This may look like a simple tool to you but it’s where my entrepreneur journey first started. My grandmother handed me this when I was 13 and said, “get to work.” My parents passed away when I was 3 and I lived with my grandparents and little did I know that they would be the ones who completely shaped my life and inspired me to do what I do now.  My grandmother owned an arts and craft store that sat on the corner in small town of Rhode Island. When my grandfather passed away, I started running the store with her to make her mind feel more at ease and to help out anyway that I could. I saw the hurt in her eyes and I wanted to do anything I could to take that look away. She really let me become a part of the store, learn how a business functions and how to really speak to the customers. She was such a joy to be around and everyone that came to the store would come back the next day just to say hello to her. As I became more involved in the business, I realized how much I grew to love crafts that soon led me to design and then to remodeling homes. My grandma passed away right after I got out of college. We had to close her shop when she became ill and since I was so busy with school. The last thing she said to me before she passed was, “what are you waiting for, go out there and be amazing.” What she was referring to was that I was using school as an excuse as if I didn’t know what I wanted to do or I wasn’t good enough to do my own thing. I did use it to hide behind and wasted 4 years before I could face that truth.  Right after that I launched my own business and have never looked back. I get the chance to travel and remodel homes across the country. If it wasn’t for my grandmother taking the time to teach me when I was young and believing in me then I would not be where I am today. I am proud to be a small business owner and would much rather support local any day over the corporate big guys. Let’s continue to inspire each other and take the stand.  I Am A Mom and Pop. - Brent 
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This may look like a simple tool to you but it’s where my entrepreneur journey first started. My grandmother handed me this when I was 13 and said, “get to work.” My parents passed away when I was 3 and I lived with my grandparents and little did I know that they would be the ones who completely shaped my life and inspired me to do what I do now. 

My grandmother owned an arts and craft store that sat on the corner in small town of Rhode Island. When my grandfather passed away, I started running the store with her to make her mind feel more at ease and to help out anyway that I could. I saw the hurt in her eyes and I wanted to do anything I could to take that look away. She really let me become a part of the store, learn how a business functions and how to really speak to the customers. She was such a joy to be around and everyone that came to the store would come back the next day just to say hello to her. As I became more involved in the business, I realized how much I grew to love crafts that soon led me to design and then to remodeling homes. My grandma passed away right after I got out of college. We had to close her shop when she became ill and since I was so busy with school. The last thing she said to me before she passed was, “what are you waiting for, go out there and be amazing.” What she was referring to was that I was using school as an excuse as if I didn’t know what I wanted to do or I wasn’t good enough to do my own thing. I did use it to hide behind and wasted 4 years before I could face that truth. 

Right after that I launched my own business and have never looked back. I get the chance to travel and remodel homes across the country. If it wasn’t for my grandmother taking the time to teach me when I was young and believing in me then I would not be where I am today. I am proud to be a small business owner and would much rather support local any day over the corporate big guys. Let’s continue to inspire each other and take the stand. 

I Am A Mom and Pop.

- Brent 

My first project out on my own will always be special to me. First, some background… My last few years of design school, I worked as a designer at a design/build firm in my hometown of South Bend, IN. About 3 1/2 years ago, my husband and I decided to move to Chicago. We figured that a big city would have more career choices for me. My husband has his own businesses, so he was flexible. After countless weekends driving back and forth to the city looking for jobs (2008 was not a good time for this!), I finally found a job at a small, high-end design company. Working there was a rough experience. Deadlines promised to clients were missed, construction was always behind, and every decision seemed to take longer than it should. After one year, I took the plunge and started my own interior design and remodeling company (2009). Lugbill Designs was born. Like many new businesses, the first year was slow. However, with the help of online advertising, we slowly started to see business trickle in. To this day, the business overhead is very low (home office), so a majority of gross profit was actual profit. I attribute the ongoing success of my firm, to having such low overhead starting out. 2.5 years in, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to go out on my own. I’ve had some great opportunities, including working as a design consultant on an HGTV series, and multiple $100,000+ budget projects. As great as those are, my first full project, the bathroom remodel shown above, will always have a special place in my heart. I associate it with the start of a new life. Every time I see this picture, I am utterly amazed at how this has all played out. I am mom and pop. - Erica Lugbill
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My first project out on my own will always be special to me. First, some background… My last few years of design school, I worked as a designer at a design/build firm in my hometown of South Bend, IN. About 3 1/2 years ago, my husband and I decided to move to Chicago. We figured that a big city would have more career choices for me. My husband has his own businesses, so he was flexible. After countless weekends driving back and forth to the city looking for jobs (2008 was not a good time for this!), I finally found a job at a small, high-end design company. Working there was a rough experience. Deadlines promised to clients were missed, construction was always behind, and every decision seemed to take longer than it should.

