Nicosia King has a keen eye for spotting gaps in Milwaukee’s business market – and stepping in to fill them. She is a wife, mother and serial entrepreneur who established more than 15 companies over the last 12 years. The Milwaukee native’s third job was at a payday loan company. “I wanted more,” King says. “I wrote down some goals, and one day I just woke up and put in my two-week notice and never looked back.”

Her career in entrepreneurship began in 2009 with Golden Path Senior Living, followed by Golden Path Home Care in 2013. The two companies have provided seniors with at-home care and assisted living for the decade since. And each Thanksgiving, Golden Path hosts a turkey drive, providing turkeys to the community and families struggling to afford them. “That will never stop unless they stop selling turkeys,” she says. In 2016, King and her husband, Jakim Jones, started GP Trucking Inc., with the first fleet of trucks removing debris, gravel, crushed concrete and more at construction sites, such as Fiserv Forum and Highway 45. That same year, the couple bought foreclosed homes from the city, fixed them up for new residents, and created Golden Path Home Improvement.

King’s latest venture is building an aquaponic farm from scratch on part of the 17 acres of land she bought in Oklahoma – where she has family connections. “We can really build that area up with a lot of business and jobs,” she says.

This all comes back to one of King’s core missions: to coach people to open their own businesses. By sharing her story – and through training, consulting and mentoring – she hopes to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“Under the Golden Path umbrella, I’ve established many businesses and organizations,” King says. “What makes it all possible is the people that work with me and the clients we serve.”