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Meet the Founder | Mariah Brown of The Vision Project

Entrepreneurs Spark Venture Voices
Posted on October 19, 2022
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Welcome to our Spark! Meet the Founder series, where we introduce you to the amazing entrepreneurs who are participating in our 2022 Fall Spark! program with a quick Q&A! 

Spark! is a small business accelerator that puts the right people, opportunities, and access in place for local entrepreneurs in Arkansas to take their venture to the next level. 

Please meet Mariah Brown, founder of The Vision Project, a mental health service.

The Venture Center: Tell us about The Vision Project!

Mariah Brown:  The Vision Project is an affordable mental health service that partners with businesses and organizations to normalize mental health. My practice provides a unique approach to mental health services by offering flexible evening and weekend appointments for an individual, couples, families or a crisis situation. My innovative and developing brand Mental Health is Real focuses on mental health education by promoting therapy to prevent self-diagnosing and consistent labeling. 

Why did you choose to become an entrepreneur?

I always had to desire to be an entrepreneur but would work part-time on my craft. My business started in 2020 but I was scared because I felt I didn’t have everything together. Entrepreneurship choose me because I was forced to live in my purpose.

What are your biggest challenges as a business owner?

Time Management is a huge challenge. I have a steady clientele, however, I find myself not having enough time to pour into my brand Mental Health is Real. It’s a challenge finding balance to prepare content, record, and have effective marketing strategies for my target audience.

What do you hope for the future of your business?

My plan is to hire a team for The Vision Project. My goal is to get in the community and partner with businesses for speaking engagements with their staff about normalizing mental health. I hope to create more community events that centered around mental health resources.  I hope my future is bright so mental health can become normalized across the state of Arkansas.

What are you proudest of so far?

My proudest moment is obtaining my brick-and-mortar in the heart of downtown Little Rock. It was finally able to cultivate a space that allowed people to be authentically who they are. I was able to be a healthy therapist by getting into this space.

What do you hope to gain from Spark?

I hope to gain knowledge from the workshops. Networking is amazing, however, I want to build relationships that go beyond this program.

Huge thanks to Mariah for participating in Spark! We can’t wait to see your business grow!