I was bit by the Entrepreneurial Bug when I launched my first company, Authentics Home, as a college student. I started with passion, persistence and no business experience! The lessons and skills I’ve learned along the way convince me that small enterprises carry the power and potential to solve many of the problems in our world. For 12 years that company fueled my need to travel, to engage with people different than myself, and to create my financial independence and give my artist partners in India a leg up toward their financial independence. Since then, I have gone on to launch and manage organizations focused on sustainable economic development, community well-being, and solution-based consumer products. I am a hands-on, results-oriented entrepreneur and someone who loves the challenge of aligning vision and mission with operations and a working budget. In my current role as CFO of CicLAvia, I have the honor of partnering with a dedicated team and board of directors in developing strategies, growing the organization, and increasing impact.An avid outdoorswoman with a passion for protecting our wild places and public lands, I’m focused on zero-waste consumer products and the circular economy. Visit my blog at www.beewildoutside.com to learn more. I also contribute time to innovative non-profits that encourage growth and financial independence among diverse women entrepreneurs. These activities are my way of being part of the ever changing whole, especially as we learn to live and thrive in this new era.