Courtney Adams, an alumna of The 405 Club, got laid off from her job at Sony Music in December 2008. Her fiancé, Christopher Merritt, lost his job as an event director, planning conferences for the pharmaceutical industry, that same month. They had just moved into a new apartment. They started the new year off without a job and with no substantial savings. While it was initially shocking, said Adams, “It was liberating at the same time because you realize that’s your opportunity to be in control of your own destiny.”

Courtney always loved to cook and entertain and decided to put her passion to work. She and Chris founded Uptown Comfort [link], a catering company whose slogan is “Good food for bad times”. Their first gig, won through a connection made in The 405 Club, was a fundraising event for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, attended by 500 people. Since then, business has grown via networking and word of mouth. “For each person, you really have to figure out what your skills are,” said Adams, “and how they can be exploited. The same way you work for anybody else you can easily work for yourself.” A true recipe for success.

-By Yvonne Fitzner, Contributing Writer & Member