Category: Story

As we close out Women’s History Month, we want to showcase and celebrate the amazing women on our team who make much of the work we do possible! (6 out of 9 team members are women at ProsperUs!)

CommodiTeas began out of a community desire for tea and teaware that suited the aesthetic and lifestyle of Katrina Anderson’s family members.

“Every year after, my business has seen growth. When it comes to African prints, they’re high quality and striking. I’ve had so many new customers come to see me, I refer to them as my African-print-virgins, and they’re blown away. It’s my favorite to introduce people to African prints, and I’m grateful every day to have the opportunity to do so.”

“I live in Detroit. So I put my business in here so we can continue to elevate the whole community. We hire from the community, and by doing so, we’re able to affect the lives of community members. Detroit is growing, the resurgence is happening, and the population is growing. It’s a great time to start a business in the city – especially if you’re a part of the community!”

“My hope for the future is a brick and mortar that allows guests to come through the front doors, have a plate of food, and learn about Liberia without realizing it. There are many tribes in Liberia, and in my space, I envision having a tribal wall listing where each specific food dish comes from. As guests look at the menu while talking or waiting for their food, I hope they’re able to learn from our four walls and learn where their food came from and a bit about Liberia.”

The successes that Torso Sweatband has seen were hard-fought by co-owners Jeana Harper-Kirkland and Rhonda Johnson. “Last year, we won a pitch competition with Michigan Women Forward, and it’s resources like these that have helped the Torso Sweatband and both Rhonda and myself. Before that, we took ProsperUs classes, and our coach Dr. Marcus Harris helped us so much.”

Epic Infants began with organic wipes. “They were the easiest thing to make, and the most needed by my community,” says Jones. “The families were so often complaining making sure it was affordable was an aspect of my business I refused to budge on, because these women needed to have access to these healthy products.”

Simply Social Event Space became active on social media in April 2020. “I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a webinar about starting your own event space. The pitch resonated with me, so I took the class. I had also just gotten my real estate license a year prior, and that fit in line with the business model I was flushing out. Simply Social became active online, and I started sharing my passion and story.”