Claire McKenney, an artist with a gift for connecting people through creative projects, decided to go it on her own after a few years working with PaintNite, based in Boston. "I always told people who said they weren't creative that they just hadn't found their thing yet. I started thinking about how to offer a bigger variety of those creative projects."

And that's exactly what Claire's new business offers - a variety of creative, hands-on crafts. After meeting with her WISE counselor, Maria, and doing deep research through the SBA and NYS, Claire launched Right Mind Syracuse in September 2019. It began with in-person workshops at bars and restaurants, and by March, business was good. However, the pandemic forced Claire and her team to change their approach.

"Probably the biggest thing Maria taught me was to always look to what's next." Claire credits that lesson as part of the reason Right Mind has been able to successfully adapt. Starting in March, they offered DIY kits for people to do at home, as well as virtual workshops. As summer came around, Right Mind began hosting socially distanced outdoor events. Now, as cases rise once again, Claire and her team are transitioning back to virtual workshops. "That's another thing Maria always said - don't stop hosting the events yourself," Claire reflected. "I do still host them, even with everything else going on. That's my favorite part -- connecting with people."