Lisa Gaede

With support from her friends and family, Lisa Gaede embarked on her journey towards business ownership. She encountered some challenges along the way. She shared, “I had to work on my own finances first and this took some time to secure funding.”

To work through some of those challenges, Lisa reached out to WEV. She took the Smart Entrepreneurial Training (SET) class where she learned “the skills I needed to write a successful business plan as well as understand exactly what I needed to be a thriving business”. Then she secured funding through a WEV Loan and found the space for her salon. Lisa said “Having my own business has offered me freedom to create my visions and lifestyle for myself and my family.  WEV supported me from the beginning…so that I was able to create Carlyle as well as have working capital.” She later turned to WEV again for the Consulting program to help her continue her entrepreneurial journey.

Lisa has experienced a lot of excitement at the growth of her salon and passionate team.  Despite obstacles, she wouldn’t change anything about her journey. “I feel blessed to do being doing something I absolutely love and sharing it with others…I have gone through some difficult business experiences, but the challenges gave me an advantage and provided an opportunity for personal growth,” she said.

She also offered some words of advice to her fellow entrepreneurs “You will hit roadblocks.  Don’t give up.  Use them to refine a successful business plan.”