Monica Potter is a Hollywood actress with Cleveland ties, but on Tuesday she showed her entrepreneurial side.
Potter was featured on the CNBC show “The Profit” for help with her home goods store in Garrettsville.
Since she opened her shop almost three years ago, it’s been a rocky ride that Cleveland’s helped take her on.
"We're getting so much support because our products are helping people,” Potter said.
She recently teamed up with local hospitals, which is a sign of positive progress.
It was only about a year ago that things looked different, though.
Potter chose to close her downtown shop after the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
"We kept it open for a year, but there wasn't enough traffic down there and there was just a lot of sometimes miscommunication or red tape,” Potter said.
She said there’s no bitterness, just a shift in her life mantra.
"Get uncomfortable,” Potter said. “Stay uncomfortable."
Part of practicing that meant her appearance on The Profit, where host Marcus Lemonis helps struggling businesses fix what’s wrong and takes a cut off the top.
"It taught me a lot about finding and digging deep with personalities and relationships and understanding what people's fears are,” Potter said.
She said she considered the show just one step to her future.
For now, she’s focusing on her family, her experiences and her shop.
"The authenticity and the memory of my father is there and it's what is driving us and it's been an amazing journey so far and I can't wait to continue,” Potter said.
Potter said her future plans include providing trade training in some of Cleveland’s old factories.