We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Lankford Alysha Clarke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer Lankford, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We were driving home from a night shift that we had both worked together at the hospital and were discussing child care options in the area. There are not a lot of flexible childcare options around us and we started brainstorming what it would look like if we were to create one. There was a lot of research and faith that went into opening this business. We are not business women and had not developed a new business before so we had to learn a lot along the way. We wanted a place that we would want to send our own children that would offer the flexibility and safety standards we believe are important. The Hive was completely developed with the children and their families in mind.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We are both bachelor prepared pediatric nurses. We actually met at Cook Children’s Hospital working on the transitional care unit. In the roles we had in the hospital we learned to manage and build up people from all walks of life in the worst times of their lives. Nursing is a rewarding but very hard profession. We would lean on our co workers and each other through the hard times and celebrate together in the good. We have taken all of that knowledge and expectations with us into this new venture. We have top of the line safety features like fall rated flooring and a fully automatic pediatric AED to keep all of the children safe no matter what the situation. We have also brought in that our play structures and toys have a developmental focus. We are a screen free facility. Children learn through play and we want to foster this learning well.

We are also both moms. Having your own children changes your entire perspective of the world. Having a safe place that gives you a break when you need it is invaluable. We wanted to be able to give that to our community. A place you can drop off your children and have that break. A place that is safe and fun for your children to play, explore and learn.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We both live in the Harvest community and have tons of fun things we get to participate in regularly. We would definitely hit up Tea Xetera to get a delicious tea before heading over to SAS boutique to get the cutest clothes and accessories. We would schedule massages with Revive by April and then head over to Argyle Med Spa for a facial. It is hard to choose where to go to lunch with the options we have in the Northlake Commons plus everything towards Roanoke, Justin and Lantana. We would definitely order some cookies from Crave and go to any of the many outdoor events happening in the surrounding towns.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We have super supportive families that have been our best cheer leaders along the way. We had the best GC you could ask for! Eloy from Riverwood Roofing and Construction helped us understand each process and step along the way. We would have been so lost without him. Nancy and Craig from Office Equity Solutions have given us so much insight and guidance in navigating commercial retail space and we are so thankful to have them on our team! Last but not least having a business partner in your best friend is pretty amazing. We have been able to build up and encourage each other through this process.

Website: www.thehive-northlake.net

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thehivenorthlake

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehivenorthlake

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