Fulfill Your Destiny’s signature program is its ‘Business Builder Grants’. Fulfill Your Destiny has pioneered ‘Business Builder Grants’ awarding these grants to proven entrepreneurs who have experienced life changing events and desire to take their businesses to the next level.
SHOWCASING OUR MOON SPONSOR
SHARING OUR STAR SPONSORS
HIGHLIGHTING OUR SUN SPONSORS
INTRODUCING OUR WORLD SPONSORS
To date, Fulfill Your Destiny has five partnerships to assist in administering its Business Builder Grants. Fulfill Your Destiny has partnered with the On Point Executive Center, Centre for Women, South Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Hillsborough Community College and the Working Women Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Working Women of Tampa Bay. Representatives from these organizations get the completed applications. Karen Mertes, Fulfill Your Destiny’s founder, is involved in the final selection of each of these Business Builder Grant recipients.
TINA BRUNSMAN, SWEET SOAP CONFECTIONS RECEIVES INAUGURAL FULFILL YOUR DESTINY’S ‘BUSINESS BUILDER GRANT’ IN HONOR OF JOSEPHINE MANSON AT FULFILL YOUR DESTINY’S SPRING CHARI-TEA
At Fulfill Your Destiny’s 5th Annual Spring Chari-Tea, Tina Brunsman, Sweet Soap Confections was surprised and honored as the first annual recipient of Fulfill Your Destiny’s ‘Business Builder Grant’ in honor of Josephine Manson, Personal Banker at American Momentum Bank.
Karen Mertes, Founder & President, Fulfill Your Destiny, shared with all the ladies in attendance at Fulfill Your Destiny’s annual signature event, our Spring Chari-Tea, “I knew Josephine, a lovely British lady for a couple years and we had delightful conversations in her office about our mutual love of all things tea, butterflies, and Fulfill Your Destiny.”
Last month Josephine called to say ‘Goodbye’. She was flying back to England three days later to spend her last few months back home. Josephine has a rare condition that causes her to form tumors all throughout her body. Once one is malignant, all new ones are too. She fought bravely for 6 years through experimental medication but God’s calling her home.
A quote by Mary Anne Radmacher captures Josephine’s spirit so perfectly as well as the one of this year’s recipient. “Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard, practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.”
Josephine shared the following the day before Fulfill Your Destiny’s 5th Annual Spring Chari-Tea, “Looking out the window; it’s going to pour with rain. I have plans to go nowhere today. Just me, music and a cup of tea. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of you. Please know I miss you very much. Have an amazing day and smile your lovely smile. Good luck with your special day tomorrow. Everyday prayers go out to the amazing lady who’s receiving your grant, Karen. Please forgive me if I have all of this wrong – dates, names, etc. the meds are strong and I become forgetful of things but I try to be brave. I know the cancer is spreading. — Jo”
On the morning of Fulfill Your Destiny’s 5th Annual Spring Chari-Tea, Josephine wrote, “It is a big day for you today. To know that your special day is sold out and that through your kindness a nice lady is going to benefit in order to be able to grow successfully. For you to do this in my honor is humbling and I thank you so much for that. My love to you always, Josephine”
I’ve known our recipient for a few years. We met at a Craft Fair when I purchased her products that I use every day. I’ve had the opportunity to watch her grow her business and really come into her own. This entrepreneurial woman started her business, one that she could even do with her young daughters, after a family tragedy that had devastated this single mother of two girls at the time.
She’s doing much better now but she hasn’t yet reached the dreams and goals she has for her business desiring to have a website and take her products online. She’s always spoken proudly about her business and she’s ready for more. She’s ready for her next level to fulfill her destiny.
Tina Brunsman, Sweet Soap Confections is the inaugural recipient of Fulfill Your Destiny’s ‘Business Builder Grant’ in honor of Josephine Manson. Fulfill Your Destiny believes in Tina, her talents and her success. Tina was presented with a $1,000 check and a special piece of Kendra Scott jewelry from Kendra Scott, one of Fulfill Your Destiny’s community partners.
Tina was pleasantly surprised, as she didn’t know in advance, that she was the recipient of this very special grant presented at Fulfill Your Destiny’s Spring Chari-Tea.
