SECOND CHANCES
Misty L. Franklin is a leader within her community and a professional speaker who utilizes her voice to help build integrity, empowerment, and community.
Misty is the daughter of a father that was incarcerated. Then Misty was incarcerated herself. However, against all the odds, she broke the cycle. She was able to integrate back into society, and she did it on her own, without resources or support. She thought to herself “how can I provide resources and support to other women who are in the same situation that I was in?” That’s why she founded Restore 180.
Restore 180 gives people the power to learn techniques to persevere by developing their personal motivation, discovering solutions to obstacles, clarifying the details of the life they want to live and learning how to keep going when the going gets tough.
LAUNCHING RESTORE 180
When Misty launched Restore 180 she wanted to plant the seeds right to get her business off the ground by building a solid foundation, but she didn’t know where to start.
In the beginning, Misty was overwhelmed with the unknown. Thanks to her incredible resilience she shifted her mindset into a positive one believing in herself and looked for help. She found Centro.
Misty first started using the Centro Business Planning App and loved how easy it was to create her Business Plan. “I first started with the App, implementing the different phases of my business and giving myself a wealth of knowledge and resources,” said Misty.
Thanks to the Basic Entrepreneurship Program, Misty was able to bring her business idea into reality. One of the things she enjoyed most about the program was the community entrepreneurs created in the classroom. Even being virtual, they created strong relations and grew their businesses together step-by-step.
“Join the program, jump off the deep end and explore the infinite possibilities that come with learning and entrepreneurship, and with knowing that they are in good hands. You're going to be around a community that believes in accountability, growth and taking your business to the next level.” This is Misty’s advice to entrepreneurs thinking of joining Centro.
Aside from the classes, Misty had one-on-one check-ins to clarify some questions, to get feedback about specific areas of her business plan, and to develop her business. “Having a strong support system is extremely important as an entrepreneur. It’s also important to get feedback and be able to accept that feedback in order for me to sustain and grow my business.”
Misty is very passionate about her business and wants to show representation. Being a formerly incarcerated black woman, she wants to show other black women and young girls with similar backgrounds that they can be successful entrepreneurs too. She has always remained consistent and disciplined, since starting her entrepreneurship journey, even though it has not been easy, she has kept persevering and kept her faith.
CREATING AN IMPACT
Currently, Restore 180 is performing well, focusing on outreach and building relationships with the community. The most rewarding thing for Misty is watching her business grow, watching it grow from serving 1 - 2 youth in her community to now serving 33 and offering resources, mentoring, advocacy and education.
“I tell other black women not to give up, especially women from the same background that I come from. I tell them that we deserve a second chance and that we are not our worst mistake.”
Due to Covid-19, she has had to shift most of her meetings and programs to virtual platforms. When she’s able to meet in-person she makes sure to follow all protocols and procedures with social distancing, face masks, hand sanitizer, and everything else they need to do to gather and be safe.
NEW GOALS FOR 2022
Misty just incorporated Restore 180 as a 501 c3 Nonprofit Organization, and her next step is to find funding so that she can grow her organization and support even more women by hiring staff and developing partnerships in her community.
Join us in congratulating Misty for her resilience and for creating this amazing nonprofit to support her community. Check out her website.
Looking to start or grow your own small business?