19 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen Charleston Women in Business Seeing the influx of people moving to Charleston, she decided to open Ivy Solutions, a moving company to help people get into their new homes. After starting the business, she realized she needed to prove that she could be successful. “All it takes is one customer. I will always remember Ms. Jody,” she said. Ivery got her first job moving floatable docks for “Ms. Jody” and from there, business boomed. Customers started calling and requesting cleaning services too. Ivery adapted her business model to include this service, as well. With the help of her family and great employees, Ivery was no longer needed at Ivy Solutions, but she did not stop there. As a now 29-year-old, Ivery has started seven businesses including Assured Contractors, a well-known contracting and remodeling company in the Charleston area. Through hard work and the support of her family and people who stand behind her, she has been able to grow all of her companies. Throughout her experience, she said, “Word of mouth is the most powerful when getting your name out. I tell my customers, ‘Don’t leave me a review, tell your friends and family about your experience instead.’” Laura Horne “The elementary school extraordinaire” Women or girls of all ages can be entrepreneurs and succeed. Laura Horne is the perfect testament to this. Horne has always had a passion for art and creating. However, when she was only 9-yearsold, she saw a business opportunity in her passion. As her school’s Christmas fundraiser, “The Merry Mart,” was approaching, Horne started creating and designing notecards for a variety of occasions — birthdays, thank you’s and everything in between. This was only the beginning of Hope Designs. People loved her cards and begged for more, even requesting her to customize cards specifically for them. Five years later, as Horne begins to enter high school, her business has taken off. Growing in popularity, she now has a booth at the Sweetgrass Mercantile in the Sunrise Shop. She provides hand-drawn and copied cards with beautiful designs of Charleston and other unique musings. Horne hopes to open her own Etsy store soon, so that her business can grow even more. “I always knew I wanted to start my own business, where I can do what I love and share that joy with others. In the future, I can see Hope Designs expanding beyond selling notecards… and maybe in the far future, I will open my own shop in my hometown of Mount Pleasant,” Horne added. Victoria Platt Ellis, “The still got it” Growing up in Summerville, Victoria Platt Ellis also fell in love with art. She remembers drawing on everything from notebook paper to dirt in the backyard. Before the time of TV and computers, she was a “drawme” girl in magazines and newspapers. Ellis was asked to paint murals in her children’s elementary school and seeing how talented she was, the PTA gave her an honorarium. This event allowed her to take her passion to the business level. Using the money she received from this job, she made and sold a print that many parents at the school purchased. At the age of 32, after seeing her talent on display, many businesses hired her to paint murals in their stores. Ellis began to enter exhibitions to show off her work at the Coastal Carolina Fair, as well as other festivals in Summerville, Beaufort and Kiawah Island. Most of her paintings capture the beauty of Charleston and her love of flowers. Wanting to bring her talent and love for art to her community, she is a founding member of Lowcountry Artist, Gallery Twelve and Art Central in Summerville. She is also an active member of the Laura Horne. Victoria Platt Ellis.
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