Tina shared, “So honored to be awarded the Fulfill Your Destiny Business Builder Grant! I went to my dear friend’s event thinking I was just going to enjoy some tea and learn about her organization. Little did I know that I was going to be one of he grant recipients! What a complete surprise and amazing afternoon! Thank you, Karen Mertes! — Tina Brunsman, Sweep Soap Confections
Tina is creating a handmade soap in honor of Josephine with her favorite colors and scent. To learn more about Tina and Sweet Soap Confections, please e-mail Tina at sweetsoapconfections@gmail.com and follow her on facebook at sweetsoapconfections.
ANGEE AMAYA, FINEST TOUCH COMMERCIAL PAINTING & CLEANING, LLC RECEIVES A $1,000 BUSINESS BUILDER GRANT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CENTRE FOR WOMEN AND PRESENTED BY MATT POWELL OF MATTLAW
Hi Karen,
I just wanted to thank you for awarding Angee Amaya with a Business Builder Grant from Fulfill Your Destiny. I had the pleasure of witnessing the presentation at The Centre for Women’s Annual Waves of Change Luncheon and heard that Angee’s company provides commercial painting and cleaning. Our office, On Point Executive Center, was in the process of comparing estimates for a large paint job and decided to ask Angee if she would be interested in bidding on the work.
Angee’s estimate was reasonably priced, and we decided to give her a chance. Her and her company, Finest Touch Commercial Painting & Cleaning, provided us with excellent service and a beautifully painted space. We could not be happier with the work they did. On time, on budget and a pleasure to work with.
That’s what we call #onpoint!
Thank you again for supporting local entrepreneurs with a helping hand.
Karen Gillman
On Point Executive Center
www.onpointexecutivecenter.com
LYNN VALEAS, WISE WOMEN FITNESS, RECEIVES A $1,000 BUSINESS BUILDER GRANT FROM FULFILL YOUR DESTINY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SOUTH TAMPA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND SPONSORED BY AMERICAN MOMENTUM BANK
At the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce 2018 Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner, Fulfill Your Destiny awarded one of it’s signature Business Builder Grants. Maureen Gallagher, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of American Momentum Bank, one of Fulfill Your Destiny’s Star Sponsors and featured sponsor of this evening’s grant, joined in the presentation and awarding of this grant to a recipient that didn’t know in advance that she would be receiving one of Fulfill Your Destiny’s Business Builder Grants. This made for a very exciting evening!
Over 600 South Tampa Chamber member businesses were eligible to receive one of Fulfill Your Destiny’s Business Builder Grants. Kendra Scott, one of Fulfill Your Destiny’s Community Partners, selected a very special piece of Kendra Scott jewelry to commemorate the awarding of this prestigious Business Builder Grant to Lynn Valeas, Wise Women Fitness.
Pictured from left to right are: Maureen Gallagher, American Momentum Bank; Karen Mertes, Fulfill Your Destiny; Lynn Valeas, Wise Women Fitness; Kelly Flannery, South Tampa Chamber of Commerce; and Alexis Muellner, Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Lynn’s passion and the “why” that drives her and Wise Women Fitness stems from Lynn being in the corporate world for over 25 years and waking up one day to realize that, “I felt a huge void in my life because the work I was doing did not feed my soul,” Lynn wrote.
Lynn continues, “I knew that I was meant to do something bigger and more meaningful in my life. I had always wanted to be a teacher and fitness had been a constant in my life so after some soul searching, I realized I could teach my love of health and fitness to others.”
From her very first client session, Lynn knew she’d found her calling. Having a brick and mortar storefront was a seamless transition. “Being in service to others, sharing my enthusiasm, optimism and support with others brings me great joy and personal fulfillment and I’ve never looked back” Lynn wrote.
Lynn will use her $1,000 Business Builder Grant to fund the purchase of a new treadmill for Wise Women Fitness, allowing her to take Wise Women Fitness to it’s next level.
Lynn shared, “As a recent (and grateful) recipient of a Fulfill Your Destiny Business Builder Grant, I cannot say enough kind words about Karen Mertes and her non-profit organization. I was very fortunate to hear Karen speak at a recent women’s wellness luncheon and her speech was nothing short of inspiring!
Karen has a deep passion and a selfless commitment to helping entrepreneurs take their business to the next level. She understands that being an entrepreneur is not only an emotionally challenging passion, but many times, one where we are walking a financial ‘tight rope’ – sometimes out of nowhere.
