Melonie Johnson is sitting on a bench outside Ada’s on the River. The morning fog has begun to lift and across the river we can clearly see the towering hotel at MGM National Harbor, where Melonie oversees all day-to-day operations as President and Chief Operating Officer. 

I asked her about the business she was opening in Old Town. Her confidence and calm was something that instantly put me at ease. As she shared her journey, she felt like one of my girlfriends – and we had just met. This was going to be her third location, she was already a seasoned entrepreneur. Even a slight delay here or there wasn’t going to stop her momentum.