Milwaukee Magazine | The Women Business Leaders Roundtable

The Women Business Leaders Roundtable

Three local entrepreneurs talk about their journey to success, and share the advice they have for others.

Nicosia King Owner, Golden Path

Anne Sapienza Partner, Financial Advisor, IAG Wealth Partners

Jessica Forston Owner, Fringe Interior Design

First, could you each share a bit about what you do and how you got started in your career?

JESSICA FORSTON: When I was 11 or 12, my parents built a new house, and they used a design firm. I was always tagging along in and out of furniture stores, and I absolutely loved it. When I graduated high school, the very next day, I started working in the furniture industry. I worked my way through college, with my major in design and my minor in business. I’ve been in the industry for 23 years. Now I own Fringe Interior Design in Whitefish Bay, and we’ve been here for nine years.

NICOSIA KING: I’m a serial entrepreneur. I started off as a child – I was doing hair at 12, and I was babysitting. At 18, I worked at a payday loan service. I was there for nine years, and I just wanted more. I felt like I was overachieving and the growth opportunities weren’t there for me. I decided to start Golden Path Senior Living and then Golden Path Home Care. When I was younger, I wasn’t fortunate enough to have a relationship with my grandparents. I always gravitated toward my friends’ grandparents. I wanted to help care for older people. From there, it just took off. I’ve extended Golden Path and put more businesses under that name. Right now, I own over 15 entities, some under that umbrella, like GP Trucking and Golden Path Home Improvement.

ANNE SAPIENZA: My grandfather was a financial planner. He used to give us stock for Christmas. So those seeds were planted early on. When college came along, I went into early childhood education – I hadn’t thought of

a path in finance or business at all. I taught special-needs kindergarten for a few years. Then my father had a stroke in his late 50s. All of a sudden, he wasn’t able to continue his career as planned. I watched my parents go through that financial process of, “What do we do now? What don’t we know that we should be asking?” It hit home, watching them go through that. I felt a nudge. I enjoyed teaching, but I knew there was something more I wanted to do to help families. I ended up starting at a business brokerage. One person I was working with told me about IAG Wealth Partners and I joined their team. I learned from the bottom rung up through many roles as I studied for my licenses and to be a financial planner. I am now a partner of the firm.

What have been some of the most important turning points in your career?

JF: I was working at a high-end design/furniture store for 10 years. I was offered the chance to buy the business, and I really thought about it long and hard, and I decided not to. I decided to start my own business, Fringe. And it was scary – it was either sink or swim. There was no plan B. But I had amazing, loyal clientele who followed me. They were my backbone. Of course, I had my husband, too. If he hadn’t stayed home with our kids, that would have been impossible for me to do.

NK: With my first employees, I had to learn leadership, and my team had to grow with me. That was hard on me. I was very direct, said the wrong things. Through years of growth and self-reflecting, I’ve changed. I received a lot of

PHOTO: BY GETTY IMAGES; PREVIOUS PAGE: BY LINDA SMALLPAGE BOUTIQUE PHOTOGRAPHER (KING, FORSTON, SAPIENZA), GETTY IMAGES (ILLUSTRATION)

“People can see through gimmicks. It’s about being genuine.”

– ANNE SAPIENZA

mentoring and coaching to help develop me. Those mentors were my mom, my sister Marla, my stepfather and [Milwaukee businesswoman] Debbie Allen, who all encouraged me and inspired me. Now we have nearly 300 employees. When an individual comes to work for our company, we want them to feel like a family and find their purpose.

AS: When I started on my own, I gave up a salary to become an independent advisor. I remember it was Jan. 2 of that year, and I was sitting at an empty desk thinking, ‘I have no income. I have to get going now and work hard.’ Being young and female in my industry was a challenge, sitting down with a CEO of a company who is closer to my father’s age and feeling like I have something to offer, even while knowing that I do. My first assistant was male, and people would assume that he must be the advisor and I was the assistant. We would laugh at that. When I joined IAG, I had so many great mentors, like [co-owners] Lori Watt and Susan Kuhlenbeck who helped me learn my strengths, and [partner] Tom Peterson who helped me know financial plans inside and out. Now a pivotal point for me is seeing clients meet their goals, growing through referrals and watching the transition to the next generation. I’m in a position where I’m blessed to coach the advisors that are coming up.