As an honored recipient of a business builder grant, these funds will now enable me to purchase an upgraded treadmill to replace the ageing 15 year-old model I currently have in my fitness studio. This purchase is one that I simply would not be able to make without the grant. It would have been practically impossible to allocate the amount of funds necessary to purchase the upgrade should the current equipment fail tomorrow. This will allow me to keep our clients happy with a new ‘toy’, which increases retention and creates referral opportunities.
Thank you Karen, for all that you do!” ~ Lynn Valaes, Owner, Wise Women Fitness
Fulfill Your Destiny in its partnership with the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce will award Business Builder Grants at the 5th Annual Business of the Year Awards on Feb 8, 2018. For more info, please view this link.
Fulfill Your Destiny has committed $5,000 to the accredited entrepreneur program at Hillsborough Community College and specifically, their Operation STARTUP program which serves Veterans.
To learn more about Fulfill Your Destiny’s partnership with Hillsborough Community College and Operation STARTUP, please watch this video where Karen Mertes, Fulfill Your Destiny’s Founder, was interviewed along with Valerie Ellis Lavin, Program Manager, Hillsborough Community College, by Lissette Campos on ABC’s Positively Tampa Bay
Fulfill Your Destiny has also partnered with the Working Women Foundation. Fulfill Your Destiny matched the dollars that were raised by the Working Women Foundation during the summer, June – Aug, 2016 and has committed $2,000. Karen Mertes served on the selection committee for the first round where three recipients were selected and subsequently recognized during the Working Women Conference in Sept. The three most-deserving female entrepreneurs who received these grants were Petals & Promises, Pixie Dust Painting, and WeGo Kids.
FULFILL YOUR DESTINY AWARDS A $1,000 ‘BUSINESS BUILDER GRANT’ TO TWO VETERANS AND OWNERS OF EVADO CATTLE COMPANY AT THE HILLSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE (HCC) 5TH ANNUAL VETERANS ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING SYMPOSIUM (VETS)
Dan and Ericka Watson, both Veterans of our US Coast Guard and now owners of Evado Cattle Company, were awarded a $1,000 ‘Business Builder Grant’ at HCC’s 5th Annual Veterans Entrepreneurship Training Symposium. Thank you to Pilot Bank, one of Fulfill Your Destiny’s ‘Star Sponsors’, for generously sponsoring this grant that was presented at the November symposium.
Pictured here from left to right are Karen Mertes, Fulfill Your Destiny, Inc.; Dan Watson, Evado Cattle Compnay; and Ericka Watson, Ascent 121 Media and Evado Cattle Company
Dan Watson’s life’s work has been about rescuing people from dangerous situations. He’s a US Coast Guard Veteran and currently a Paramedic/Firefighter with Pasco County Fire Rescue.
He and his wife, Ericka started Evado Cattle Company to solve a few related problems in the community, but the main problem and the heart behind their “why” is that there’s a large portion of the population who struggles with hunger. These families work hard to provide for themselves but keeping quality protein on their tables and in their refrigerators is quite challenging. That’s where Evado Cattle Company comes in. The Watson’s started Evado Cattle Company to fill that hunger need by providing less advantaged families with a quality source of locally raised beef free of charge while at the same time solving problems for local farmers, ranchers, and health conscious families.
Evado Cattle Company brings together local farmers and ranchers to sell their beef to local health conscious families and individuals. The Watson’s have found these farmers and ranchers are mostly resigned to selling their cattle at auction prices, which are far below the true market value of pasture raised beef cattle. They are passionate about their craft, but the farmers and ranchers don’t have the time or knowledge to market their farms and ranches because their time is spent caring for their farm and their herd. Evado Cattle Company solves both those problems by promoting their farm and selling their beef on its website.
Evado Cattle Company addresses the following four issues:
1) Local ranchers who have limited options to keep and sell their beef for a fair price in Florida. Evado Cattle Company partners with these ranchers to sell their beef direct to the consumer through its website where they get a fair price for their beef, rather than sell it at auction for a fraction of its worth,
2) Florida families struggling to source fresh, pasture raised beef. Health conscious families have greater access to purchasing local, quality pasture-raised beef,
3) Hungry and less advantaged families in Tampa Bay. A portion of Evado Cattle Companies profits from selling beef through its website funds the purchase of quality beef for those families in need around the Tampa Bay area, and
4) As local business owners, the Watson’s are dedicated to investing in our community. As small business owners, Evado Cattle Company values shopping local and giving back to other small businesses in our community.
