“Let your passion be your motivation”- Amy Peterson, Co-Founder and CEO of Rebel Nell, believes in those exact words. Amy’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for helping others lead her to cofounding one of her greatest accomplishments, Rebel Nell in 2013. Rebel Nell is a jewelry company with a purpose, that employs women with barriers to employment to help them transition from a life of dependence into one of self-reliance. As Co-Founder, Amy’s background in law and business has significantly contributed to the success of Rebel Nell in its early stages.
Living next to one of the city’s most well-known shelters gave Amy the unique opportunity to build relationships with many of the residents. The inspirational stories many of the women shared of overcoming emotional, physical and financial abuse were the catalyst for creating Rebel Nell. Amy was adamant about providing women in the shelters with an opportunity to lead an independent life. She believed that employment paired with financial literacy, business education, and a focus on life wellness would help them regain the confidence they need to lead them on the path to success.
Prior to taking over as CEO of Rebel Nell, she served as Vice President of Special Projects and General Counsel for the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE). RISE and as the Associate Counsel for the Detroit Tigers. She achieved her Bachelor of Arts in History from Kenyon College, her Juris Doctorate from New England School of Law, and her Masters of Business Administration from Suffolk University.
Amy has been recognized for the impact she has had in the city of Detroit in Dbusiness Thirty in Their 30s Detroit’s Premier Business Journal, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year: 2016 Michigan and Northwest Ohio
She is marketing seven varieties of responsibly sourced, all-natural skin moisturizers. Anyone can benefit from these moisturizers, and they are perfect for people with irritable and sensitive skin. Look for her products nationwide in Walmart and on social media (Facebook & Instagram). She continues to hustle and grind, showing us the true capabilities of a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE)!
When Tiffany first started her business, she was not aware of the Woman-Owned certification. Since becoming a certified Women-Owned business, she explains that she has fostered several incredible relationships and leveraged her certification to grow her business through opportunities she would not have gotten otherwise.
From a startup to a veteran in the industry, her advice to any WBE is to “GET CERTIFIED!” “As a result of being certified, there are so many opportunities by way of grants and resources that are available.” Moreover, Tiffany has used her certification to “open doors” and “get meetings” with businesses explicitly looking for certified Woman-Owned businesses. Without her Woman-Owned certification, these things may not have otherwise happened.
Tiffany summarized Great Lakes Women’s Business Council (WBC) into one word: support. “The organization to me has been such a vital source of support! There are so many resources…so much support…”
