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Monique Hayward is a woman with a mission -- for her business and her community. And now Monique is on a new mission – to reinvent herself and her company. When she first launched her company, Nouveau Connoisseurs Corporation, in April 2004, Monique envisioned that she would create sophisticated, welcoming places that take evening entertainment in the suburbs to a higher level of indulgence and sophistication. The entrepreneur and author did just that with her first concept, Dessert Noir Café & Bar, in Beaverton, Oregon, in January 2005. In addition to delivering great desserts, fantastic cocktails, and delectable dishes, the restaurant focused on supporting the local community and being “the place” in Beaverton for live music, local art, and special events. “From the first day Dessert Noir Café & Bar opened, I supported charitable causes and organizations because it made good business sense,” Monique said. [...]

Call her the quiet warrior. Calmly and patiently, she just gets the job done. We’re talking about Lisa Hinson, owner of Hinson Ltd. Public Relations in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly the director of public relations for Limited Brands, Lisa’s client list now includes real estate developers, retailers and healthcare businesses. She gets the job done with the help of three employees and two high school or college interns. Overcoming Hiring Hurdles It’s no surprise that Lisa attributes much of the company’s success to the people on her team. “Because I believe strongly in mentorship, I watch very closely people that I have worked with over the years and select carefully from them when we need to hire,” she says. “I only want people who can thrive in an entrepreneurial environment where priorities change quickly and execution is everything.” Managing with Moxie So, how does Lisa conduct [...]

What happens when you combine business with artistic performance, and then you spike it with a heavy dose of empathy and positive creativity? The answer: ImprovEdge LLC, a unique business that uses improvisation to provide training and consulting to teach business skills. The company’s products and services include workshops, retreats, long-term leadership development and strategic planning, content design and online training, and tools for creativity and critical conversations. “Through 10 years of research with Wharton School of Business and Otterbein College, we’ve uncovered ways to help people communicate, behave and work differently,” says Founder and CEO Karen Hough. It’s all about getting unstuck, she says, and that requires a mix of serious research, organizational psychology and play.Karen is understandably at home in this environment, having trained with Second City and performed with Improv Olympic and other troupes. After seven years of acting, she entered the [...]

Both empowering and engaging, she’s building a community of authors and readers. We’re talking about Carrie Runnals, founder, producer and host of  Words to Mouth, an Internet talk show and companion blog Web site where “readers meet authors beyond the printed page.” She introduces readers to new and seasoned authors and the books they write. And she does it via downloadable media, or podcasting, and written blog posts. Words to Mouth Equipped with a background in marketing, recruiting and human resources, Carrie had no problem identifying her passions: interviewing, networking, reading and promoting. That made for an easy transition to entrepreneurship and the creation of her business brand. The name, Words to Mouth, was an easy choice, primarily because new media is a word-of-mouth industry—a world of viral promotion through social networking and downloadable audio MP3 files available on iTunes and other directories. Even at [...]

Full of energy, she leads a balanced life. We’re talking about Rachel Anne Mazur, CEO of DASCO Home Medical Equipment in Westerville, Ohio. Her father started the family-owned business in 1987, but Rachel spent some time working for a similar company in New Hampshire before joining her dad. That’s when she discovered her passion for the industry, and it’s the reason she returned home to learn the family business. “One day it hit me: Why work for someone else?” she recalls. With an Attitude With 102 employees on board, hiring is a big part of Rachel’s job description. And the most important quality she looks for in a new employee is attitude. That’s no surprise considering that DASCO is a high-energy, fun place to work where associates have positive attitudes—and a sincere passion for helping people. Rachel best describes it like this: “We look like [...]

Driven to succeed, she’s turned her passion into a business. We’re talking about Marianne Frantz, president of the American Wine School and the Cleveland Wine School. Formerly a chemistry teacher, Marianne moved to New York City to change careers. With a keen interest in the theatre, she worked for various Broadway and off-Broadway theatres producing special events, including the opening of Miss Saigon on Broadway. After working as a special events coordinator, she spent four years developing a culinary department and eventually started her own food and wine marketing company. In 2002, that company morphed into the Cleveland Wine School, followed by the American Wine School in Chicago in 2005. Destined for Entrepreneurship Marianne’s career took off as soon as she hit the streets of New York. But she also spent years compiling experiences, and they have made her what she is today. Everything she [...]

She’s a pioneer in her field, dedicated to restoring wellness in patients with chronic pain. We’re talking about Thuy Bowyer, owner of M. T. Wellness Clinic in Columbus, Ohio. In 1975, 12-year-old Thuy and her family fled Vietnam two days before the fall of Saigon. Overnight, they went from a nice home and a privileged lifestyle to the harsh life of a refugee. But hard work and determination turned Thuy’s life around. In 2004, she founded M. T. Wellness Clinic, a provider of medical restorative therapy. The following year she opened the M. T. Wellness Masters Center, an advanced training program for the profession. And recently she was honored as one of Central Ohio’s Twelve Outstanding Women Leaders for 2008 by the Women for Economic and Leadership Development. Clarifying Her Vision Filled with compassion, Thuy initially went into massage therapy to help relieve her mother [...]

She’s a problem-solver who’s passionate about design. We’re talking about Lisa Cini, owner of Mosaic Design Studio in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly the interior design director at Karrington Health, Lisa’s business now encompasses commercial interior design and project management, with clients in long-term care, hospitality, healthcare, restaurant and corporate. But becoming an entrepreneur was not her idea, she insists. “I was more or less presented with an opportunity that I would have been foolish to refuse,” she says. “The timing, access, funding and mentoring were all aligned—so I jumped!” Discovering Her Brand Leave it to a creative designer to have a keen sense of brand identity. From the get-go, Lisa knew that her mission was to improve quality of life by design. She chose “Mosaic” for her company name because it’s one of the oldest sustainable art forms in history, and it’s the combination of other [...]

Elizabeth Lessner is the owner of Betty’s Family of Restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, which includes a lineup of some of the city’s most-happening fun spots—Betty’s Fine Food and Spirits, The Surly Girl Saloon, Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails, and Dirty Frank’s Hot Dogs. As a business owner, Elizabeth is all about social entrepreneurship, civic engagement and connecting to the community and environment on a real level. She empowers her nearly 150 employees with the belief that every person can make a difference. That means hiring individuals, including entrepreneurs, musicians, artists and creative types, who understand the goals and mission of the company, but bring their own unique perspectives to the table. Elizabeth is also engaged in numerous philanthropic efforts for the neighborhood and community that support her restaurants. Along with her managers, she participates in boards and committees that address issues related to sustainability and [...]

Although fiercely independent, she’s a giver at heart. We’re talking about Sue Kinzer, owner of Paint Creek Computers, a computer repair and support service for small businesses and home users. Living in rural Ohio didn’t leave Sue much opportunity for career fulfillment. So, with two of her three daughters in high school, she decided to return to the workforce—on her own. “I got my first computer in 1989, and I couldn’t find anyone who would help me fix it without charging me an arm and a leg. So I had to learn to fix it myself,” she says. “I went to work for a small computer shop and learned as much as possible. A few years later, I bought the business and moved it just outside of my home.” Today, Sue helps many people fix their computers, while at the same time earning a living [...]