Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Meg Vanderbilt | Equine Assisted Therapy Professional/ Non Profit Executive Director

As a school teacher, I was aware of the pain and trauma that many of my students dealt daily. Learning science was the last thing that they were interested in, as their family life was in chaos. I also trained horses and taught lessons on the side and found myself enjoying rehabbing broken horses. Often, these horses were misunderstood and needed a different approach to learning and not just a stronger hand. As my journey of learning to listen to horses unfolded, I found that those same lessons applied to my students. They idea was birthed about using rescued horses to help rescue the human heart. After 17 years, I am still amazed at how much the horses can influence the growth and healing of a wounded soul. Read more>>

Sheila fluker | I’m chief operations officer of The Balloon Squad (COO)

The Balloon Squad was actually created by accident, but saved my life in the process. After 17 years of military service I was injured during my last tour to Iraq, and forced to do a medical separation. This lead to anxiety, depression and severe PTSD along with other medical issues. A friend introduced me to balloons and it became my therapy turned business now here we are 6 years later. Read more>>

Jeremy Buck | Owner/Operator

I have been In F&B on and off for over twenty years and doing craft cocktails for the last decade or so. I always wanted to open my own place in order to have that opportunity to create the whole picture. My degree is in biopsychology and I always like the way the choices in a place effect how people feel and approach it. We wanted to create something new, interesting, and fun for Charleston that also feels like being in a large city while being comfortable and laid back. For the business itself, I always think about the lower you can keep cost, the more freedom you have to design the experience you want to give. Read more>>

Ross Barnett | Co-Owner – Two Fly Guys Media

Man, I don’t even want to lie to you. I’ll be very honest – I remember sitting in marketing classes at GA Southern University as a Junior graduating soon thinking to myself “boy oh boy, I do not want to go to work for anyone in the corporate world anytime soon”. Since I already had a passion for videography – I continued to explore the possibility of creating videos for a full time living. Around the same time is when I met my business partner, Adam Tsang. Adam had a lot of encouragement early on in my filmmaking days and we were able to build out a business model that we thought would work. As anyone who has ever started a business knows, it doesn’t always go exactly to plan. Read more>>

Julya Friedman | GPS Pharmacy Owner

GPS Pharmacy was established to fill a critical gap in the community’s access to personalized hormone replacement therapy. Recognizing the vital role of these treatments in healthy aging for men and women. We wanted to make sure our patients have a concierge service at our pharmacy and thus including complimentary delivery for all orders was a must for us. Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, ensuring their experience is as individual as their therapy. Read more>>