After one year, I took the plunge and started my own interior design and remodeling company (2009). Lugbill Designs was born. Like many new businesses, the first year was slow. However, with the help of online advertising, we slowly started to see business trickle in. To this day, the business overhead is very low (home office), so a majority of gross profit was actual profit. I attribute the ongoing success of my firm, to having such low overhead starting out.

2.5 years in, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to go out on my own. I’ve had some great opportunities, including working as a design consultant on an HGTV series, and multiple $100,000+ budget projects. As great as those are, my first full project, the bathroom remodel shown above, will always have a special place in my heart. I associate it with the start of a new life. Every time I see this picture, I am utterly amazed at how this has all played out.

I am mom and pop.

- Erica Lugbill

All it took was one summer for me to realize what I suppose to do with my life. My dad started a landscaping company when I was young and for a long time I always said I would never work for his business. One summer when I was 15, he was was short handed and needed someone to help him for the day. Of course he volunteered me since it was my summer break and he thought I should be working instead of cruising around with my friends. I was not looking forward to it by any means but now that I look back on it, it’s the day that completely changed my life. That day my dad and I grew closer than we had ever been and he showed me all of his tricks. It was a true bonding experience I will never forget and now is a great memory for the both of us. We now work together and constantly push each other to be better both in business and life. We had some rough patches with the economy being so bad but it’s only taught us more about our own business. When times are tough you have to figure out how to make it work even if it means having less. I hate the way that people look down on small businesses or “mom and pop stores” because we’re the ones who create the jobs for everyone. Even the big companies were once small. I’d rather be a mom and pop that has less than over someone stealing money from others. It’s funny that many government people don’t ask us how we feel, they only assume our thoughts.  We continue to work hard because it’s what we know and we don’t just sit around, we make things happen. Thank you to my dad who constantly encourages me to be the best I can be both in life and business.  I Am A Mom And Pop - Craig Hughes 
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All it took was one summer for me to realize what I suppose to do with my life. My dad started a landscaping company when I was young and for a long time I always said I would never work for his business. One summer when I was 15, he was was short handed and needed someone to help him for the day. Of course he volunteered me since it was my summer break and he thought I should be working instead of cruising around with my friends. I was not looking forward to it by any means but now that I look back on it, it’s the day that completely changed my life. That day my dad and I grew closer than we had ever been and he showed me all of his tricks. It was a true bonding experience I will never forget and now is a great memory for the both of us. We now work together and constantly push each other to be better both in business and life. We had some rough patches with the economy being so bad but it’s only taught us more about our own business. When times are tough you have to figure out how to make it work even if it means having less. I hate the way that people look down on small businesses or “mom and pop stores” because we’re the ones who create the jobs for everyone. Even the big companies were once small. I’d rather be a mom and pop that has less than over someone stealing money from others. It’s funny that many government people don’t ask us how we feel, they only assume our thoughts. 

We continue to work hard because it’s what we know and we don’t just sit around, we make things happen. Thank you to my dad who constantly encourages me to be the best I can be both in life and business. 

I Am A Mom And Pop

- Craig Hughes