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned?

NK: Definitely how to use effective communication. You have to understand that everyone is not like-minded within a team; everyone works their own way. You have to learn how to deal with your employees and your clients. Most

importantly, I’ve learned that a large salary doesn’t necessarily produce productivity in your team. And you have to know your business. I really had to understand my team, my clients and my business to learn to how to improve myself.

JF: Really listening to your clients is huge. Because we’re a small, boutique store, we really know our clients. We know their wives, their husbands, their kids, their pets, their birthdays. Those small things go a long way. Even just walking your client out to the door. I’m sure we’re all pulled in a million different directions every day, but taking that extra step with clients adds up.

AS: Absolutely. As Jessica and Nicosia shared, people can see through gimmicks. It’s about being genuine, knowing their families and keeping your word. They see that and they know your intent is real and not a sales tactic. It shocks some people when my advice is for them to follow a path that does not benefit me but is in their best interest.

Jessica, you mentioned being pulled in different directions. How do you each deal with your many responsibilities and maintain a work-life balance?

JF: I think you ladies probably agree with me on this: When you start a business, you’re doing it 24/ 7. For me, I’m running at 155% at 6 a.m., and I won’t stop until 7 p.m. But the last two years have been a slow-down moment for me. We were working seven days a week during COVID because we couldn’t keep up with demand, and I finally got the chance to slow a bit last year, to take more time to be with family. It’s

“It’s definitely about finding that balance, and I don’t think there’s a rulebook or checklist you can follow –you just have to do it day by day. ”

– JESSICA FORSTON

definitely about finding that balance, and I don’t think there’s a rulebook or checklist you can follow – you just have to do it day by day.

NK: Definitely. As your business starts to grow, you’re working more and more. I used to say to myself, “I’m not gonna sleep until I die.” Then I started reading about how important sleep was, and I’m like, “Oh my God, if I don’t sleep, I am gonna die.” But I have my husband and we have a great support system. I think a lot of us women starting off in business, we’re scared to let go. That was a developing point for myself – At first, I thought, “I’ll do billing, I’ll do payroll.” I wasn’t trusting my team. Letting go allowed me to grow and lead. And you have to stay organized. I live by my planner. I write everything down and prioritize my life. You have to think about self-care, too, because if you’re not good for yourself, how can you be good for others?

AS: We’re in the same boat about

writing things down. I try to book out my time, make sure everything necessary is blocked. And I know that there are seasons to how busy we are. Even when I’m working seven days a week, that’s OK because I know it’s a season and it will pass. Every day, I try to get the tough stuff done first, out of the way when I’m fresh and at my best, because something always comes along to surprise you during the day.

NK: There’s never a dull moment in a busy woman’s life.

To close, what is your best advice for women who want to reach a leadership position like you?

JF: The biggest thing is getting that support system behind you, finding people that love your passion, that love you as a person. They’re going to keep pushing you. They’re the foundation for you to keep going. Any business venture is like building a house – without that foundation, you can’t build.

AS: You have to learn how you work, what your strengths are, and keep exploring that. Are you best in the morning or the afternoon? Find what works for you. When there are hard days, when things are really tough, know when it’s time to take a break. My dad used to say, “Take time to be down, take time to be frustrated, and then tomorrow get up and start fresh.” There are going to be those tough times, but you’ll learn a lot. You just have to keep going forward. As my pastor says, the growth is in the valley before you can get to that mountaintop.

NK: I always start off by saying that you should find your purpose. Don’t focus on the money; focus on your passion. A lot of times, we want success to happen overnight. We don’t have patience; we get frustrated. Be patient – it’s going to come. Always look for ways to make your company better. Always look to enhance your skills, enhance your strategies, enhance your processes. And less complaining and more solutions ◆

“I always start off by saying that you should find your purpose. Don’t focus on the money; focus on your passion.”

– NICOSIA KING

Capathia Jenkins

Ryan Shaw