Entrepreneurship, the unlikely path that Vivian Brittenum found herself on.

Vivian Brittenum is a small business owner by accident. Although her path to entrepreneurship was never planned, it is certain, solid, and real. Brittenum never imagined she would one day call herself an entrepreneur, yet while engaging in visioning exercises through the Rock It! Lab, a notion became her reality.

Today, Brittenum, owns and operates Rock City Staffing Agency, a boutique placement firm that secures temporary, full-time, and contractual roles for out-of-work individuals across Little Rock and central Arkansas. Her unexpected expertise in human resources afforded her opportunities to partner with businesses of all sizes and industry.

Vivian admitted she often felt fear and intimidation because she never thought of herself as an entrepreneur, but the village of the Rock It! Lab surrounded and supported her during times of self-doubt. She was a student in the very first Business Incubator Cohort, the Rock It! Lab signature 12-week business program that provides participants with the necessary skills to create a viable business model and sets them on the path to success. Together, fellow cohort members inspired, pushed, and challenged each other to put in the necessary hours of hard work, exhaustive thought, and refinement to create a plan that would meet the standard of her team – and herself.

Much like the companies Brittenum now calls paid clients, one lesson that Vivian has learned from the Rock It! Lab team is that no one business is the same and starting a business has no standard blueprint – a one size fits all model is nonexistent.

“I often doubted myself. I didn’t know if I had the skills or resources to begin my entrepreneurial journey. (However), I continued to work towards my dreams of opening Rock City Staffing Agency! Failure was not an option, and with the support of the Rock It! Lab, I know I and my business will continue to be a success!”