To learn more about Evado Cattle Company, please visit www.evadocattle.com.
$4,000 IN ‘BUSINESS BUILDER GRANTS’ AWARDED BY FULFILL YOUR DESTINY TO FOUR VETERANS AT THE VETERANS FLORIDA ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM GRADUATION
Four recent graduates of the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program and now part of Hillsborough Community College’s Operation Startup were each awarded a $1,000 ‘Business Builder Grant’ from Fulfill Your Destiny. Pilot Bank, one of Fulfill Your Destiny’s Star Sponsors, generously sponsored the grants presented at the May Graduation.
Pictured here from left to right are Amanda Milligan, Excel Match, LLC; Karen Mertes, Fulfill Your Destiny, Inc.; Christopher Crist, CC’s Gourmet Products, LLC; Patricia Himes, La Belle Earth; and Rosie Lee, Divergent Dimension, LLC.
Excel Match is a match-making service that connects clients to coaches across all areas of expertise. When Amanda Milligan was asked why she started this business, she commented, “I’ve been enamored with the coaching world since I was young. Whether its sports, physical, life, business, relationship, finance or other coaching, I think an incredible group of people are trying to make a living helping other people be successful.” For more information about Excel Match, please visit www.excelmatch.com.
CC’s Gourmet Products was started because Christopher Crist saw a gap in the market of craft breweries. “They have a unique craft product and serve low quality, sub-par snacks” Christopher said. “CC’s Gourmet Products fills this gap with gourmet products packed for individual consumption.” Christopher’s “why” comes from his history in making great southwestern cuisine. Since living in New Mexico when he was young, he’s always made and perfected southwestern recipes to include salsas, tacos, and other flavors of the southwest. For more information about CC’s Gourmet Products, please visit www.ccssalsa.com.
La Belle Earth makes organic laundry detergent the “old way” with a modern twist using organic oils and natural products. Patricia’s “why” began when her older sister was looking into laundry detergent for herself at the same time she was getting allergic to many things including grass, her own dog, (now Patricia’s dog), wheat, seafood, nuts and others. For more information about La Belle Earth, please visit www.labelleearth.com.
Divergent Dimension was created by Rosie Lee, combining her own specialties of communication, training, and project management, with a network of small businesses to provide additional services all under one umbrella. Rosie started this business for two reasons. First, because of how difficult it is to find quality products and services in her specialty areas and second, how challenging it is for quality service providers to network and navigate their offerings to consumers of these services.
Rosie Lee, in her role as Program Manager, HCC’s Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education, Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program, wrote “I want to thank you for making that presentation at the VFEP graduation. Most of the Veterans in the program have no idea how many people are advocating for them through organizations throughout the Tampa Bay area. Providing this platform to share Fulfill Your Destiny lit a spark in each of them. More importantly, it placed a warm hand on their shoulder, one that symbolizes the kind of support and encouragement the entrepreneur ecosystem in our community provides. They needed that. I’m grateful we were able to share that with them.”
About Fulfill Your Destiny’s ‘Business Builder Grants’, Clinton E. Day, Entrepreneurship Adjunct Professor wrote, “Kudos for the work you are doing. You are truly walking the talk by helping with nano grants, an excellent way to reward and encourage wannabe entrepreneurs.”
ANGELA MICKENS, NUSTART COMMUNITY SERVICES, LLC RECEIVES GRANT FOR A RIDING LAWNMOWER
In January 2017, a fourth Business Builder Grant was presented to Mrs. Angela Mickens and NuStart Community Services, LLC. Her company, NuStart Community Services, LLC was founded in February 2016. Mrs. Mickens has a social work background spanning ten years across the state of Florida. She has always had a passion for serving those in the community who would otherwise go without the appropriate resources. In late 2015, funding for the program she was working for was taken away. This led her to take a long, hard look at her life and career and she decided to make some changes. At this point, NuStart Community Services, LLC was born.
