Throughout the month of March, the CAN BE Innovation Center is proud to celebrate Women’s History Month by highlighting its female clients. In this short Q&A, we sat down with one of our virtual clients, Kimberly Ray from Kimberly Nailed It LLC, to reflect on her journey and what it means to be a female entrepreneur.

For those who might not know your story, tell us who you are, what your business is, and why you became an entrepreneur.

My name is Kimberly Ray and I’m the proud owner and technician behind Kimberly Nailed It LLC, a brand new up-and-coming nail salon in the Hazleton area. My journey to becoming an entrepreneur may be recent, but I’ve always toyed with the idea of creating something all on my own. For anyone to take a chance and put themselves out there in this way is no small feat– it’s challenging, but also extremely rewarding and life-changing. Ultimately, the decision to open my business was driven by the support of my co-workers, family, and mentor who have all believed in me from the very beginning. Through their support and helping me realize who I am and what I’m capable of, I never felt more sure of a decision. 

In what ways do you think being a female entrepreneur has influenced your approach to business?

I think that being a woman quite literally changes everything about how you have to be as a business owner. It’s 2024, and society has made such progress in gender equality, but there’s still so much more work to be done. As a woman, you’re told to stay small and not take up space but as a business owner, you have to do the opposite to let your voice be heard. If you don’t, people won’t take you or your business seriously. 

What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs just starting out?

My advice is simple – just do it! Take the chance on yourself, and trust your intuition in the process. It took a lot of pushing myself to open my own business. It’s a scary thing to think about, and I’ve had my fair share of moments of doubt. But the thing I kept telling myself throughout the process was to “just do it”. Do the next task, talk to the next person, cross one more thing off of the list, and keep going. And right before my eyes, my long “to do” list became smaller and smaller, and my vision was closer and closer to becoming a reality.

Can you recommend another local female business leader you shop with, look up to, or would like to promote?

Ashley Evert, the owner and stylist of Halogen Hair Co.

For more information about the CAN BE Innovation Center, or starting a business within the Greater Hazleton Area, visit canbe.biz or contact Nico Makuta at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..