The UPS Store Small Biz Challenge Finals

Our three finalists have been announced!

The finalists will travel to a final event in Austin on April 24th to present in front of our celebrity host and guest judges. A winner will be announced and given the ultimate prize plus an editorial feature in an upcoming issue of Inc. magazine.

 Stay tuned to find out who will win the 2025 Small Biz Challenge on April 24th!

Meet the Finalists

Wander & Root
Wander & Root is a mobile houseplant shop offering a range of plants from rare and “weird” plants for collectors to easy-care plants for newbies. As the name implies, founder Amanda Wynkoop and her team wander around the Pittsburgh area, popping up to offer a unique shopping experience, live workshops, and do-it-yourself plant kits. They may show up at artist markets, night markets, or breweries, creating experiences that bring people together.

“We combine plant shopping with community events like this to bring you more than just plants. instead, you’ll get a fun, iconic experience that’s all about connecting with nature and your community,” she says.

Just Call Me Shirley
With 10+ years of social media marketing experience and a passion for creating community, college sorority sisters Sydney Attis and Mikayla Garcia are unstoppable. Just Call Me Shirley (JCMS) is the second joint business venture for the duo, who currently own and manage a social media marketing agency, Social Culture Creative.

The founders are devoted to making JCMS a success in an industry that is predominantly male, sharing, “We aim to break the glass ceiling using stilettos, as Shirley would.”

Dokkaebier LLC
In just three years, Dokkaebier LLC earned more than 10 beer industry awards, secured more than 900 retail accounts, and opened an Oakland, California, taproom, all while bridging cultural gaps with authentic Asian flavors. The company, which takes its name from Dokkaebi, the mysterious, shape-shifting creatures found throughout Korean folklore, created the first U.S. Chimaek festival, now in its third year. The brand’s mission is to redefine craft beer with unique offerings. The company delivers its products nationwide and even in Germany, with more plans for growth.

According to founder Youngwon Lee: “Next, we’re aiming to secure an East coast warehouse and open another bay area taproom to show that we’re unstoppable.”

Meet Our Host

We’re excited to introduce this year’s host, Shannon LaNier!

Shannon LaNier is an Emmy award winning nationally syndicated television personality. As the 6th great grandson of President Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, he is also the award-winning co-author of Jefferson’s Children: The Story Of One American Family. You can follow his fatherhood and family influencer journey along with his nearly 1 million social media followers @MrShannonLanier on all platforms, for his silly shenanigans with his wife Chandra & their 3 Little LaNiers. Make sure you go to Amazon Prime Video to watch his newest thriller film, Tyler Perry’s Duplicity, out now.

Meet Our Mentors

Our Semi-Finalists will get the chance to work closely with our esteemed mentors:

Julissa Prado is the Founder & CEO of Rizos Curls, a self-funded clean hair care line aimed at embracing and celebrating the beauty of curls, coils, and waves!

Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning designer, director, CEO and Chief Strategist of Blind and the founder of The Futur—an online education platform with the mission of teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love. 

Jasmine Star became an internationally recognized creative entrepreneur before the age of 30 and later founded Social Curator, a social media marketing company in which she has helped over 35,000 business owners

Read about the 2024 winner, Lacey Benard of Bitty Bao!

Bitty Bao, based in Los Angeles, California, makes bilingual Chinese books for children, teaching them about a variety of topics – from counting, to food, to cultural moments like Lunar New Year. In the short three years since founding Bitty Bao, over 90,000 Chinese bilingual books have been sold to bookstores, libraries, and families worldwide.

Watch the 2024 Small Biz Challenge recap below and follow The UPS Store on Instagram to catch highlights and other small business advice and inspiration from the competition.