After serving eight years in the United States Navy, Ree Williams started her post-military career working for larger corporations, including one of the nation’s largest defense contractors.

“But I didn’t feel at home there,” she says.

[caption id="attachment_23449" align="alignright" width="200"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/R-Williams-1-of-13.jpg"><img class="wp-image-23449 size-medium" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/R-Williams-1-of-13-200x300.jpg" alt="R Williams (1 of 13)" width="200" height="300" /></a> Ree Williams[/caption]

Small business were a better fit for the Indiana native who relocated to Beaufort a little over a year ago. She now owns The Ree Williams Development Group and specializes in providing entrepreneurs with target-specific business development coaching and growth support and resources. Ree also founded her business called In the Pinc, an online hub that helps women entrepreneurs build their businesses.

“With In the Pinc, I help women make sense of all their entrepreneurial thoughts and ideas, helping them start, build and grow successful small businesses,” Ree says. “I’ve always been an entrepreneur myself and I understand how important it is for women to shed the fear of falling short.”

A firm believer that experience is a great teacher, Ree applies her more than 20 years of knowledge acquired through working with small businesses to each client’s specific needs and goals. She loves the risk-taking nature of her clients.

Ree says, “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, thinking I would work in the traditional classroom. But God had different plans for me. While I’m still a teacher, I teach entrepreneurs. Now I know I was born to be a business owner, without a doubt!”

With In The Pinc, Ree’s alliterative mission is to embrace, encourage, educate and empower women entrepreneurs, helping them realize their dreams of becoming successful small business owners. Ree developed a variety of successful events through In the Pinc, including The Black Business Women’s Expo, the Nothing But Small Business Fair and the Beat Black Friday Holiday Bazaar, hosted throughout the U.S. She’s currently working on the 2015 Women Entrepreneurs Expo.

Describing her personal philosophy when it comes to providing support to small businesses, Ree says, “It’s not enough to know you want something; you have to know what you want and get into action to get what you want! And never spend your time battling babble! Let people talk about you, you just keep telling yourself, ‘I can do this!’”

Ree and her husband Mark have three adult children. Ree is a Barbie collector and loves frogs. Live frogs.

“No, not to eat,” she laughs. “As pets.”