The Plant Professionals
No more than a 15-minute drive northwest from campus is Kathy Valentine and her shop The Plant Professionals. Valentine was hired as a plant care technician in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in floriculture production from MSU, a year after the shop first opened it’s doors. Valentine became a partner in 1984 and the sole owner in 1990.
“As the business grew and I was providing a lot of the leadership and new ideas, I became first a minor partner and then later bought the balance out from my senior partner,” Valentine said. “I work hard as an owner, with now a larger and more diversified horticultural business, to be sure that my female staff have a fair opportunity to contribute to the team.”
Jungle Jane Promotions
For personal branding items, look no further than Jane Mitchell of Jungle Jane Promotions. Mitchell is a certified advertising specialist who consults with businesses to promote their products and services and thanks their clients or customers with personalized quality merchandise.
Mitchell started Jungle Jane Promotions in 1998 after running two other successful businesses, a hair salon and a personalized card company.
“Along the way people started asking me if I could start adding more promotional products to the cards. So somewhere around 2000, I changed the company name and I started the promotional side,” Mitchell said. “After running my own businesses for so long, I didn’t want to work for anyone else.”
Mitchell and Valentine have been recipients of the ATHENAPowerLink award, Mitchell in 2012 and Valentine in 2006.
ATHENAPowerLink
ATHENAPowerLink is a national mentoring program established in 1999, with the intent to connect established women business owners to a skilled advisory panel. The local advisory panel then provides free business consultation services for one year from a panel of of mentors best suited to the recipients’ needs.
“The Athena Powerlink experience really matured me and changed how I think about my business,” Valentine said. “Sitting at the head of a boardroom table with nine well known, highly successful and strongly opinionated professional women and men is a tremendous eye opener. Having these people advising and coaching at the same time that they are expecting from you a clear vision of what you want to see in results makes you bring your A game.”
Mitchell is now on the board for ATHENA WIN, an affiliate of the ATHENAPowerLink award.
“I love the fact that I own my own business,” she said. “I love helping small business, and local businesses. It’s all positive and it’s a very rewarding to watch other businesses grow. Having your own business is very rewarding.”
While these women have made strides in overcoming adversity to women in the workplace, Valentine said much more could be done to pave the way for more women business owners.
“There are still wide gaps in opportunity,” Valentine said. “Especially for women of color, women from economically challenged backgrounds, and women who do not see women owned business models in their families and communities of origin.”
And although starting a business isn’t a walk in the park, Mitchell said it’s worth the effort.
“It’s not easy,” Mitchell said on starting a business. “There’s a lot of hard work, but it’s very rewarding. If what you feel you’re doing helps someone, and if you put your mind to it you can achieve it.”
