Leap of Faith with Jaqueszian Dukes
“I decided I was just going to take that leap of faith. I have had multiple businesses in the past. The one thing about entrepreneurship is some businesses are going to do great. Some businesses are going to fail. In order to get somewhere, you have to throw yourself out there.” - Jaqueszian Dukes, CEO of Body Within You Contouring Studio and Founder of Dukes Consulting Services & Tax At the age of 12, Jaqueszian Dukes started her first business selling taffy apples. Aspirations to become a doctor were quickly displaced by dreams of becoming a CEO of her own business. She shares her winding journey from selling hair extensions, to starting her own home care service, and eventually creating her own consulting and tax services company. If that wasn’t enough - this year, she opened a new body contour studio, during a pandemic. On this episode of Small Business Stories, Kaitlyn sits down with Jaqueszian to discuss the success in her past, present, and future endeavors- that’s right, she has plans to open a winery, post pandemic. Listen in to hear how Jaqueszian stays inspired, curious, and what tips she offers on how to legitimize your business. (00:44) - Jaqueszian's first businesses (03:49) - Winemaking (05:21) - Entrepreneurial spirit (07:09) - Moving forward in 2020 (10:20) - Biggest motivation (11:10) - Dukes Consulting Services & Tax (11:52) - Body Within You Contouring Studio (13:35) - Passing down the spirit (15:50) - Reaching out (17:04) - Leap of faith (20:13) - Legitimize your business Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick is a marketing and communications professional from Chicago (she’s actually from the suburbs but she lives here now, okay?). Her credentials for this podcast include her ability to talk endlessly, and a genuine interest in learning about what others can teach her about running a business. OFFIX is a small business looking to help other small businesses succeed. They’re a flexible and professional workspace with multiple locations in Chicago specializing in private, boutique office spaces located in residential neighborhoods. Learn more about all that OFFIX has to offer you and your small business at www.offix-usa.com. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Small Business Stories in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32.