing my brand to the next phase of quality. Read more>>

Brandon Perry | Sales

Understanding define, learn, do. This is understanding the value of mentors. I learned early in adulthood to first define the life I want then find someone who has achieved it, learn from them then go out and do what was taught. So understanding that and also being teachable has paved the way for a lot of what my wife and I have been able to accomplish. Read more>>

Renee Deckrow | Founder/Owner of Live Oak Coffeehouse & Roastery

I think one of the reasons for our success is twofold: we haven’t always understood business and have had to really dive in and read tons of books, ask millions of questions, and immerse ourselves in any tool we could get our hands on. Because it hasn’t been natural to us, we have been lifelong students. Additionally, we love the things we “do” in business, but we love the people, relationships, connections and purpose more. This has allowed our businesses to evolve and change to meet the needs we have seen over the years. We start from a place of, “what problem do we want to solve in the world” or “what is something that is really breaking our hearts that we feel like we can address in a practical way?” We start with why…. we study, we keep learning and we keep trying to improve. We embrace progress over perfection, constantly advancing toward our mission and vision while staying focused on what truly matters. Read more>>

Alicia Hawthorne | Accessory Designer & Seamstress

The career chose me! When I was in high school I needed my Mom to fix a dress for me and she got tired of me bugging her about it so she decided to show me how to use her sewing machine and the rest is history! Read more>>

Brian Day | Technologist & Artist

I initially pursued photography because my knees told me it was time to leave basketball to the young fellas. I was always fascinated by my Dad’s photographs, and had an interest in cinematic themes and the quiet drama of black and white images. I am not a formally trained photographer, but I dove into self-training headfirst, studying the technicalities of the Zone System, the philosophies of free spirited street photographers like Garry Winogrand and Cartier-Bresson, and the introspection and sheer genius of photographers like Gordon Parks. I fell in love with the process and the pursuit of trying to perfect the craft. With an assist from social media, the next thing I knew I was sharing my work around the city and internationally. So I suppose it just…sort of…happened? Read more>>