She shared the secrets of her success with Lesbian.com.

What do you do and why?

We specialize in high quality leather bracelets, wristbands and belts. We have several collections with a wide variety of styles and every item is made to order for a perfect fit. We make it all in our Los Angeles workshop.

What did you do before you started your company?

I had another company where my business partner and I made custom mosaic furniture and installations from tile, wood, slate, stone and glass. That was fun, but it was a lot of hard physical work.

How did you come up with the idea for your company?

It started off as one of those crazy coincidences. I had closed the furniture business and was not really sure of my next venture. I was looking into making some leather bracelets and cuffs for myself, just for fun. I mentioned it to a friend who just happened to work at a place with a leather shop. From there, pieces started falling into place as if it was always meant to be.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?

I was never much for taking advice when I was starting out. I would advise someone to pace themselves. Don’t try to grow too fast or push too hard. Work your butt off, but give yourself enough time to learn what you need for each level of business that you reach. The challenges change as you grow and you will need different skills and resources. Also, do it for the love of whatever you are doing. As the saying goes, “follow your bliss.”

What aspect of business ownership came as the biggest surprise to you?

The biggest surprise was that success can be your downfall. Dealing with a rapidly growing company actually takes out a lot of small companies. You think the trajectory will keep going up forever, you might over invest, grow too quickly, underestimate the growing overhead that comes with growing sales. There is a learning curve to managing more sales and payroll, inventory and so on.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?

The most rewarding part of my business is knowing that I MADE THIS. From each bracelet design all the way up to years worth of loyal customers, I made it happen. Not without lots of help and support, of course, but there is a lot of pride in having built something of which I am proud.

Where do you see yourself and your company in five years?

Personally, I plan on growing my skills in jewelry making and design. I am beginning to dabble in working with silver and other metals. I think I will keep growing in the direction of jewelry design. I am sure I will incorporate my new skills into my Lucky Dog Leather designs as well.

Gerbino is offering Lesbian.com readers 20 percent off with the code LES20. Shop now at LuckyDogLeather.com. Follow Lucky Dog Leather on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Enterprising women: Lucia Gerbino, Lucky Dog Leather first appeared on Lesbian.com.

If you happen to be in Cleveland, Ohio, and are looking for a casual place with a friendly atmosphere and good food, look no further than Latitude 41n.

Located in the avant garde Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood, one of many of Cleveland’s neighborhoods that are being reinvented, Latitude 41n (5712 Detroit Avenue; 216-961-0000; EatatLatitude41n.com) is popular among its residents and Clevelanders who venture to the neighborhood to check out the art studios, community theaters and trendy night spots and restaurants.

“It’s just a good area to be in,” says Kathy Brown, proprietor of Latitude 41n, about the hipster neighborhood. “It brings a lot of people down [to the neighborhood].” More >

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If you’re old enough to remember “In Living Color,” you’ll recognize Michele Karlsberg from the sketch about the hard-working Jamaicans. Well, she wasn’t in the sketch, but she certainly embodied its punchline as an Italian ice vendor, T-shirt peddler, salami slicer, camp counselor and stock trader, to name only a few of the things she did before starting her own marketing and management firm with clients like lesbian comedian Kate Clinton.

Her choice of career isn’t surprising as her new career choice entails a wide array of activities that draw on her rich history.

What do you do and why?

I bring a unique combination of offerings to effectively carry out publicity and marketing campaigns for writers, organizations, businesses and entertainers. This year, I celebrate 25 years of publicity services. Marketing and management uses multiple resources in communications and marketing to tackle client challenges, whether at the local, regional, national or international level.

Bottom line is: I love what I do. If I could share my knowledge with others to help them move onward and upward then I am one happy gal. I am dedicated to building community and what better way than promoting books, organizations, businesses and the spoken word. I will always help bring forth new and established voices. I like publicizing the voices that need to be heard.

What did you do before you started your company?

