Growing up in Wisconsin, young Tammy Nelson dreamed of becoming a professional dancer in New York City or L.A. Despite the slim odds of any girl making it in that rarefied realm, her mother only ever expressed complete belief in her daughter. Though Nelson, 52, ultimately exchanged her tap shoes for a successful career in marketing, she's always looked for ways to harness the fearlessness her mother instilled in her to make others feel just as supported as she did. That led her to build her fidget ring brand, which she runs as a side hustle with her son, Jake. It is now one of the fastest-growing jewelry businesses in the land, and No. 478 on the 2022 Inc. 5000. But first they would have to fuss over the ring's fidget mechanism.--As Told to Rebecca Deczynski
My mom instilled in me an unequivocal belief that anything is possible. I always thought that everyone must think that way, but over the years I realized that most people don't. My mom gave me that gift. After she passed away from brain cancer in 2010--too young, in her 50s--I set out on a mission to spread that feeling of empowerment.
Image: CONQUERing founders Tammy and Jake Nelson. Photography by Maddie McGarvey
