The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Jana Harmon
The road hasn’t always been smooth, but it’s definitely been worth it. When I made the decision to start my own business in 2022, I was nervous—terrified, honestly. I was confident in my abilities as a wedding planner after seven years in the industry, but stepping into the unknown as a business owner was a whole different kind of challenge. I had to learn to trust myself in new ways—making the big decisions, building a brand from the ground up, and taking full ownership of every detail. Read more>>
Malik Stoudemire
A few years ago (2018), I found myself at a low point—sitting out my last semester of college due to financial aid not going through. I was devastated on the front end, but God knew he had a plan for me all along. I felt uncertain about my future and was searching for something that could reignite my spark. That’s when I picked up a camera. What began as a way to pass the time (trying to start a Youtube channel) quickly turned into a deep passion, and helped me get through my last semester. Read more>>
Adora Opens
I opened my studio, Adoration Studio, LLC, in 2023 and founded my Burlesque troupe, Black Shawl Cabaret in the same year. I love teaching and sharing this performance style with anyone who is interested, so I created a community space where folx could feel safe to explore the art of the tease. The troupe is a collective of my former students & some incredible humans who come together to maintain this sacred space that we are now trying so hard to protect. Read more>>
Marcie Yadon
The truth is, when someone tells me something can’t be done, I usually try to do it anyway. That mindset led us to jump into commercial dairy farming. It went well—for about ten years—until the 2008 dairy crash hit. Out of the 150 dairies in East Tennessee, 100 went under… including us. We technically did not go under but we changed and were no longer considered in the numbers for TN dairy farmers Read more>>
Khasia
That’s where the name Dónde came from – asking where the clothing came from, which encompasses the people, the place, and the fabrics. Caring about the where is my number one mission. My hope is to share this care through my brand, so people feel a connection to their clothing. When they feel connected, the experience moves past fast fashion and hopefully encourages them to care about the importance of sustainability. I’ve grown this brand part-time for a few years now, but am finally diving head first and focused on growing it into something bigger! Read more>>
Linda Carruthers
Wedding Day is the most important day for couples, marking the start of their new life journey together. Planning can be stressful and tiring, but we assist couples and clients with start-to-finish support, ensuring a perfect day. This approach requires time and commitment, as we invest in our clients for months and most often a year in advance. Plans change frequently, and we adjust accordingly. The journey to wedding day can be unpredictable and therefore, our work load is unpredictable. Our policy is to always say “yes” if it’s at all possible to accommodate their last minute changes. Read more>>
Logan Cross
I have been an automotive enthusiast since I was a child. My dream to work on fast cars and be in the automotive aftermarket industry has always been a passion. Many of you know me and have seen me, and some of you have only spoken with me on the phone. I was in the Air Force for 12 years- 5 of which I maintained and worked on KC-135 Refuelers, the rest I was flight crew as a boom operator. With years of experience on aircrafts and late model Fords, my goal is to bring the best quality and attention to detail for all of our amazing clients. Thank you to everyone for your continuous support and for taking part in making Ashley‘s dream a reality. Read more>>
Denetria Moore
If it had not been for mentors in her life, her family, and friends who supported her, she would not have graduated as a single mother with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Like many other teens, Denetria struggled with her self-image and loving herself and her desire is to inspire other young ladies to love themselves just the way God made them. “If I can get a girl to see the value in herself, then she will begin to see the value in her future. If she is focused on her future, she will make the right choices to produce a positive one”, says Denetria. Girl Talk was founded to give girls hope, a family, a place to fit in, a place to feel safe, and a place to seek refuge. Read more>>
Rob Kermidas
It wasn’t until the pandemic in 2020 that my brother and I truly decided to start Midas Entertainment. We suddenly had a ton of time on our hands, and it became the norm to hop online and stream what you were doing. Dan (my brother and true brains of the opperation) suggested we create a DJ set for everyone to enjoy while we were all cooped up—and that’s how Two-Steppin’ Tuesdays was born! Read more>>
Jordan Owens
Well, I’m actually a recovering alcoholic. I spent years not really being open about that, which led to many relapses, but it’s part of who I am. I should preface everything with that. So I stumbled around work here in Knoxville when I moved down here in 2017. I worked for a bank for two years and spent some time in logistics in late 2019-early 2020. I’ve never known what I wanted to do, outside of hitting a tennis ball, which did put me through college, but since then it’s made life a little more difficult not having a particular working passion. Read more>>
Mahdi Abdul
Starting the business wasn’t glamorous. I was still working full-time as a nurse while trying to launch the store. Funds were extremely tight. We opened with a small inventory and no guarantee of success. I didn’t take a single dollar in profit for the first six months — every penny went back into the business. But I believed in the vision. I believed that if I created something authentic and valuable, the community would respond. Read more>>
McKenzie Cole
Hello! My name is McKenzie Cole and I am the owner of Bougie Brims. We are a custom trucker hat bar where friends can customize hats, bags, and koozies with patches and accessories. We love offering the hat bar for birthday parties, bachelorette parties, girls nights, church groups, and office gatherings! We bring the party to you for your next event! We also offer custom orders through our social media sites. Read more>>
Brian & Brittnay Kohls
Shortly after, we partnered with Boone Street Market in Jonesborough, Tennessee, a community-oriented store devoted to locally grown and produced goods. Then Local’s Deli in Mountain City, Tennessee, picked us up, further cementing our ties to the local food scene. These partnerships were not random; they were the result of building meaningful relationships with groups like Blue Ridge Events, The Traveling Sun Boutique, and the countless event organizers who work tirelessly to create welcoming, successful marketplaces for small businesses like ours. Read more>>
Cassian Crouch
Yet, not long after my 20th birthday I think it finally occurred to me that I had adult money, and that love of cosplay came back with a vengeance. I went to my first renaissance fair and began to work on my first cosplay back into the scene. Technoblade, a minecraft youtuber, had just passed away. In my attempt to honor his legacy, I made him an outfit. I sat there in my apartment relearning skills I had taught myself years ago. Hand sewing a belt and crafting amor made out of a lightweight foam. I hadn’t worked with my hands on a project in a while so getting to do that again, was intoxicating almost. Read more>>
Travis Stevens
In 2019 (Pre-Covid) Philip sold his portion of the business to me went on to be an accomplished designer at Oak Ridge National Labs. His departure made room for Korie to take on more and more responsibility and now I’m happy to say she bought into the business and is now our full time office manager and she ABSOLUTELY KILLS IT. I’d say she is single handedly responsible for the growth we experienced through covid. When most businesses were suffering and shutting their doors her customer service and tenacity helps Riot thrive and not only retain it’s customers but grow it’s customer base to what it is now. Read more>>
Erica McMannes
I quickly learned that my interests and background in how people traverse environments, how communities expand through shared interests, and how people find themselves in an array of situations have a strong setting in the start-up space. I latched on to corporate and community solution building and the innovation potential of startups. And I haven’t looked back. Read more>>
