EnrichHER 2018 Spark Conference held last March 14 at Atlanta Technology Village. EnrichHER, founded by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus are local initiatives designed to help entrepreneurs with coaching, capital, and connections. In business, the saying is “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” EnrichHER Spark allows entrepreneurs to advance their businesses by making meaningful face-to-face connections with local leaders, investors, business coaches, and like-minded entrepreneurs.

According to Dr. Novellus, one of the biggest issues that women-led businesses face is access to capital. For this reason, InrichHer program presented an entrepreneur showcase that included a grant to a lucky entrepreneur with shared resources that will increase success of gaining capital.

Meet the EnrichHER 2018 Spark Conference Winner

Felicia Jackson. CEO & Founder. CPR Wrap, LLC. Chattanooga State Community College/ UTC

CPR Wrap is a revolutionary aid that simplifies CPR, giving you the power to save a life. Be ready in a cardiac emergency situation, order yours today.

https://cprwrap.com/

What was your first job ever? Pizza maker at Pizza Hut

Who are your mentors and icons that have influenced you the most and why? My parents are my mentors because they taught me how to work hard for things I needed and not things I wanted.

When did you first realize that you were born to be an entrepreneur / business leader and what course of action did you take in terms of following that passion? I never really thought about being an entrepreneur until I invented my product, the CPR Wrap. As I dug in deep to learn everything about getting my product into the world I just knew this was now my new journey.

Being an entrepreneur is a gift and a curse. We must work 20 times harder and learn to sacrifice a lot to arrive to our destination. What advice would you impart to future entrepreneurs and to strong business leaders? I would tell future entrepreneurs and strong business leaders to not try to go at this alone because this can be a lonely journey with many barriers. Surround yourself with mentors and friends and family that will lift you up and also pull you back down when you need it.

Leading a successful group is a challenge. How do you consistently inspire and motivate the team to extract the most optimized version of themselves to bring to the table? I like to think of my circle like something King Arthur would implement. We sit a round table where everyone can present their thoughts and ideas. Yes, I am the owner of this company but I could not be who I am without the people around me.

When you have to put out a fire, what process do you have that's proven to be effective? I always step back to determine the best way to put out that fire and then pull from what my advisors and mentors have instilled in me to oversee what need to be done. That one proved hard for me to do. I now have to schedule walking times for myself on my calendar because my health depends on how I decompress.

How do you decompress in order to keep that balance? That one proved hard for me to do. I now have to schedule walking times for myself on my calendar because my health depends on how I decompress.

What's been the most gratifying business or personal role that you had that led you to be where you are now? Being a determined mother. I say that because when my son almost died from choking, I not only thought about future incidents that may involve me again but I thought of others and how they may react in my situation and the CPR Wrap was born because of that determination.

Life lessons learned that you carry with you to keep the fire alive to stay on top of your game? Never think that I know everything and always be open to life's lessons.

How do you define success? I define success by achieving whatever goal you have set for yourself through-out the day. It's the little successes that keep me focused on my larger goals.

What's next for you? I just invented and patented an animal version of the CPR Wrap so now I am starting all over again while propelling my initial invention to greater heights.

Click here to meet The EnrichHER Speakers 2018

Originally Published on WireTap Media. Interviewed by Maryan Aiken. Publisher. CityBox Media. PaperGlass Media. WireTap Media.

Listening to Spotify. Earned It . From Fifty Shades of Grey Soundtrack . The Weeknd