Vanessa Howe

I’m very much a “take the bull by the horns” person and very outgoing. I am always ready to charge forward! I sometimes have to take a step back to take two steps forward, and not get ahead of myself. I want my team to have input on the business, and I want us all to be innovative. I like to collaborate with my staff,  together coming up with how we run things and make decisions. My biggest challenge in the first year was getting the right staffing mix, but we figured that out after six months. Now my staff is like family!

I think as women, we’re big dreamers, but we’re afraid to be big implementers. Iit takes a lot to take that leap of faith. I’m very glad I had the work experience I needed to get this started and make it work.  I never thought at this point in my life, I would be reinventing myself with a new career, ever. My advice would be to do it sooner!  Everything that’s happened in my life has built me up, and built my business up to this pointt. Maybe 10 years ago, I didn’t have the confidence and the connections to make this happen.  I think it’s important when you hear people say, “Oh, we wish we had this business here, or somebody needs to open this up”,  to take note and see where there is an opportunity to fill!   I would tell people don’t say it, do it!  If you see a void and it’s something you have a passion for, go for it! I think we need to realize our skills and our talents we know we’re good at, but be able to admit what we’re not. 

No never means No! If I would’ve accepted no, I would  be just selling real estate right now. Financing for the business was a challenge. I had multiple rejections for a loan from banks, as they felt it was too risky. When I got told “no” two times, it never meant no to me. It meant it’s just not going to be with that person or bank or that relationship.   I was able to secure investors that believed in me, and we broke even the entire first year in business.  Starting BelowZero fell back on that drive and that vision. I had the vision and I knew it would work. I just had to find the right team to bring it together!

When I became an empty nester ten years ago, it was time to give back to my community. That’s when I got involved with organizations that I had a passion for, the first of which was Women in Need.  WIN provides a one-time “hand up” to single employed women experiencing an emergency, unexpected expense, like a car repair. I also started cooking for and feeding the homeless, making breakfast for 200 local homeless people every Tuesday.  I was a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters for six years, until my little moved away.  I love inspiring & mentoring other women to go after their dreams and be successful!  It is so important to lift one another up on a daily basis!