Many things. I was a HSBC foreign exchange clerk, held an administrative job in advertising, worked at a health insurance company, babysitting, travel agent, patient liaison at a hospital, tour escort, camp counselor, pizza maker, T-shirt vendor for the Philharmonic Orchestra, traded penny stocks, sliced salami, production coordinator for 125 adult sophisticate magazines, worked at a toy store, sold Italian ice and was a patient liaison at a local hospital.

How did you come up with the idea for your company?

I was sitting in SFO airport in 1989 and an attendee of the annual Outwrite Writers Conference approached me and asked if I freelanced and if was I available for hire. My business is the result of that question.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?

Work hard. Never wait for things to happen, make them happen for yourself and never give up. I would tell anyone, especially the young to take chances. Yes, at times, it is not only about what you know but also who you know. Make connections, be that go-getter. Also, keep an open mind about teamwork.

What aspect of business ownership came as the biggest surprise to you?

How much attention is truly paid toward your own business. It is a 24-hour attention getter. You might not be at the desk, in a meeting or making phone calls, but the bottom line is it’s all day long. Your business is your subconscious.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?

The travel and constant discovery.

Where do you see yourself and your company in five years?

When I first started my business, I did envision my name on a building in Manhattan, but now I will be very happy if my business in five years is as rewarding as it is today. If I can maintain the work, relationships and successful campaigns then I will be doing fine in five years.

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?

Mentors. The importance of mentoring relationships becomes evident as you recognize the value of networking and maintaining relationships throughout your professional career. The value of a good mentor is immeasurable. If not for those who gave me an education in communications, I would not be where I am today. I thank them every chance I get.

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term?

Honesty.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?

I was the only obstacle. I would tell myself I can’t do that. To get through any obstacle, I just told myself move aside and get out of your own way.

To connect with Michele Karlsberg, visit her on Facebook or Twitter.

The post Enterprising Women, Michele Karlsberg first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Once upon a time, there was a 28-year-old lesbian computer programmer who ran a marathon. It changed her life. She wanted to spread that joy to women across the land, particularly women like her who were not the industry standard for athletic.

That’s why Lori Shannon’s See Jane Run celebrates “the broad-shouldered, the knock-kneed, pigeon-toed, the small-breasted, the wide-hipped” and all shapes and sizes in between. More than celebrating those women, Shannon sells running gear that fits them.

Meet Lori Shannon, owner of See Jane Run.

What do you do and why?
I sell inspiration by way of running shoes, apparel and races. When I was 28, I ran my first marathon and it changed my life. I never believed I could do something like that. I decided I wanted all women, no matter their shape, size or age, to know that same feeling, so I started See Jane Run as a women’s running store that also inspires and trains women to run races. We have three stores, an online store and four races each year.

What did you do before you started your company?
I am a computer scientist so I was working for EDS, a very large IT consulting firm. It was a world of old white men from Texas in the 90s. I didn’t exactly fit in very well.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?
Plan. Your inspiration is great, but you need to know the numbers and have a good plan that works on paper. If the numbers don’t work on paper, they never will in real life.

What aspect of business ownership came as the biggest surprise to you?
The loneliness. When you have a job, you have friends who are your peers. When you own a business, your employees cannot be your friends. Add that to an around-the-clock work schedule, it can be very isolating.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?
That I can look back at what was created and say, I did that. I made that from nothing. It feels good.

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?
Write a business plan. Don’t even consider starting a business without one. There are entrepreneur centers that can help. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Renaissance Entrepreneur center is amazing.

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term?
Flexibility. The world moves a lot faster now, you need to keep up. You will have to adjust constantly to stay competitive.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?
Fear. I learned very early on that I was going to spend a lot of time outside of my comfort zone. Becoming an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. The day I signed my first lease, I didn’t sleep the night before and couldn’t stop shaking. I learned then I would have to find a way to push aside fear and uncertainty or nothing would happen. I learned to take that sinking feeling in my gut, push it aside and let logic dictate my moves instead of my feelings. Fear was, and is, a constant obstacle.

Find See Jane Run on Facebook and Twitter.

Do you know an enterprising woman who you would like to see featured on Lesbian.com? Just drop us a line at info@lesbian.com with the name of the business, the entrepreneur and her email address and we’ll get to work on it.

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