An Enlightened, Caring, and Dedicated Leader

Amber Parsons is the fifth-generation owner of Harwood Gold, which dates back to the late 1800s as a maple syrup farm in Charlevoix, a lovely town in Northern Michigan.

Amber is passionate about healthy living, nutrition and the benefits that natural maple syrup brings to foods.

Being ambitious and believing in herself, Amber has expanded Harwood Gold to a specialty food company offering 75 maple syrup products, which are delicious and healthy­ – which is up from the three offered just seven years ago when she took over from her parents.

In addition, Amber opened Harwood Gold Café in Charlevoix, which offers a variety of their products and is a popular spot for various coffee and tea drinks and healthy snacks and easy meals.

Amber manages the two businesses – the production, marketing and shipping of the products, which is at the farm, and the café in Charlevoix. As a business owner and CEO, she is definitely a “hands on, roll up your sleeves” leader, with an exceptional work ethic. That is who she is! Her work ethic and positive attitude are her DNA!

I admire that she does whatever is needed for her customers, her employees (who are her team members, her crew), and the success of the business. And she pays attention to details, which is evident in the presentation of her products and the attractiveness of the café.

Amber has a strong commitment to time efficiency, as her productivity is vitally important, as well as having  a plan for the continued development of her business (she is quick to state that she will not stubbornly stick to the plan if and as circumstances change).

Amber knows her team members are the keys to Harwood Gold’s success. She greatly values and appreciates the good people with whom she works and cares about their happiness and well-being. She is committed to good communication, training, and being alongside her team members to help them. Her goal is that her team members have a sense of ownership and pride, and my observation is that they do, and she encourages them to be thinkers as well as doers.

From a stand at three local farmers’ markets when she took over, Harwood Gold’s products are now available in 12 states, and Amber is hoping that someday their nourishing products will be available in all 50 states.

This has been anything but easy for Amber as she has a wonderful and active six-year old son, Harrison, who, of course, is her top priority, and so she continuously sacrifices personal time as a mom, business owner, community citizen, and leader.

When I asked about messages which could be helpful to other business owners (and women in business), she shared that at times she may have self-doubt and anxiety, and knows she must quickly get herself out of that state of mind. To do so, she looks back on what she has done, how far she has come in the seven years.  In fact, she keeps a reference book of her journey, i.e., where she has come and the accomplishments and the facts and challenges overcome, and that boosts her confidence…and then she does the next right thing, no matter how big or small.

What a powerful principle for business owners and leaders, well, for us all – do the next right thing!

Amber knows it is a strength to ask for help – this is a strength, not a weakness! And she greatly values her lifeline of special friends, mentors and team members to call upon.

For sure, all of us in business can benefit from Amber’s wisdom and dedication