Graphic Options
Jason and Jessica Buxton own Graphic Options in Farmington, MO. Like many start-up business owners, Jason said they had no extra income for little things "like food and gasoline" in the beginning. Today, Jason boasts new 2 employees and a high school intern, more work than he can handle sometimes, mentoring high school students in entrepreneurship, and additional small businesses that he now owns....all the while, he and his wife, Jessica, started a family.
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Missouri Pro Wash
Curtis Turner had opened Mineral Area Pro Wash in 2006. However, Curtis worked full-time, and sometimes overtime at his 'day' job, yet he knew he wanted to spend more time as a small business owner. At his full-time job, he became friends with a man who had previously attended Operation Jump-Start. Curtis began his fifth year in business in January 2011, and said that his service area has expanded so much, that it was time to change the name of the business to Missouri Pro Wash.
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Baetje Farms, LLC.
The Baetjes got their first goat in 1998. Since 2007, the couple has been commercially producing goat cheeses sold to restaurants and wineries and at farmers markets in the St. Louis area. A couple of years after they started their business, the Baetjes took the Operation JumpStart class."It helped us put our thoughts into concrete ideas, we did a lot of homework. It helped us realize we were on the right track. It refined some of our skills and also brought new perspectives into sight for us" Steve Baetje said.