Name: Danielle Grandholm
City: Bridgman, MI
Workplace: Rising Kites
Title: Director & Founder
How do you think that Bold Women of Business demonstrate being bold?
By identifying areas of need in the communities they serve and confidently taking action to introduce new businesses, programs and/or ideas that significantly benefit those in the community with which they serve.
Bold women are often defined by a number of descriptors. Please choose from the following descriptors to produce the top three that you would say most exemplify your personality?
Courageous
Valiant
Brave
Please provide an example of when you feel you were at your very best in taking action on the job or in your role.
Founding Rising Kites was a risky move, not knowing if others would see the need and join us in our mission of celebrating the gift of Down syndrome. But we’ve been supported in huge ways by a local and national community. As our community showed up and backed our mission through various avenues of support it has empowered me to show up for people like my daughter, Sammie, in a bigger ways in even more spaces–something I would not have had the courage to do without the support of our community.
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened on your road to success?
n/a
Who most inspires your personal drive for success every day?
My daughter, Sammie. She is the heart behind our mission and without her I would not have the eyes to see the incredible worth ALL humans with Down syndrome bring to our world, nor would I care to create more spaces and opportunities for these individuals to share their gifts with the world.
What is your best advice to women in Southwest Michigan looking to succeed, as you have, in business?
Cast your fears aside and do the thing. We can always sit and wonder “what if I did XYZ” but boldly doing it might just change the world for the better and it is worth the risk.
What does your selection to the ranks of the Bold Women of Business from Moody on the Market mean to you?
I’m surprised, grateful, and honored to have been selected as a Bold Woman of Business. I never set out to do this work for any sort of recognition – only to shout the worth of my daughter and those like her. To be recognized in this way is a humbling experience and I’m honored to be named among the women who have received this award. It is my hope that because of my recognition here more people will come to hear about our mission and care to celebrate and include individuals like my daughter.
