Long before she became a successful entrepreneur, Melissa “Sissy” Blanchard was simply a determined student with a dream to earn a degree from Georgia Tech.
“I don’t know what drew me to Georgia Tech,” she said. “I just had this thing from a very young age. I had to go.”
That determination would become a defining trait of Blanchard’s career, guiding her through setbacks, reinventions, and ultimately, a decades-long entrepreneurial journey shaped by creativity, resilience, and a desire to build something meaningful.
A Nontraditional Path
Blanchard’s path to the Scheller College of Business wasn’t a straight line. A Brunswick, Georgia, native, she began her college journey at Valdosta State University while co-oping at IBM, surrounded by Georgia Tech alumni who inspired her. After completing additional coursework at Georgia State to meet admission requirements, she transferred into Georgia Tech’s management program.
Sissy Blanchard attends a Georgia Tech–Florida State football game, 1996.
Once on campus, she found a collaborative, supportive environment that shaped her approach to leadership and problem-solving.
“There was a lot of group learning,” she said. “You didn’t feel like you were on your own. You were all working toward the same thing. It was a very supportive environment.”
Blanchard immersed herself in campus life, continuing to serve as a leader in Omicron Delta Kappa honor society and participating in programs like Executive Roundtable. Each experience helped her build confidence and connect with industry leaders.
What stayed with her most, however, was not a single class or professor, but the mindset she developed.
“Georgia Tech teaches a different way of thinking critically,” she explained. Blanchard learned how to look at a problem and how to improve a process — knowledge that would support the course of her career.
An Entrepreneurial Spark
After graduation, Blanchard launched her career in technical and sales roles at IBM and Milliken. But even in corporate settings, her entrepreneurial instincts were hard to ignore.
On the side, she experimented with creative ventures, including baking cakes, quilting, and eventually designing handbags. What began as a hobby quickly evolved into a business: Sissy Made It.
Blanchard built the brand organically, producing handbags and accessories and selling them at wholesale markets. She saw rapid growth when she began to sell colorful luggage tags designed to stand out in a sea of black suitcases.
“At one point, we had between 600 and 800 boutiques across the U.S. carrying the product,” she said.
The business was thriving, supported by loyal customers and even her own family, who helped produce inventory. But she chose not to scale aggressively, opting instead to enjoy the life she had built.
“I was just really enjoying it,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking about how to make it bigger. I was thinking about how to keep doing what I loved.”
A Life-Altering Turning Point
At just 33 years old, Blanchard’s trajectory shifted dramatically when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer just weeks before her wedding.
“You get real clear about what you want real quick,” she said.
After marrying and successfully completing treatment (she has now been cancer-free for nearly 20 years), Blanchard reevaluated her priorities. She and her husband, Bob, set a new goal to build a life centered on hospitality and shared experiences.
That vision led them to Sonoma County, California, where they purchased and operated a wine bar in Bodega Bay. Living and working on the property, they became deeply embedded in the community, where they revitalized the local chamber of commerce and even launched an Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival inspired by the town’s cinematic history.
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“I call this time in our lives our ‘charmed decade,’” she said.
When they expanded the business into a full restaurant, revenue doubled, but she noticed her happiness had declined. The challenges of staffing and scaling in the restaurant industry eventually led them to sell the business and return to the Southeast.
Once back on St. Simons Island, Georgia, Blanchard briefly considered returning to a traditional job after 20 years of working for herself.
“I went on one interview,” she recalled. “I got in my car and had a meltdown. I told Bob there was no way I could go back to work for anyone else.”
Instead, she and Bob decided to build something from the ground up when they opened Saltwater, a coastal lifestyle retail store.
Catching the Next Wave
Blanchard’s next pivot came almost by accident. After adding a small selection of outdoor furniture to the shop, Bob and Blanchard noticed growing demand. Their business expanded rapidly when the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a surge in home and outdoor living. Saltwater became Porch+Patio.
“We just tumbled into this enormous opportunity,” she said.
Today, Blanchard operates multiple locations as a leading outdoor furniture retailer on the Georgia coast. She is also deeply involved in the industry, serving on the board of the International Casual Furniture Association and collaborating with manufacturers across the country.
Her business has evolved into a sophisticated operation powered by technology, process improvement, and a strong team — all principles she first encountered and developed at Georgia Tech.
Full Circle
Looking back, Blanchard sees her journey as a series of reinventions guided by instinct, opportunity, and persistence.
“I’ve come completely full circle,” she said. “At Georgia Tech, I learned how to think and how to solve problems. It all came back to help me build a successful business.”
Today, her definition of success is less about financial milestones and more about impact. She is committed to giving back to the institution that helped shape her journey. Through the Melissa J. Blanchard MBA Fellowship Endowment Fund, she is supporting future students as they pursue their own paths.
For Blanchard, the endowment she’s been building since graduating in 1995 is a way to invest in the next generation of problem-solvers and inspire other female entrepreneurs. She hopes to ensure today’s students have the same opportunity to grow, challenge themselves, and succeed.
“I want to build something that matters to somebody,” she said. “Whether that’s creating jobs, supporting my community, or leaving something behind that makes a difference.”
Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs echoes the mindset that has guided her entire career:
“Don’t be afraid to say what you need to say. Trust your instincts. And remember — what you focus on gets bigger.”
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