Everyone enjoys a hot cup of coffee or a tall cup of iced latte, however most of us are very picky on how our drinks are made. Some of us look for an aesthetic while listening to the tune of coffee grounds in an expresso machine. THE NITRO BAR is a small franchise in Rhode Island that has gained tons of traction on the social media app Tik Tok for their signature drinks consisting of large amounts of ice and triple shots of expresso over vanilla syrups.

Audrey Finocchiaro and Sam Lancaster are the founded THE NITRO BAR back in 2016 in their parent’s basement with a maxed-out credit card of $1,500. They created a coffee cart that served the coffee lovers of Rhode Island. However, there was a problem, the number of customers significantly dropped during the winter months. They were now faced with the task to find a secure spot for THE NITRO BAR to fully prosper as a business.

By 2018, THE NITRO BAR was officially opened in the West End, Provience, Rhode Island. This was only the beginning for their success. Shortly, the coffee shop began to sell sandwiches along with their drinks and opened more locations. THE NITRO BAR has become recognized as a staple for the state of Rhode Island.

Check them out on their website!

Millie Bobby Brown is known specifically for her successful role in the popular Netflix TV series: Stranger Things that premiered in 2016. At just 11 years old, Millie became one of the most popular actresses for her time along with her co- stars such as Sadie Sink. After receiving her first award at 13 years old, it was only the beginning of her career.

Millie announced her cosmetics brand in 2019, florence by mills that was targeted towards pre-teens and teenaged girls who are entering the world of makeup. She was inspired to enter this industry since she had been in the makeup chair since the age of 9 years old and could not find anything she liked putting on her face. Due to her experience, she felt that she needed to create a line of products that would look and feel good on the skin.

Millie kick started her brand with skincare ranging from face masks to makeup like creme blushes and lip glosses. It was an instant hit for Millie especially for only being 15 years old when she first launched. As time went on, she released only a few new products, and she wasn’t gaining as much attention as she did in the beginning. Especially while maintain her life as an actress with movies like Enola Holmes. Eventually, Millie released both her clothing line and coffee in the first half of this year.

Lisa Ludwinski is a business owner who previously worked in Brooklyn, New York for 6 years, began her business in 2012 in Detroit, Michigan. Ludwinski started off baking and selling pies out of her parents’ kitchen; Ludwinski took business classes when she saw the opportunity of many people appreciated her skills of baking. While attending classes, she took orders via email from her friends and family of cookie and pies.

Sister Pie was beginning to grab the attention of many people and Ludwinski opened her shop on the corner of Parker and Kercheval. Almost every Saturday morning, there is a line out the door awaiting to have a slice of warm apple pie and sea salted chocolate chip cookies. Along with her shop, Ludwinski took on the task of hosting baking classes a couple times a month for those who live in the neighborhood or for those who are visiting the upcoming city of Detroit.

In recent years, Sister Pie published their own cookbook in 2018 featuring a variety of their recipes and fan favorites. The book has sold over 40,000 copies since the release.

I had a chance to speak with Lisa myself two summers ago and got to hear about how she felt about being a business owner. She feels that a business should treat their employees with the best care, so they get to have the full benefit of being a part of the Sister pie story. Since then, I’ve continued to see the line of people routinely outside of the shop every Saturday morning to grab a pie and a cup of coffee.

Here’s an interview from So to Speak 

Sister Pie Website  

Tyler Okonma, also known as the two-time Grammy winner Tyler, The Creator is from Los Angeles, California. Tyler is well known for this role in the music industry for his albums like IGOR (2019)  and Call Me If You Get Lost (2021). In recent years, Tyler has expanded himself to other areas such as a fashion and working alongside producers like Pharrell Williams and Kanye West.

Golf Wang was released by Tyler in 2011, showcasing shoes in bright colors and t-shirts with wild fonts. Every season, there is a release of new designs and even referencing his albums if it has been released that following year. The website has been a success for Tyler, so much so he then went on to release his second clothing brand: Golf Le Fluer.

Golf Le Fleur is a “luxury” brand that sells perfume, loafers, and expensive luggage. This matches his personal taste in fashion which is old money. The brand is supposed to be for everyone Tyler says and that he had been wanting to expand more than just being a producer but to now enter the business world just like his friends Pharrell.

Tyler is currently working on an A24 film along side actor Timothy Chalamet and is working on the soundtrack for the film.

Here’s a clip a couple of years ago talking in an interview about his past projects with his last album and plans for the future:

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Melissa Butler was born right here in Detroit, Michigan and attended Cass Technical High School. Butler went on to further her education at Florida A&M University, graduating with a bachelor’s in business finance.  She worked as a stockbroker on Wall Street and claimed that her passion for beauty was, “natural.”  Butler felt that the beauty world was full of impure ingredients and not inclusive enough, therefore leaving people to go on a journey just to find the right fit for products. In her Brooklyn apartment, Butler began to formulate her lipsticks, while ensuring they were vegan and vibrant. Butler made 27,000 dollars in sales from her lipsticks in just one year and made the big decision to come back to Detroit two years later. The Lip Bar became Butler’s official full-time job and later made 100,000 dollars in revenue from her lipsticks. In the year 2015, she went onto the well-known tv show, Shark Tank in hopes of receiving a deal. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful but that did not stop Butler from continuing to create something of her business. Butler took the criticisms of the sharks and put herself out there in order to gain recognition for her growing cosmetic company. Luckily, Target recognized The Lip Bar in 2018 and put the colorful lipsticks on the shelves across the country. Since then, The Lip Bar has opened their own flagship store in the heart of downtown Detroit and has made a connection with putting The Lip Bar in over 3000 CVS stores nationwide. Butler has also been highlighted in the INC magazine as top entrepreneur in the year 2020.