When I first started Hometown Biz in 2023 I began with one clear mission or idea – to support Small Businesses in my community. All I knew was that I loved marketing and I wanted to see Small Businesses thrive due to my experiences with losing a previous business.
In January of 2020 my husband and I signed the paperwork to open our first restaurant. We were excited, but nervous to venture out owning our own business after years of managing restaurants for other people. Then COVID hit the United States in February and everything came to a screeching halt.
We were put on a wait list from the health department, electricians, and pretty much everything we needed to open our restaurant. Which means months of paying for bills and rent with no income coming in. It was devastating. We finally got our doors open in June and while we had a great reception from the community the toll of those months was a major hit on our finances. We had nothing now saved back to keep us afloat those first few months.
From the time we opened our doors until the time we closed we maintained a five star review on every platform. People loved our food and the service, but with the economy in shambles and strict regulations on how many customers we were allowed in the building at once we simply couldn’t survive that first year.
Instead of paying our mortgage we paid our employees with the hopes that we would receive the relief funds to help us continue to provide those employees with a paycheck. But we were denied the application because our business was in the first year of opening and eventually we had to close to try to save our home.
The stress of losing our first business after working so hard to build it up through something that was not even our fault was devastating. It took a great toll on our mental health and years to pull ourselves financially out of a pit. It was two years before we found out if we would even be able to keep our home because they froze our mortgage due to being behind on payments.
During that time I had also been sick with a chronic illness that left doctors baffled. I seemed to get no answers every time I would go to the doctor except that I should seek therapy because they felt it was all anxiety related due to the murder of my sister in May of 2012.
As the years went on my physical health only got worse. In 2023 I was finally told that I had PCOS (Poly-cystic ovarian syndrome) and they believed all my stomach pain was related to this cause. I felt like something more must be going on, but I did my best to listen to my doctors. I worked hard to change my entire diet, take the correct supplements, and show that I was a “good patient” so I would be listened to. I lost 36 pounds in one year and I did start to feel a little better.
It felt like my life was moving forward and I decided in October of 2023 that I would open my own Small Business again. I was nervous about venturing forward with a new Small Business, but I felt such a pull towards helping others. I never wanted to see anyone else lose their Small Business the way my husband and I had lost our restaurant. I knew the devastation that comes from that – both financially and mentally.
So, I started Hometown Biz and I geared my entire marketing plan around supporting only Small Businesses. I wanted to support real families in my community – not just some CEO getting to buy a second or third vacation home. It felt like something that would have a direct impact on the lives of those around me. I knew that every dollar those Small Business owners made would go to paying their mortgage, buying groceries, taking their kids to soccer practice, or even taking a vacation for the first time in many years.
Hometown Biz started off small. I picked up one client, then two, and then a few more. As time went on I started to find a lot of support from my Southern Indiana community. I created a Facebook group where they could share their services for free every day. I even built a little web based app that could be downloaded on computers, tablets, or phones where Small Business owners could upload their business to an online directory so our community could search a site to support only small businesses.
Over time it became clear to me that people were looking for more than “just marketing”. They were looking for connection. These Small Business Owners were putting themselves out there, sharing their dreams with us, and praying that they would be supported. It was a call that I was happy to answer. I wanted to build a community of people who were looking for the same things that I was – a supportive, inclusive, and kind place where we saw the dreams of others and did everything we could to help them thrive.
I pushed myself hard that that first year. I was easily working 50+ hours a week while staying home with three children under 6, taking care of the daily household chores, a huge garden, and animals. For the first time in many years I thought I had a handle on my physical health. While I still had trouble with fatigue I chalked it up to having little kids and working long hours, but in January of 2025 it all came crashing down.
I had gotten the flu just a few weeks before. Every time I came down with a virus it unfortunately seemed to take me far longer than the average person to overcome. This time was no different, but as the days went on I began to realize that something was wrong. I was having severe stomach pains that even Tylenol was not touching. I could barely leave the couch and I was having to try to catch up with work on my phone curled in a ball because I could not sit at the computer for long.
On January 18th, 2025 I woke up early that morning from a burning pain in my stomach. I made it to our den couch where I stayed for the entire day, alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen, and trying to breathe through it. My husband was at work at this point and I was home alone with our three children. By 8pm that night I knew I couldn’t manage it anymore and began to wonder if I had appendicitis.
So, I gathered up my three daughters and prayed I could make the drive 30 minutes to the hospital in the next town. At this point during the drive I nearly hyperventilating from the pain, but trying not to scare my kids. I called my husband at work, met him outside, and he drove me the rest of the way to the hospital across town.
This was the day that my life changed. When I arrived I was scared that once again I would be told that it was “all in my head” or “just anxiety”, but I met an Angel in the form of a Nurse. This Nurse went to bat for me as soon as she heard I had PCOS. She said that her sister had it too and it was a under recognized syndrome that could cause all kinds of havoc.