Mrs. Mickens developed the company to be a three tiered service. She likes to think of it as the trinity: painting, cleaning and lawn care/landscaping. Initially started as a commercial service company only, Mrs. Mickens wanted to find a way to link her passion for social services with her new business. She developed a program for residential properties where NuStart Community Services maintains the lawn and other needs around the home on a sliding fee scale. Individuals receiving this service include the elderly, those with low incomes or fixed incomes, and single parents. Some individuals pay three or five dollars for an entire lawn service including edging and trimming. Mrs. Mickens wanted to ensure that in these tough economic times, she was making a way to assist those who were in need; in essence being part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
As you can probably imagine, many individuals contacted Mrs. Mickens to take part in this service. Two recent projects have included getting an elderly woman’s home up to code, so that she would no longer be in violation and repainting the laundry room floor of a young, single mother, as the paint had been chipping and she feared that her crawling infant would ingest paint chips.
Mrs. Mickens realized she would need more commercial equipment including a riding lawnmower to meet the demands, as it gets dark quite early during the winter months and a push mower takes so long on each property. With a riding lawnmower she would be able to provide this service to more individuals in the community. NuStart Community Services, LLC received a grant in which she received a riding lawnmower. As a result of this grant, she’s able to pay it forward to others in need.
Mrs. Mickens shared, “Our new riding lawnmower was delivered today; we already used it and it’s perfect! It will cut down our work day by half at least! Now we’re able to help more families. I can’t tell you the volume of calls we get asking for this service, no one being any more or less qualified to receive the service, but we were simply unable to take on as many families because of where we lacked. Now we’re able to take on more jobs, so by us being blessed we can be a blessing! A million thank yous wouldn’t be enough! Thank you again!” ~ Angela Mickens, NuStart Community Services, LLC
For more information about NuStart Community Services, LLC, please visit https://www.facebook.com/nustartcommunityservicesllc
RACHEL REVILL, PERFECT TIMING CONCIERGE RECEIVES ‘BUSINESS BUILDER GRANT’ AT FULFILL YOUR DESTINY’S SPRING CHARI-TEA
Rachel continues, “I’m immensely grateful and appreciative for your kindness and generosity; a portion of the grant has already been used toward a project I needed assistance with which will substantially expand my client base. I can hardly wait to share the fruit of your investment in me. “ – Rachel Revill, Perfect Timing Concierge
Read Rachel’s Letter Here
For more information about Perfect Timing Concierge, please visit www.perfectimingconcierge.com ASHLEY GRANT, THE FAMOUS ASHLEY GRANT RECEIVES ‘BUSINESS BUILDER GRANT’ AT FULFILL YOUR DESTINY’S SPRING CHARI-TEA
Ashley recently shared, “I’m still in shock and humbled, and honored, and shocked, and grateful, and shocked, and amazed, and shocked, and excited about the fact that I was one of the two recipients of Fulfill Your Destiny‘s Business Builder Grants in the amount of $1,000 at today’s Spring Chari-Tea. Rachel Revill was the other winner. Neither one of us had ANY idea that we were going to be given these grants today.”
Ashley continued, “I am going to use my grant to get incorporated and launch my Bloggy Friends show I’ve been dreaming about. Thank you Karen Mertes for all that you do. I hope to make you proud with this amazing gift. Big, ginormous, ridiculous hugs girl.”
Ashley further wrote, “Big thank you to Jeannie Holliday and Jodi Perez for your contribution to this amazing grant as well. I hope to make you ladies proud too. Big hugs fellow chics!
I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and Rachel, and I look forward to paying it forward one day!!!!” – Ashley Grant
For more information about the Famous Ashley Grant, please visit www.famousashleygrant.com.
Three of our Business Builder Grant sponsors received Certificates of Appreciation at our Spring Chari-Tea. 
Jeannie Holliday of Independent Financial Services shared, “Great time at the 4th annual Chari-Tea of Fulfill Your Destiny. Glad to be a sponsor through Independent Financial Services and Charity Chics. It was a great fundraiser and a great time. Wonderful job Karen Mertes. Loved the Business Builders Grants and glad we could be a part of it!” ~ Jeannie Holliday
INTERESTED IN SPONSORSHIP?
Karen Mertes will match all sponsorships for these Business Builder Grants by an additional 10%.
For information on becoming a sponsor of Fulfill Your Destiny’s Business Builder Grants, please contact Karen Mertes directly at karen.mertes@yahoo.com or karen@fulfillyourdestiny.org.
