Displaying items by tag: Business Spotlight

After earning a degree in Entrepreneurial Studies from Babson College in 2000, Lashonda Jefferson went to work in the corporate sector, earning a salary that enabled her to pay off student loans. But after several years, Jefferson couldn’t give up the entrepreneurial itch. Since her days as a high school student at West Roxbury High School, she h...

Mattapan residents, Greater Boston’s Caribbean community, local elected officials celebrated the grand opening of Boston’s first Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill on Saturday....

At Eye & Eye Optics, owner Bobin Nicholson wants the experience of choosing the right eyeglass frames to be as enjoyable and relaxing as the reggae music he loves. In 2010, the Dorchester resident purchased the former Peters Optical business in the Lower Mills neighborhood and retrofitted the shop to reflect his style and create a full-service eye...

Inside a tiny storefront on Jamaica Plain’s South Street, the light-filled interior of Faith’s Naturals feels surprisingly spacious. White walls, a high white tin-paneled ceiling and light-toned wood shelves, coupled with a few deep-pink accents, create an inviting look to the narrow space. Neatly arranged on the shelves are jars and bottles of fac...

Melissa Butler says she isn’t passionate about makeup.Butler, who founded The Lip Bar in 2012, says the booming beauty brand was birthed after becoming frustrated with the lack of colors on the market; and even more frustrated with her career as a stockbroker on Wall Street.“Five years ago, I decided that I wanted women to have products that...

Like father, like son.In 1988, Joshua Esnard—now the 30-year-old inventor and CEO of the breakout barber product of 2016 (The Cut Buddy)—was a 2-year-old boy. Esnard recalls the story of being in the countryside of his native Saint Lucia, as his father, Joseph, needed a way to get his Land Rover out of a ditch with nightfall fast approaching. Josep...

In her early 20s, while Joelle Jean-Fontaine toiled at a telemarketing firm, her heart was in fashion. She spent most weekends in New York City collaborating on fashion shoots with a photographer friend. By 2010 her clothing design pursuits led her to launch her clothing line, Kréyol. Over the last six years, Jean-Fontaine has developed products...

Formerly Lady B Naturals, Made Organics began as a home experiment. During one of Boston’s harsh winters, Dawson set out to make a soothing, safe and all-natural skin remedy for her son. She spent about three years researching and working in her kitchen, trying out different ingredients and recipes. “When I found something that worked, I used it fo...

MIDA, which is Italian for “he gives me,” is a new restaurant venture by Douglass Williams and Brian Lesser. The restaurant is located on 782 Tremont Street in the South End at the edge of Roxbury....

Brunson L. Cooper dreamed of starting his own construction firm--but he had no money, no investors, and no connections. He decided to become his own rich uncle....