Stefani Schuetz, 30

When Stefani Schuetz was diagnosed with melanoma, she didn’t know it could kill people. “I don’t want anyone else to be as blindsided as me,” she says.

That's why Schuetz started Tri Sirena in 2015, to educate people and protect them from the sun. It’s a company that designs and sells sun-protective performance apparel for people to wear during triathlons, swimming, cycling and running.

As a melanoma survivor, Schuetz wants to continue to introduce new products, expanding her line so she can accommodate everyone who does activities in the sun. “It is always awesome to be able to give people more sun protective options,” she says.

Her products are sold online, as well as at triathlons, 5Ks and half marathons. She’s also starting to sell more at water-based events, including swimming, crew and sailing competitions. Compared to last year, Schuetz says, the company has been at least 100% higher in sales every month.

“For the company, I’m the social media manager, I’m the model, I’m the customer service person, I do the packing and the shipping — I’m all of the jobs,” she says. “Slowly but surely, I’m able to delegate some things, but I feel like the core of the brand and the voice of the brand I’ve tried and failed delegating something like that. That voice has to be me. No one else can connect with your audience the same way you can.”

When Schuetz finishes the necessary tasks for each day, she focuses on the future. “I try to spend time thinking about how can we make this better, what are the trends for next year and how can we accomplish all that?” she says. “Make baby steps forward every day — that’s how it works. It’s just like if you were to say you were going to train for a marathon, train for an Ironman or lose 50 pounds. It’s just like everything else in life. You want to make it grow? You want to make it better? You have to put the time in every single day.”