Small business owners are the beating heart of Orlando — Lift Orlando’s Small Business Institute (SBI) Cohort influences the growth of our small businesses in Central Florida to push for continual and strategic growth. We celebrate every milestone and accomplishment of these entrepreneurs. But we’re excited to share about the 2023 SBI Cohort pitch competition winner—a special congratulations goes to Tiphany Weeks!

Tiphany is the CEO and founder of Atipical Design Co. in Orlando, Florida. Her services include home staging and interior design, as well as corporate consulting. Tiphany’s desire to begin Atypical was born out of a desire to repurpose, showcase, and reimagine beautiful spaces. Her background and expertise in real estate allowed her to follow trends and understand home decor and interior design. We’re excited to learn more about her journey in creating her small business!

Tiphany admitted that while she saw herself pursuing multiple endeavors, she never sought to be an interior design company business owner. Instead, her idea grew from personal need. “While working on my first investment property, I realized I had a much higher chance of being successful and achieving my goals if I had the property staged. The challenge was that I couldn’t find a staging solution that fit my needs, so I decided to do it myself,” Tiphany recalled.

From then on, she began taking on small staging projects until she saw the results and was blown away! She then started to accompany local homeowners in finding solutions to navigate the real estate market. Her desire to help homeowners make the most of their investments brought her incredible fulfillment.

What Tiphany Gained from the Small Business Institute for Business Growth

“What proved to be most impactful were the sessions on business branding, value proposition, and storytelling,” she recalled. Lift Orlando’s Cohort prides itself on providing as many resources as possible—evident in Tiphany’s story.

How Collaboration and Building Relationships with other Small Businesses impacted her Success

Lift Orlando’s Small Business Institute Cohort allows local entrepreneurs to collaborate and grow together. “Having the opportunity to learn from and connect with the fellow entrepreneurs in the Cohort was priceless,” said Tiphany. I made valuable connections that will help propel my business forward in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. I could lean into the strengths and perspectives of the other business owners and fill gaps in my areas of weakness with their wealth of knowledge and experience, but also with the services and products they provide.”

Tiphany’s Advice for Small Business Owners

Tiphany gave a simple piece of advice: lean in. “I was committed to getting the most out of it. There were many opportunities to learn from industry leaders and get invaluable information. I believe showing up with the proper mindset, attitude, and preparation was paramount to my success,” she shared. Having that proper mindset allowed the program to not only provide her with new learning, but also challenge some already established systems and processes.

Tiphany said, “I can say that as an entrepreneur with an existing business that is doing well, I honestly thought all of my backend development was complete. I was wrong! As I sat through some of the early sessions focused on business development, I realized several important steps I missed in my existing business.” By leaning into the challenge of the cohort, Tiphany felt blessed to course correct. She’s an example of showing up and being ready to innovate.

How the Small Business Institute Gave Tiphany a New Vision

She emphasized that the session that impacted her company most was the session on business branding. “It’s easy to look at branding as logos, social media, cute fonts, and web presence,” Tiphany shared. Our session on branding was so impactful because it helped me realize that your brand is how your customer base connects with your business and is more about the feeling than the font. The exercise really helped me connect with my audience and helped me develop how I want my clients to experience my business.”

When reflecting on the experience, she shared, “Being a part of the Cohort allowed me to get access to an invaluable wealth of knowledge and support. That, coupled with winning the funds to help put all the fundamentals into practice, has positioned me to exceed my safe revenue goals far and blow them out of the water.” We cannot wait to see how Tiphany’s business will grow in the future! Congratulations once again, Tiphany!

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About Lift Orlando’s Small Business Institute Cohort

Lift Orlando’s Small Business Institute (SBI) aims to equip, evaluate, scale, and advise local businesses in Orlando. The SBI Cohort is a business program, typically spanning 14 weeks, designed for entrepreneurs in the Orlando area led by Lift Orlando and partners. Throughout the cohort, members learn about business development, operations, branding and marketing, among other key topics at the Heart of West Lakes Wellness Center. The cohort connects entrepreneurs with business leaders throughout Orlando and opportunities to position themselves better to access capital that will accelerate their business growth. Learn more here.

Generously supported by Bank of America, Fifth Third Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and SouthState Bank