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Kristina Jones has always set her sights high-whether as a commercial airline pilot or in her hobby of skydiving.
The Napa, Calif., native quit flying after moving to Indianapolis in 1989, but her transition to a more traditional career didn't last long.
After working at Thomas P. Miller and Associates, a Greenfield consulting firm, Jones moved on to become what she calls a "corporate change agent"-someone who goes into small- to medium-sized businesses that are either struggling financially or are looking to grow, she said.
"My expertise was coming into these businesses and being able to see the big picture, creating business structures for them that would allow them to grow," Jones said. The problem was Jones didn't work as an independent contractor. Instead, the companies hired her. After a year or two she'd always work herself out of a job.
Jones decided to complete an MBA degree at Indiana Wesleyan University, and when she graduated in 2004 her husband, Dale, presented her with a motorcycle-something that led her down a whole different career path. Frustrated with the lack of attractive yet functional motorcycle apparel for women, the 42-year-old Jones set about doing sketches of what she'd like to wear.
Last September' Jones launched her e-commerce business, Cameleon Power-Sport Apparel (cameleonapparel.com) featuring her trademarked Invisible Armor motorcycle jacket for women.
"Because I'm constantly in the corporate world, when I started riding I needed to dress in a corporate style," Jones said. "I couldn't find anything I could wear and be able to get on the bike and go to work without having to take a whole change of clothes with me."
She began researching protective pads and came across Beaverton, Ore.-based Crash Pads, a company that began manufacturing thin, protective pads for snowboarders...