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Owner: Amy Houk
About: Studio 11 Home + Body carries clean home fragrances handmade by owner Amy Houk. Products include candles, room sprays, wax melts, and hypoallergenic earrings.
Address: (Located on the 3rd floor at
Lowe Mill Arts – Studio #316)
2211 Seminole Dr. SW
Huntsville, AL 35805 #316
Phone Number: (256) 427-1583
February 8, 2024
Member Highlight: Heather White of Heather Leigh Art
Welcome to another edition of our Member Spotlight Series on the Madison Mompreneur blog! This series will help you get to know the members of Madison Mompreneur as we ask them questions about their personal and professional life as moms who own businesses in the Madison, Alabama area.
We are continuing this series with the spotlight on Heather White, Owner of Heather Leigh Art!
Introduce yourself!
I’m Heather White, and I own Heather Leigh Art.
How does your business help people?
I create art for homes or offices or to give as gifts.
How long have you lived in Madison County?
I have lived in Madison County for 23 years.
What inspired you to start your business?
I had a urge to create beauty out of blank canvases. I love decorating and finding the perfect sentimental pieces to be displayed.
What sets your business apart from others in the industry?
I’m willing to work with you (and even brainstorm ideas if you wish) to create a special painting or series of paintings.
What do you consider to be your biggest success so far?
I’d say taking the leap to invest in my art whether it be a new class or better materials has been well worth it.
How does your business contribute to the local community?
From time to time I like to donate a piece of art for local causes.
How do you see your business evolving in the next 5-10 years?
I’m finally launching my website, so I’m hoping to expand my customer reach.
Who are your typical customers, and how do they find you?
My typical customers appreciate original art over mass produced art and love giving sentimental paintings as gifts.
What do you enjoy most about running your business?
Painting and creating!
How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends and changes?
I’ll notice color trends, but I try not to focus on it and just paint things I love in my style. There are always trends in social media which is a bigger challenge I’m still trying to understand.
What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a business in your industry?
Just start and give yourself time to fail and learn, but keep going!! Slow and steady wins the race!
Any product/service you would like to highlight at this time?
I love all my art pieces, but I especially love doing custom pet portraits!
Do you involve your kids in your business? If yes, how so?
They sometimes watch me and give me “pointers” or opinions.
What do you find is the most difficult part of balancing motherhood and business life?
Finding uninterrupted time is hard, but it’s good to step away from a painting and come back with fresh eyes…so, maybe it’s a good thing to need to stop.
What business in the Madison area is your favorite?
Right now PiperMache because she helped me build my website and is phenomenal to work with.
Who is your business bestie?
Right now, I’m partnering with Amy from The Keen Hart. We are planning to do a candle & notecard bundle soon.
Anything else you want us to highlight?
I’m a featured artist at Harrison Brothers Hardware.
Where can people find you?
On my website at heatherleighart.com.
If Heather’s experience as mom and business owner resonates with you, we want to hear from you in the comments! And if you are a mom and business owner in Madison, Alabama email us at madisonmompreneur@gmail.com. to be featured in a future Member Highlight post!
October 23, 2023
Member Highlight: Christine Stroecker of Birch Acres
Welcome to another edition of our Member Spotlight Series on the Madison Mompreneur blog! This series will help you get to know the members of Madison Mompreneur as we ask them questions about their personal and professional life as moms who own businesses in the Madison, Alabama area.
We are continuing this series with the spotlight on Christine Stroecker, Owner of Birch Acres LLC!
Introduce yourself!
I’m Christine Stroecker, and I own Birch Acres LLC.
How does your business help people?
Birch Acres LLC is a fully licensed and insured residential remodeling company. It is my goal to breathe life back into the space of your home. I truly believe that homes hold energy, and that energy affects those living in the space. Making your home more functional, aesthetic, and comfortable, will have an impact on your daily life and how you feel each day. Our homes are usually our biggest material asset, so investing in them (in the correct ways) is very wise. Elevate your home, Elevate your life 🙂
How long have you lived in Madison County?
South Huntsville is my home base. My family has lived here for a little over two years. My husband and I are both from Alabama, but we moved from state to state during/after college. This is our first time living in Alabama as a family, so it feels great to be home!
What inspired you to start your business?
Starting my own business has been on my heart since I was in high school. Surprisingly, I got really comfortable in the corporate world after college and thought I’d never leave. There were multiple things going on in my life from 2020 – 2021 that seemed to push me to start my own business. First, my husband and I flipped two houses on the side while working full-time. This is really where I fell in love with residential construction AND saw a huge need in the market for a more sophisticated experience. Secondly, once I had my son in 2021, my vision of how I wanted the rest of my life to look and the vision being sold by the corporate world weren’t aligning. Having my son was the main catalyst to starting Birch Acres.
