Dear APNA Members and Friends,

Owning a business is one of the boldest expressions of independence a person can choose.

There’s no guaranteed paycheck. No blueprint. No one else to fall back on. Just you: your ideas, your investment, your grit, and your willingness to keep showing up when things get hard.

Entrepreneurship embodies freedom. It’s the freedom to build a company that reflects your values, to choose your team, and to create a business that aligns with your vision of excellence. And with that freedom comes great responsibility: to lead, to adapt, and to carry the weight of your business, your team, and your reputation squarely on your shoulders.

So as we mark Juneteenth and the Fourth of July – two milestones that honor the fight for freedom and self-determination – I want to honor another form of courage: the kind it takes to build and lead a business that’s all your own.

Being an entrepreneur means placing a bet on yourself, again and again. It means showing up for your business long after everyone else has signed off. It means having the hard conversations, enduring the stress of high-stakes placements, making the tough calls, and starting over when you need to because you believe in what you’re building and the positive impact it has on the world around you.

That’s not just independence. That’s strength. That’s leadership. And it deserves to be honored this summer, too.

Warmly,
Jami Dennis ~ APNA President