Kelly Rossman-McKinney and Linda Hundt are two Lansing-area businesswomen who are a stark contrast in their day-to-day professions, yet they share a common past and a common thread: the belief that anything is possible with determination and diligence.

The Rossman Group

Originally from Oregon, Kelly Rossman-McKinney moved to Michigan over 30 years ago. She has made Michigan her home and the base for her successful public relations firm in Downtown Lansing. With over 10 years in state government, it was in the late 80s that Rossman-McKinney made a life-changing decision that has led her to be coined as one of the area’s most reputable and successful business leaders.

“In 1988, I left the state government arena as an employee,” she explains. “At the time, I was working for the Blanchard Administration and, quite honestly, did not want to wait around to see what the next administration would bring. I wanted to make my future—not hope for it.”

With a small business loan, she worked from home developing her own vision and her own idea of what success looked and felt like. Today, she is a recognizable face as a successful public relations liaison for many of Michigan’s heavy hitters. No, she doesn’t come up with catchy phrases and jingles that loom in the head for days.  She and her team specialize in media containment, positive image projection and effective messaging.

“We have two areas of expertise: issue management and crisis communication,” Rossman-McKinney says. “Our main goal is to intercept negative press and hearsay to get out in front of an issue that could have a sloping effect, thereby minimizing what may not necessarily be a factual representation of the issue.”

It’s not always easy she admits, but it is a profession that she loves. She continues to manage her personal life (she has four children: 31, 17, 15, and 13) and her commitment to her professional endeavors. Her tenacity is unparalleled and her drive is what maintains her reputation as a leading businesswoman. She attributes much of her success to being fearless when it comes right down to it.

“Women can be successful business owners and they can beat the expectation if they believe in themselves and what they are doing,” she shares passionately. “You can’t get hung up on thinking you might fail, because if you think you’ll fail, ultimately you will.”

Although she considers flexibility and openness key ingredients to succeed, she also advises women in business to be bold and unabashed about going after a dream. “You’ve got to have passion,” she advises. “And you’ve got to know you can do it, because if you don’t buy yourself, who will?”

Sweetie-licious Bakery Café

Linda Hundt remembers the day she knew she had to make a change in her life. It was September 11, 2001.  The date speaks for itself. She was driving home from a meeting after news of the tragedies on American soil had already broken across every home and business in the United States.

“I was working for the Engler Administration at the time,” she recalls, “and I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I was worried about my family, like most that day. I was terrified and felt completely isolated in my disbelief.”

It wasn’t long after that she began examining what was important to her and how she was contributing to her community, to her faith and to her family. She knew that she had to get back to her own basics and to her true self.

“I had always dreamed of owning a pie shop,” Linda shares. “I had always envisioned what it would look and feel like to have my own business based on my own principles and my own ideals because a pie shop is more than just pie to me—it is love.”

Linda began her business endeavor with her husband and two daughters onboard. They all knew that there would be sacrifices, but fully supported her dream. From within their fixer-upper farmhouse, Linda did her homework and developed a business plan along with writing down every family pie recipe and vintage cookbook winner that she could find.  Stored away in her barn was a collection of vintage décor just waiting to see the light of day.

“People weren’t really sure about my decision to open the shop in DeWitt,” she confides.  “But I believed that it was exactly what this town needed. I envisioned townspeople making a connection and also creating a destination place for others. And it worked!”

Nearly five years later, Sweetie-licious Bakery Café is booming. With so many other area businesses reporting a decline in sales, Sweetie-licious saw a 25 percent increase last year. She attributes much of her continued success to checking off goals written into her original business plan. Strategically, she entered pie contests to promote her reputation, to capitalize on the publicity, and to stay true to her mission.  Notably, she has been awarded the Crisco National Pie Champion four years in a row.

Linda openly admits that she never considered herself a businesswoman—at first. But with determination, hard work and the realization that anything is possible, she has redefined herself. She was even approached to be part of a reality television show about her pie shop, but turned down that particular offer because of last-minute contract changes.

“As women, we often put limits on our talents and our possibilities because we think our ideas are simple. That is not true,” she states. “If we believe that no matter what we do we are unique and capable, then we are being true to our own sense of self and we are already successful.”