May 11, 2008

Mothers and daughters team up for businessBy Sarah RileyTheNorthwestern.com

Autumn Hill’s business plan got a jumpstart the day her mother was downsized.

Not letting her mom, Yvonne Kehl, feel sorry for herself for even a minute, Hill explained her idea for starting an advertising, graphic design and marketing agency.

“Autumn said, ‘This is fabulous because now you can work with me,'” Kehl said of the day in 2003 when Autumn Hill Creative started to come together.

Now, black cat running underfoot at their Kimberly office inside Hill’s home, the firm is one of the estimated 10.4 million women-owned businesses in the United States, according to the Center for Women’s Business Research. The group says 50 percent — or more — of businesses that are majority-owned by women.

Many of them rely on their mothers, daughters and sisters to find success.

“I knew that Yvonne has fabulous assets and talents that she was bringing to her former employer. She’s my mom, so I’ve known her my entire life,” Hill said. Hill serves as creative director and her mother handles business development.

Linda Kusserow and daughter Amy Stewart had a similar experience when they started You’re Special Gifts and Collectibles in Grand Chute in 1999.

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