N.B. Resident Among Enterprising Women of the Year

An international women’s magazine named a Newport Beach resident one of its 2011 Enterprising Women of the Year.

Enterprising Women selected Susan Johnson, founder and CEO of Susan’s Healthy Gourmet, one of the eight top women in the category of businesses that make between $10 million and $25 million in annual sales revenue.  

Johnson, who has lived in Newport for 16 years, said it was “awesome to be honored.”

“It was really a surprise,” Johnson said. “It’s such a prestigious group of women from all over the country.”

The magazine presented the awards earlier this month.

To be selected, according to the magazine’s website, winners must demonstrate that they have fast-growing businesses, that they “stand out as leaders in their communities” and that they mentor or support other female entrepreneurs.

“One of my favorite things to do is to visit with and get to know other women business owners,” Johnson said.

Johnson is a founding member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Orange County Women’s Business Institute. She has participated in the association’s mentoring program and has served as institute president.

In addition, she speaks to entrepreneur classes at business schools and at career days for young women.

Originally from Texas, Johnson moved to California with her husband John in 1995. In 1996, she started Susan’s Healthy Gourmet, an Irvine-based business that prepares and delivers healthy meals to Southern California residents.

Since then she has founded two other business: LifeSpring Nutrition, which delivers frozen healthy foods, and Xan Confections, which makes gourmet chocolates.  

Her daughter Kerry Johnson Anthony is president of all three businesses, and Susan Johnson’s husband, John, is chief financial officer.

In the near term, Johnson says, she has a different goal for each of her businesses.

For Xan Confections, her goal is to promote the chocolate nationally; with Life Spring she wants to develop the business’s website so that it can reach more of California; and for Gourmet she wants to keep growing her customer base and eventually start selling some of the meals in stores.

According to Johnson, Gourmet delivers between 400 and 550 orders each week, and the orders usually range from one to nine meals each.

Johnson’s advice for female business owners?

“Live your passion,” Johnson said. “I look at too many people who are out there doing a job that they really don't want to do.”

Johnson said the important thing is “just going out there and doing it and believing in yourself.”  

The 2011 Enterprising Women award is the ninth annual award given out by the magazine, and the winners are from around the world.

According to its website, Enterprising Women reaches more than 200,000 female entrepreneurs in 48 countries and celebrated its 10 anniversary last year.

For the full list of winners click here.