What sets your business apart from others in the industry?
Besides the fact that it’s run by a young female….
The residential remodeling industry is way behind with the times. The quotes given to homeowners are vague; the expectations are not set properly; the billing process is usually unorganized and not clear; it can be “sketchy” in regard to safety; people’s deposits are taken (I can’t tell you how many times I have heard clients say another contractor took their money).
I want to make a positive impact on the reputation that residential contractors carry. When you work with Birch Acres, you will have a fully modern experience. I want to make sure we have a trusting relationship with open communication. My billing process is very clear, organized, and you can make payments online. I have been told numerous times that my quotes are very detailed compared to others. We will discuss different issues that we might encounter. I am very diligent at tracking cost, and dependent on what type of contract you have, we will be in frequent communication on budget. Lastly, we understand that we are coming into your home, so we make sure that we are respectful of your space and your time. We’re basically doing surgery on your home (your most valuable asset), so I want to make sure that my clients understand what to expect.
What do you consider to be your biggest success so far?
Creating a business that gave me so much time back that I can now spend with my family.
How does your business contribute to the local community?
We donate extra materials that are unused to people that are in need. We will load up the unused materials and take them to where they need to go! We are also particularly careful to dispose of waste properly.
How do you see your business evolving in the next 5-10 years?
My goal is to create a construction company that provides an upscale remodeling experience that is communicative, sophisticative, and creative. I want to re-write what people typically think when they go to hire a contractor. Hopefully I am at 5x the revenue that I am projecting for this year, and I’ll certainly need a large team to help me accomplish that.
Equally as important, I want to create a company where the employees thrive in their roles. I want the work environment to promote creativity (not only with design but with processes too), encourage ownership with projects, empower them to take charge. My hope is that working at Birch Acres is a growing experience for the employee that pushes them out of their comfort zone. I want the employees to gain confidence in themselves and their future. Hopefully the employees absolutely love their job and that joy spills into their home. As an employer, time with family will always come first. Money will come and go, but time you can’t get back.
Who are your typical customers, and how do they find you?
I have two main types of customers: (1) Homeowners (2) Investors. They usually find me through a referral, Google, Houzz, or the BBB.
What do you enjoy most about running your business?
F-R-E-E-D-O-M. Can’t say it enough. I have so much freedom with my time. I have control over how much money I make. I have freedom to choose who is a good fit for me to work with. Once day when I am hiring, I’ll have the freedom to choose my employees. I have freedom to choose how my processes work and what deliverables look like. I absolutely love the amount of freedom owning a business gives me.
How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends and changes?
I am a student right now at the Interior Design Institute. I fully plan to elevate the design aspect of my business!
What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a business in your industry?
#1 you MUST get your Homebuilder’s License! Don’t be afraid of the test. My books are on loan right now to someone who is studying for the test, and I’d be happy to loan them to anyone. #2 don’t be afraid to network around town, build a website, cold call people, etc… this was so uncomfortable for me at first, but it has gotten me so many jobs.
Any product/service you would like to highlight at this time?
During the holidays, I notice a big dip in homeowner projects! It makes sense that people don’t want a renovation going while they are spending large amounts of time at home and inviting guests over. The holidays are stressful enough! That being said, INVESTORS are a HUGE source of revenue for my business. Investor connections really pull my business through the winter season since they are always on the gas!
Do you involve your kids in your business? If yes, how so?
My son involves himself by crawling into my office chair and banging on my keyboard… that’s about as involved as he gets.
What do you find is the most difficult part of balancing motherhood and business life?
When I left my corporate job, I was convinced that I wouldn’t have any more super late nights working. I strive to maintain that, but it happens every once in a while. I feel a strong pain in my heart when those moments happen. I use those moments to feel grateful that they are few and far between and that I am on the right track.
What business in the Madison area is your favorite?
Who is your business bestie?
I have a few over the internet, but I need a real-life one!
Where can people find you?
On my website, Facebook, and Instagram.
If Christine’s experience as mom and business owner resonates with you, we want to hear from you in the comments! And if you are a mom and business owner in Madison, Alabama email us at madisonmompreneur@gmail.com. to be featured in a future Member Highlight post!
October 17, 2023
Owner: Tracy Abney
About: Rocket City Doulas is the premier doula agency serving the Tennessee Valley. Services include labor doula, postpartum doula, in-home classes, bereavement support, and postpartum placenta services.
Phone Number: (256) 289-1709
March 9, 2023
