Starting a business or creative project is scary for many reasons, but one that is often overlooked is the anxiety related to whether this is really “the one.” To some, this isn’t a valid consideration while to others this is the only consideration. Some argue that what you work on, along with who you work with are the two most pivotal decisions you’ll make and so we’ve asked folks to tell us about how they came up with their ideas and how they knew this idea was the one.

Hannah Barry

Traditional women’s sleepwear never really felt like my style and it lacked basic functionality. It was too sheer to feel comfortable having coffee with my in-laws in, and too juvenile in its prints. As I began to spend more and more time in sleepwear during the pandemic, I wanted it to feel like an extension of my style versus a hard stop at bedtime. Read more>>

Amber & Billy Jordan

In 2018 we were planning our wedding and had already completed 2 years as wedding photographers together. We had a couple friends who were also wedding photographers and they had photo booth companies that accompanied their photography service packages. They offered to show us how to do it in true “Community over competition” and we decided to invest into our first Photo Booth Model. Read more>>

Antoine Didienne

I am a portrait, wedding, and family photographer but I consider myself a documentary photographer first. I always come to photography with that point of view in mind. It’s because of that frame of mind that I decided to take on a long-form documentary/storytelling project such as Portraits Of My Father. I wanted to stretch my skills, and take on something ambitious. As a father of 2 girls and the son of 1, I have pondered what fatherhood is many times so that’s why I thought tackling this on visually would be a great way to give my thoughts on my role as a father. Read more>>

Nicole Serle

While pursuing a Master’s degree in Chicago, IL, I took a job working for a private learning center. It was here that I fell in love with special education and saw the potential behind intensive learning interventions for teaching children with deficits in reading, writing, and math. After completing my Master’s degree, I worked as a special education teacher for a network that turned around failing Chicago Public Schools. To understand what I experienced here and what eventually led to the idea to start The Lellow Foundation, I need to tell you about some of the first students I ever taught: Read more>>

Ashly Villamar

I’ve always been interested in running my own business and loved organizing. Using my love of organizing and my skills in technology, I googled my way through building businesses, learning all I can to help the entrepreneurs I was working with. In early 2020, before COVID, I launched my business in systems organization with the intention of helping businesses work smarter, not harder. Read more>>

Josh Blanaru

Pick a phrase + get it on a shirt! GUNS R BLAZIN launched with a clear intention to inspire others while looking good in the process. The idea of putting a custom phrase on a t-shirt once ruled the 80’s shopping mall scene. GRB upgrades this vibe and matches an extra sexy t-shirt template, with a phrase of your choice from volumes of album art menus. There are over 100 phrase options to choose from, ranging from uplifting to borderline bonkers, so get ready to laugh while being inspired at the same time. Choosing a phrase is a lot of fun and these tees make great gifts! You can also request a personalized phrase by reaching out via email ([email protected]), Read more>>

Kaylee Blubaugh

For many years I held marketing leadership roles in corporations and despite enjoying my time in these roles, I always found myself wanting to make more of an impact and help more companies. I found myself constantly picking up freelance marketing jobs in addition to my full-time roles, With the fulfillment that came from helping these companies, along with the flexibility and success of my freelance work, I decided to start my own company. With my business, Blu Insight, I am now able to help other entrepreneurs and small businesses turn their own visions into reality. Read more>>

Desi & Angelina Butler

It all really began in 2016 when we met through an online dating app. Immediately, we knew we were both creative and ambitious individuals. We had also shared with each other that, from a young age, we both knew we wanted to be successful business owners. Despite our dreams, we continued to work for other businesses as the years dragged on and on. Before we knew it, it was 2019 and we were still just going through the motions. There was an emptiness that we felt. In fact, we realized that we had become stagnant and, if we wanted to break out of our rut, a drastic change needed to be made. Read more>>

De’Laija Napier

My sister and I (like everyone else) got the opportunity to spend a lot more time together with the onset of the pandemic. We are both always on the go and so busy but what was happening in the world forced us to take a break from most if not all of the things on our to-do lists. The thing that really sparked this idea was that of all the people I had been telling they needed to take time for self-care, I realized that I wasn’t doing it myself. With that in mind, I took some time to reflect and think inwardly about how I could put actions behind my words. Read more>>

