A dad can’t find a bakery to make a birthday cake that can accommodate his daughter’s allergy-related needs. Two freelancers realize they need a way to organize all of their client contracts and can’t find software that adequately handles their use case. Necessity is often hailed as the mother of innovation – but not all ideas come from necessity. Unfortunately, in our experience, often media coverage of the ideas that powered amazing businesses and projects often stops at a very superficial level. The founders noticed a need and boom – idea. Often the ideation process has a much longer, more complex story and so we’ve asked some entrepreneurs and creatives we admire to go into detail about their ideation stories.

Madison Batman

When I was little, my grandma had this dresser with perfume bottles sitting on top of it. I would routinely pull up a chair just to clink through each bottle, admiring how each of those pretty glass vials could hold a completely new scent experience hidden away inside of it. It was here I can only assume my love for fragrance began. Read more>>

Danielle Claudio

Spread The Cheer USA is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to helping families in need across the country during the holidays and beyond. It began very organically… I was going through a difficult time personally. I remember I was alone. I has just gone through a divorce and my children were with their Dad. It was 2 weeks before Christmas of 2020. I was depressed. Read more>>

Ben Bryant

Inside Out Solutions is the solution to a common problem. If you need your home remodeled, your roof replaced, or even a new home built, a simple search will bring dozens of results. But what if you don’t need a multiple stage project done? What if you just need a small refresh done? That’s the problem I set out to solve with Inside Out Solutions. Read more>>

Alexandria Rizik

The poems featured in “Pieces of Me” were crafted over the span of several years. Initially, my intention was not to compile them into a book, but rather to engage in the act of writing poetry as a personal expression. As words flowed to me, I transcribed them onto paper. However, a moment of realization struck me, prompting the idea to consolidate all my poetry into a cohesive book. Read more>>

Foluke Houston-Gaddis

As a child, the spiritual foundation my grandparents and parents laid for me and my siblings ignited my belief in biblical affirmations and manifestation. Starting as a young girl and adult, I often filled our house with journals and notepads filled with affirmations that reflected what I’d like God to manifest in my life. I can still hear my mama telling me to put my papers away! Read more>>

Tiffany Gibson

Flea markets and craft fairs have been part of my life since I was a kid. I started making and selling beaded bracelets with my dad at a local craft fair when I was seven years old. Over the years I have sold vintage clothing, vintage home goods and my own sustainable label @harlow_jade Last year I decided to leave my corporate job to help care for one of my fave people in the world, my dad who was battling cancer. He passed away in June 2022, which still doesn’t seem real. Read more>>

Emily Larson

I realized refilleries were pretty popular on the coasts of the US – California, New Jersey, etc. and there weren’t any in San Antonio! I wanted to open a brick and mortar right away but I had no idea if that would be something the San Antonio community would be interested in and support so I decided to start with a pop up refillery at farmers markets on the weekends! Read more>>

Mel Mason

I grew up a disorganized mess. I thought it was my birthright to be cluttered, miserable and depressed for the rest of my life. The only time my room got clean was when my mom would get mad enough and do something about it. But inevitably the mess would come right back. Read more>>

Sharlet Too

Zawadi Empire came about back in 2019 when we had our first AirBNB listing in Frisco, Texas. All our clients kept complimenting the wonderful design in our listing. They would ask my husband and I if the home was professionally designed as it was modern, elegant and yet still so cozy. This is when I realized that I needed to really pursue my passion for Design. Read more>>

Chuck Braden

I can remember walking into a lot of tattoo shops as a young adult and being made felt like they were doing my a favor by speaking to me. Sometimes they would act like they were too good to do the tattoo or like the tattoo idea was below them and stupid. This happened to me on several different occasions. Read more>>

Mark Talley

The idea of Agents For Advocacy occurred on May 14, 2022, precisely between the time of 2:25pm and 2:27pm. Tragically, during this brief timeframe, ten innocent individuals fell victim to a semiautomatic rifle wielded by a white supremacist. Among the casualties was my beloved mother, Geraldine C. Talley. Read more>>

Ashley Priest

I created Saffron & Salt to honor my Grandma Margret and to unite my passions for food and cooking with my long-standing interest in entrepreneurship in ways that align with my values and allow me to provide unique, high quality products and experiences to customers. Read more>>

Charles Humphrey III

Charles Humphrey III founder of Beast Coast Anglers llc started fly fishing as a teenager. He moved to Asheville, NC in 1999 after graduating UNC Chapel Hill and has called the waters of Western North Carolina home ever since. As a touring bluegrass musician, he has had the opportunity to fly fish in Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wyoming, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska, and Canada! Read more>>

Oyindamola Apanpa

Honey’s Scented company is a candle and fragrance company and the decision to make Wickless Candle instead of the common wick candle, was because I became more conscious of my health and from my research, I found out that what I feed my body with, the types of products I use could affect my health and as a woman, ultimately my hormones. Instead of buying largely produced products that could potentially harm me, I decided to start making my own toxins & phthalate free, safe, clean & long-lasting products for me & my family. Read more>>

Enobong Tommelleo

I am a lifelong reader and collector of stationary. My collection of notebooks and bookmarks is extensive but for most of my life I have struggled to find designs that speak to me and reflect my personality. I’ve always wanted to run my own business in a creative field. Be my own boss and creative every day. Read more>>

Asueleni Deloney

After I earned my degree in broadcast Journalism. I decided to work as substitute teacher just to earn extra income. During this time I realized that I enjoyed working with children. Engaging with them and watching them grow in their academics and social skills felt very rewarding. Read more>>

