I am CEO and founder of multiple companies, a Board Director for several nonprofits, and a social entrepreneur who has successfully launched service-oriented businesses to strengthen my community and the people in it, to live their most fulfilled lives. I am known as a charismatic leader, a doer, and a connector. My efforts have been recognized through various awards and opportunities: • Selected for EAN (part of a Ernst & Young program) to support business owners, 2021• Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Women in Business Award, 2021• Selected Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program, 2018• Metropolitan Economic Development Association award for Entrepreneur of the Year, 2017• Accepted into Harvard Entrepreneurial Training, 2017• Minnesota Business The (Real) Power 50, 2017 • Small Business Association’s Entrepreneur of the Year for the State of Minnesota, 2016• Women of Excellence Award, 2016Prior to my entrepreneurial journey, I spent about a decade and a half honing my business skills and rising through the ranks of the insurance industry to the position of senior underwriter. My facility with numbers and my understanding the financial impact of risk developed during my corporate career has been invaluable in my own business efforts.When that position ended, I felt called to serve others outside the bounds of the corporate world. I saw a need for supportive housing for people who were unable to live independently due to severe mental illness and developmental disabilities. What began with a single client and a rental duplex in north Minneapolis, has expanded to 11 residential facilities and a wide spectrum of in-home services to enliven, support, and improve the lives of people who require some level of assistance. My purpose for this service-related endeavor can be traced, in part, to my own struggle to understand my single mother’s mental illness and how it affected me as a young adult. It is my joy to support others whose prospects are limited, to help them become the best they can be.I am CEO of Olu’s Home, Inc. (described above); Olu’s Beginnings, a holistic educational program for children ages 6 months to 12 years; and a new project, House of Beauté Atout LLC, intended to stimulate entrepreneurial growth in the luxury beauty space. I also have a number of real estate holdings. My businesses are thriving. I wake up each day excited for the ways that I can make a difference for individuals and my community.Contact: gfreeman@olushome.com