For nearly two decades, Melissa Armstrong poured her energy into serving clients at
The Enlightened Skincare Clinic in Inverness, offering organic skin care and energy
healing treatments built on trust, care and personal connection. What she hadn’t focused
on, she realized later, was her own development as a business leader.
That changed after Melissa, 43, enrolled in Harper College’s Business Growth Badge, a noncredit program offered through Community Education (CE) that helps small business owners move from day-to-day operations to strategic growth.
“When I received the email invitation, I reviewed all of the information the program had to offer,” she said. “It seemed to be a completely thorough training program offering highly skilled teachers within their field. It was immediately apparent that I could learn business growth strategies from an elite crew.”
Melissa joined the February 2025 cohort, initially drawn by convenience – Harper’s campus sits directly across the street from her business. But the four-week program quickly became much more than an accessible learning opportunity.
“I didn’t realize I had any goals going into the training program,” she said. “During and after the program, I realized I’ve had many career goals that I hadn’t paid attention to in over a decade.”
Through the curriculum, Melissa began developing a new entrepreneurial mindset – one that encouraged her to think beyond providing excellent service and toward building sustainable growth. For the first time, she started viewing her work through a leadership lens.
“My newly implemented reorganization of daily tasks and other operations is in effect. While I am starting small, I am looking into each operation and analyzing its effectiveness from a business point of view,” she said. “As an 18-year solo practitioner who has focused solely on customer service from a service provider mentality, this is a major transformation to see myself as the CEO of a company and to guide it toward growth.”
Since completing the program, Melissa has begun laying the groundwork for future plans, including potential relocation and expansion into additional areas of body healing and lifelong wellness. The impact has extended beyond operations. She said that the experience brought renewed clarity and momentum to her partnership with her husband, who co-manages the clinic.
“For the first time in 18 years, I saw myself in a different light – with more power and control over the future of my business,” Melissa said. “It was a personally transformative experience for me.”
She credits the program’s instructors, peer connections and practical structure for leaving a meaningful, long-term impression.
“I met like-minded business individuals in the same boat as myself,” Melissa said. “I was particularly impressed by the depth of knowledge and business acumen that each trainer displayed with each class. I learned so much that I continually go back to review what I was taught.”
The Business Growth Badge consists of four workshops, running Mondays and Wednesdays from March 30 through April 22. Click here to enroll or for more information. Scholarships are also available on a limited basis.