They ended up giving me a CT Scan to rule out other causes. The doctor and nurse came into the room with the results and that’s when it was explained that I had terminal ileitis which is inflammation of the terminal ileum – the last part of the small intestine. They explained to me this is nearly always caused by Crohn’s Disease, but it could not be confirmed without a colonoscopy and endoscopy.
I had went from being told for 13 years that nothing was physically wrong with me, while living in daily pain, only to be told that I had most likely had an untreated autoimmune disease the entire time. I was given an appointment to see a new GP and told I had to do a follow up with her. Within days I met Makenze Wieneke at Schneck. She could see how much I was struggling and immediately scheduled me to see multiple specialists.
The months of waiting to see new specialists, fighting insurance, and trying to still work left me defeated. I was having a hard time keeping up with Hometown Biz and I was worried that my clients would be upset if I couldn’t keep up with my work. There were so many days I was laying in bed crying as I was creating graphics, scheduling posts, and trying as hard as I could to keep my vision alive.
I had to turn down multiple new clients simply because I knew I could not give them my best at that moment. There were even some days I wondered if I should close my business, but I kept going. I kept fighting through the pain because Hometown Biz felt more than just a business to me – it felt like a mission. There were days I failed to get all my tasks done, but instead of getting disappointment from my clients I got something else. I was given grace, kindness, and understanding.
On the days that I couldn’t keep up they were forgiving and instead told me to just take of myself. As Small Business owners themselves they knew the struggle of doing it all on their own and I was given love from my community instead of shame.
On May 16th I finally had my surgery and it was confirmed that I had moderate Crohn’s Disease. After 13 years of being untreated it had caused damage to my intestines which had led to the severe pain, fatigue, and multiple symptoms I was experiencing on a daily basis. By this point I had been on high levels of steroids to combat the inflammation and it was working.
I was told that I would need to go on a new medication called biologics that would effectively kill my immune system, but it would also stop the inflammation and hopefully put me into remission. It’s now July and I will begin my first infusion at the hospital next week after once again fighting insurance to cover it. I will most likely have to take these infusions every eight weeks for the rest of my life, but I am grateful.
I am grateful to have answers after living in pain for so many years and for that nurse who fought for me. I am grateful for my new doctor who took my pain seriously and got me in to see specialists, for my new gastroenterologist, and his entire team who listened to me, and believed me. I am grateful for my clients who stood my side and gave me so much love and understanding during a time when I felt like I was failing them. More than anything I am grateful for the sense of community that I feel with Hometown Biz.
As a Small Business Owner living with a chronic illness it can be scary not knowing how it will effect your work, your finances, and even your reputation if you can’t achieve the goals you set. But I’m learning that sometimes we put that expectations on ourselves and our community just wants to show us love. When I was at my lowest this year I was given grace – not judgment. The Small Businesses in my community was something I could advocate for even in the times when all I could feel was the pain.
Physically I’m in a much better place now six months after I went into the latest flare up of this disease. I’m slowly tapering off the steroids, next week I start my new biologic that I pray works for me, and I have the answers I had been seeking for so many years. I’m grateful that I didn’t give up and I kept on fighting to keep my dreams alive. It has given me an even stronger sense of purpose.
If I was struggling so deeply then how many other Small Business owners are going through something similar? Struggling with illnesses, mental health, finances, making sales, etc. Our Small Business Owners are often on their own managing their Small Business, daily operations, staff, marketing, and still having to handle their day to day lives. This is why I do what I do with Hometown Biz.
I want to give those Small Businesses every fighting chance they can get. I know the struggles of keeping your business alive when you are doing everything you can just to keep yourself going. When I see them posting their services and their goods I see the hopes and dreams they hold behind every post. That as a community we will support them and show them the same love that I received.
When you support local and support small you are having a direct impact on families within your community. You aren’t giving money to a large corporation that will use those same funds to advocate for things that can often hurt us. You are helping to pay someone bills, afford insurance, hire on a new staff member, and more. We don’t always realize the impact that we have when we choose where to spend our money, but it does have a lasting impact.
I don’t know what’s going to happen over the coming months or years with my illness. I’m new with my diagnosis and treatment options, but I know one thing – I’ll keep fighting for my vision. I’ll keep pushing forward with Hometown Biz to create a lasting sense of community here in Southern Indiana. I’ll keep advocating for all Small Business owners who dared to be so brave to share their dreams with us.
For those who are also struggling to keep afloat with devastating illness, financial struggles, and more just know – you are loved and we see you. We see how hard you work and how much you give every day to keep pushing on. There is nothing more powerful than the love that can be shared within a community. May we all find support and grace when we are treading water so when it is our turn we can turn around and help another up.
Hometown Biz 
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