“I knew what I wanted to do at 12 years old,” Amy Wenger said. “It’s funny because I grew up a complete tomboy. I was living in the woods and building tree forts.” 

Her career today is a far cry from that tomboy life. Wenger now owns multiple businesses in Boundary County that provide skincare and beauty services.  

"I approach my clients in a positive way, asking them what they love about their skin,” Wenger said. “I try to focus not on the negativity of what we're going to fix, but on what they want to enhance or feel more comfortable with."   

“I’m an esthetician for my business, The Beauty Canvas,” Wenger said. “I’ve been doing that for seven years.” 

In addition, Wenger owns and works at Northern Beauty Bar, a salon, as well as a 24-hour tanning business, Malibu Room Tanning. All three businesses have five-star ratings on Google.

“I also have a little jewelry operation on the side,” Wenger said. 

Despite having multiple businesses, Wenger makes sure to prioritize herself and her family, even if it requires changing her work life. 

“I’ve had to pivot my businesses over time to make sure they work with my life,” Wenger said. “If something’s not sitting right and I don’t have peace with it, something’s got to change.” 

Wenger has lived in Boundary County since she was 6 years old, with only a few years spent elsewhere. 

“When I was 18, I moved out, then came back home,” Wenger said. “When I was 21, I went to Bible college. That was a cool experience, and then I came back home again.” 

“I have deep roots here,” Wenger said. “I enjoy the place I grew up and getting out to try new things.” 

One of her first jobs was working with a chiropractor in Bonners Ferry when she was 17, an experience she said helped prepare her for entrepreneurship. 

"I got to know the community really well through that job," Wenger said. "It launched me into getting out on my own and figuring out who I was as a person. When you're working with people one-on-one, you learn how to be independent, speak up, have conversations and be personable." 

Wenger often thinks about her job outside of normal working hours, which she says can be a benefit. 

"For some jobs you don't think about it when you go home," Wenger said. "For other jobs your mind is still working and I'm kind of that person." 

"I'm kind of cut out for that type of work," Wenger said. "So I might as well work for myself." 

Learning — and continuing to learn — are traits Wenger values about herself.

"When you're working on your own, if there's something you need to figure out, you have to learn it," Wenger said. 

In a small and well-connected town like Bonners Ferry, word of mouth often matters more than websites or online reviews. 

"Word of mouth is huge," Wenger said. "My business isn't something that can be remote or online. My business is people and their bodies. Running my business with integrity and honesty is important to me.”  

"Without the community and town support, my businesses wouldn't exist," Wenger said. "I wouldn't get to do what I love to do."   

Wenger also credited her family for supporting her along the way, which includes her husband, also an entrepreneur, and her sister, who helps with the businesses. 

“Behind every successful person is often an unseen team of people, and that’s my team — my family,” Wenger said.

Wenger reflected on the advice she would give her younger self.  

"What I would tell my younger self is don't lose who you are as a person," Wenger said. "I am not my business. I am still me." 

Wenger said frustration has come at times, but it has never stopped her from moving forward. 

“I believe there are many times in our lives that you feel inadequate, and I’ve felt that any time a new challenge presents itself,” Wenger said. “It’s not that I felt like giving up, I just knew I had to learn how to pivot and approach my dreams from a different angle.”