Women in Business 2023

Snow White
SNOW Apparel
Longmont, CO • 303-434-8566 • snowapparel.us

Best Business Advice I Ever Received:  Take your time to develop a detailed business plan. Identify your customer and set yourself up for success. 

Words of Wisdom to Other Women: Make no excuses, take no excuses.

Why I Chose This Career: Clothing will always be a commodity. My passion is to shine a light on the use of more sustainable fabrics and the unfair treatment of the garment workers. As a consumer of clothing, I have that power. And so do you.

The Secret to Good Business Is:  Passion. Your passion will drive you to make the best decisions. 

Genna Davy Hackley (née McGahee)
Babysitters of Boulder
Boulder County, CO • 303-749-1168 • babysittersofboulder.com

Best Business Advice I Ever Received: It’s very practical: Set up your bookkeeping system and automate processes early before your business grows to where you’re in desperate need of these things. Retain legal counsel to review your policies, contracts and procedures. 

Words of Wisdom to Other Women: Don’t let others tell you where you belong or tell you that you are not ready. I’m not saying overestimate your abilities. I am saying value your skills and knowledge.  Confidence is a skill that you can develop. Surround yourself with ambitious people who sincerely want to see you win too. 

The Secret to Good Business Is: Be sincere. Stand by your values when they are tested. Don’t give a pass to bad behavior from high performers because that creates poor work culture. Don’t give a pass to bad behavior from clients either.

Why I Love Doing Business in Boulder County: There is an endless amount of beautiful places, sunny days and great playgrounds to share with children.

Lidia Holl
Alpaca Connection
Boulder, CO • 303-447-2047 • alpacaconnection.us 

Best Business Advice I Ever Received: Always keep innovating. Think of how you can make your business better.

Words of Wisdom to Other Women: Follow your heart.  Be positive and think you can accomplish anything.

Why I Chose This Career: I love alpaca and wanted to introduce this wonderful product to the Boulder locals and visitors.

The Secret to Good Business Is: Hard work is the key to success.  

Why I Love Doing Business in Boulder County: Boulder is a beautiful town that offers many amenities. It’s a great place for outdoor activities, art, shopping and dining.

Andrea Basile
Boulder Ballet School
Boulder, CO • 415-740-7932 • boulderballet.org

Words of Wisdom to Other Women: Self-care is essential. I think it’s natural for many women with maternal instincts to put others first. As a School Director of 300 dancers and 14 faculty members, I need to remind myself often that I can’t pour from an empty cup. When you care for yourself, you can better care for others. 

Why I Chose This Career: This career chose me! I told myself in my 20s that I would never be a studio owner or director because it’s too much work. However, after six years out of dance, I realized that I belong in the studio. My mentors and my professional dance experience led me to this moment.

The Secret to Good Business Is: Make sure the people that work for you feel valued, appreciated and a part of the team. If you have a staff and faculty that cares for the business as if it were their own, each person will pour in to help the business thrive.

Why I Love Doing Business in Boulder County: I moved to Boulder last July and I have felt that the community supports dance and the arts much more than where I grew up. I have really enjoyed our studios in the Dairy Arts building. There is an impressive number of events supporting arts and culture each week.

Rachel Hunter
A florae
Longmont, CO • 720-680-0046 • aflorae.com

Best Business Advice I Ever Received: The way to measure your progress is backward against where you started, not against your ideal. Your work should be based on your actions and results, not what could have or should have happened. Winners don’t have a to-do list. They have a ‘done’ list. 

Words of Wisdom to Other Women: Everything you desire in achievement, all that you want to accomplish, starts with believing in yourself. In a society full of challenges and judgments that can make you doubt your abilities, a woman who truly believes in her capabilities is unstoppable. No one knows her potential better than she does because she is rooted in her worth. 

Why I Chose This Career:  My career is a love story. I chose it because I couldn’t live without it when I was faced with having to choose a life without what I wanted or one that would feel scary, but honest. Don’t confuse fear as telling you not to do something. Fear has the ability to direct your authentic compass on the right path. I chose this career because I knew it was the right path. 

The Secret to Good Business Is: Telling your ego to take a backseat and always remain coachable.

Heidi Quince
Simply Bulk Market
Longmont, CO • 303-678-7069 • simplybulkmarket.com

Best Business Advice I Ever Received:  “Employees don’t cost the business money. They make the business money.”

Words of Wisdom to Other Women:  Talk to each other and be open and vulnerable to solve problems together, for ourselves as well as for our communities.

Why I Chose This Career:  I’ve always had a passion for environmental causes, largely based around using fewer natural resources. Owning this store has given me the opportunity to allow an entire community to help create realistic and achievable solutions within our means. I was offered the opportunity to purchase the business from the original owner when he retired, and I’ve never looked back!

Why I Love Doing Business in Boulder County: Over the seven years we’ve owned the business, I’ve been pleasantly astounded by the support of the community and Boulder County in general.  To find so many like-minded residents who care about changing their behavior for the betterment of our environment is truly heartwarming and makes our jobs meaningful and gratifying.