Josephine Serrata

Dr. Hurtado and I (Dr. Serrata), founded Prickly Pear Therapy and Training in 2018 after having left other work experiences that were extremely stressful personally and professionally. We met through a networking event for Latina-identified individuals who conduct research investigations. At the time, I (Dr. Serrata) worked at a national organization conducting research across the country on issues relevant to the Latinx community. Read more>>

Anna Thatsanaphonh

Everyone knows Thai food. What they don’t know is that some Lao dishes are hidden in Thai restaurants because a lot of Lao business owners are afraid to market them for what it truly is, soley because the majority of people do not what what or where Laos is. A lot of people are afraid of the unfamiliar. Read more>>

Paola Carleo

I have always been a creative person, deeply passionate about beauty and connecting with others. While I was working as an account executive at Saatchi and Saatchi in Milan, I had a realization: I needed a creative outlet. I was particularly fascinated by the agency’s creative department. Read more>>

Azra David

My journey into the world of perfumery was deeply rooted in my upbringing and personal experiences. Growing up in Amman, Jordan, I was exposed to the rich tradition of using perfume as a form of self-care. It was a daily ritual to apply fragrances after a shower, and that’s where my fascination with scents began. Read more>>

Faith Thurmond Toms

I grew up receiving the most wonderful sugar cookies from a bakery right outside of my hometown. My family would order these cookies for every holiday, and it was something that I would look forward to. Read more>>

Daphnee Gaspard

I always wanted to have a cleaning business but I also had a lots of fears. One day due to my daughter having sickle cell and I would always have to ask few days off from work and at time weeks, it wasn’t easy. I got laid off one day and that was the moment I knew I had to put aside all fears and open my cleaning business. Read more>>

Corey Martire

In 2019 my position was eliminated. I knew I didn’t want to go back into corporate sales. Throughout the years I looked into becoming a dating coach or a sexologist. As someone who has been dating on and off since my divorce, I found people made dating way too hard. Read more>>

Jeremy Glover

The idea for my business is financial education solutions, I remember growing up as a child I was education about finances but not fully educated about finance. I enjoy finding investing solutions to customers financial problems. Only if it was something as simple as creating their own infinite banking systems. Read more>>

Judson Vereen

Being a writer since a very young age, the impact that a well-designed book cover can offer to my personal projects was always a great concern. I started to design the covers of my books myself, and being an artist that worked with elements of collage and text, I found that I had all the inspiration necessary to become good at this book cover design. Later, I started working with my wife Yasmin, and together we founded Canvas Graphic Design – a business specifically created to help artists. Read more>>

Megan CrafT

After I completed Graduate school, I obtained my master’s and started my first job as a Clinical Fellow in Speech-Language Pathology. I was in a private practice working with clients from birth to 18 years of age. I love reading and it is a huge part of my career. I discussed reading recommendations to parents and the importance and all of the aspects of language that reading to your child can incorporate. Read more>>

Charlotte Mazey

Ive always been into art of all mediums, painting, drawing, ceramics, dark room photography. Basically any thing I could get my hands on I would try it. Some things would stick and others just gave me random skills I could apply to other mediums. My background aka what I originally went to college for was graphic design and photography. Read more>>

Rachel Noble

Having experienced firsthand the discomfort and embarrassment of navigating social situations without a firm grasp of proper etiquette, I was motivated to create an etiquette business tailored specifically for adult women and teenage girls. My upbringing was far from affluent, and I vividly remember the challenges I faced due to my lack of knowledge in proper table manners and social graces. Read more>>

Andrew Lau

Ever since I was a teen I started getting acne. It started off with one or two tiny pimples, nothing serious. I had no skincare routine at the time but I knew I wanted to get rid of them so I looked into skincare for acne and that’s when I discovered the three-step system from Proactiv. After using that, all hell broke loose and my skin got so much worse. Read more>>

Alex Radulescu

When I began my artistic studies in Belgium around the age of 15, one of my teachers took us to visit museums in Europe (in Belgium, England, France, and the Netherlands.). One of the exercises he required of us was to sketch some pieces we selected in these museums. Read more>>

Marpessa Allen

Honey Kush Company was born from my experience as a doula. Recognizing the very costly burden black women face when disclosing cannabis use during pregnancy, I saw the need for a safe space. As a doula, I advise against revealing cannabis use to doctors due to the risks families face, like CPS involvement and arrests. Read more>>

Tia Glave and Jill Stuber NA

Tia and Jill are technical experts who have worked in food manufacturing for decades. What they noticed was working in food safety was like pushing a rock uphill. It was always challenging, tough, and underappreciated. After years of navigating this world, they learned technical experts aren’t always the best leaders. Read more>>

Courtney Starks

The idea for my creative services business, Courtney’s Corner LLC, emerged from my life’s journey of overcoming adversity and loss. Raised by my grandmother in Brooklyn after my mother’s untimely passing, I faced numerous challenges, including a severe health diagnosis. However, my unyielding spirit and determination led to a life-saving kidney transplant in 2017. Read more>>

Ashley Stone

“Absolutely, I’m thrilled to share about ‘Kickin It IN Keller’ and our amazing Kickin It Partners. The group was born out of a desire to create a space on social media that radiated positivity and provided a platform for genuine engagement and interaction. We noticed a significant need for a community-centric group where residents of Keller and those interested in our town could learn, connect, and support local endeavors. Read more>>

Teri Donelson

I work with women who are unclear on their purpose or lack a roadmap on how to pivot and begin to live in their purpose. During this time after covid, people want to engage with one another again and attending a brunch has been the thing to do. So I decided to bring the two together, I wanted the ladies to have the opportunity to network, have a space place to talk, a space for them to take the hats off but I also wanted to provide them a place to get their mind set for the next quarter. Read more>>