Paola Santoyo

In 2020 my husband and I bought our first home. In the process we spent ALOT of money because I wanted to buy cute decorations for the house, to include a sign for almost every room I would go to retail stores almost every day and buy cute signs with sayings for around the house and for the porch area. During that time I had also looked into getting a Cricut but would always blow it off until one day out of the blues I went to the store and bought a Cricut along with all the supplies that I needed. I always wanted a cute wood porch sign for the entrance but noticed that everywhere I looked it was either extremely expensive for a cute personalized sign or it was just a very basic sign. Read more>>

Sarah Cieslinski

It was 2018 and I was coming home everyday unhappy with my current job. I was working at a wildlife rehab center and felt the urge wanting to do something to make a bigger impact on the planet. I have always been passionate about wildlife and our planet, and was already trying to live a more low waste lifestyle at home, so I came up with the idea to create a one-stop-shop for plastic-free, sustainable everyday essentials, as there wasn’t many options that existed at the time. Read more>>

Olivia D’Amico

I started Kinspoke in 2016 and the Friendly City Flea in 2019 with different business partners. When I started these businesses they were to meet the needs of our community but they were also to meet some personal needs and dreams. Creative spaces can be hard. When I was a young artist I was made to believe there wasn’t enough space for everyone. We had to fight for jobs and fight for exposure. But then I hit a point of feeling completely over the lie I was constantly competing with others when I went into other creative spaces. I wanted to highlight the amazing talent of my friends around me. Read more>>

Efrain Collazo

Back in 2018 I was filming a documentary for the recording of my EP with late rapper and fellow collaborator GUAP. During that time I decided to take matters into my own hands and start my own filming and photography company, which then became PC2DC PICTURES. I officially started it the following year in 2019. Ever since then I been doing photography and videography for 3 years now. Read more>>

Erika Perry

Far too often, I see so many entrepreneurs, and individuals confused and unfocused about their goals. Though they want to break free of that feeling, it can sometimes feel like they`re doomed to stay in their comfort zones of not reaching their goals. I personally know how that feels, and I have been that exact person. At times everything in my life seemed cluttered or not right, but with direction and balance, I changed the way I look at things and the things I looked at change. So, I help me daily transition their mindset so they too can look at things in a positive way. Read more>>

Nicole Ward

I came up with the idea for my business in 2017 when I got engaged to my now-husband. I’ve spent my entire career in the wine and hospitality industry so when planning my bachelorette party, I noticed a major void in wine-themed apparel and gifts. Nothing interested me – the merchandise I was encountering was all the same. After doing a lot of research I found out that the majority of these merchandise companies were home hobbyists using the same software that has built-in wine-themed designs. To me, nothing had a story, nothing was unique, and anyone can buy a machine and do that work. I also noticed there was a large segment of the companies based in China. Read more>>

Cindy Rojas

I, like a lot of women in this world, underwent a relationship I was no longer happy in ,i was grieving a big loss of my family member my uncle to be exact, I was a mother to 2 amazing children that needed me and demanded my attention. With all these mundane responsibilities in mind, I knew I had to step it up as a women that I am, and genuinely manifest my best life. This included my own brand and business. Read more>>

Priscille Ngomeg

The process by which I get ideas can come from anything. A lot of things inspire me. I get inspired by nature, art from the past, tv shows, movies, people, really the list goes on and on. I don’t have one certain thing that I get inspiration from because art of everywhere. When I first got into modeling, I did it as a hobby and for fun. Now it is more of a passion and something I pursue with more intention. Even though I might not have the height, or body build of the usual model. My hope for the future is that my talent will push me through the doors of the industry. Read more>>

Maria Jose Algarra

I founded Clean This Beach Up in April 2019, I found my inspiration and love for mother nature through yoga & meditation, and one day I decided to share that light with others and began inviting friends and residents to enjoy a yoga class followed by a beach cleanup. Seeing our local beaches and waterways covered in trash motivated me to create this movement and started a wave of change, focused on educating and inspiring others to make a difference in their community and live a more sustainable life. Read more>>

Maria Grullon

I started my business knowing one thing…I wanted to amplify female led businesses in the online space. Coming from a background of 3D animation and visual effects where the industry was male dominated I knew how much more women needed to push through to be seen. I had a sense of my mission but I didn’t know the HOW. How do I amplify them? Being a multi passionate it was hard for me to decide what my business should be. Read more>>

Amanda Newton

I never actually planned on making embroidery a business! It all started when I decided to make my son a blanket to match his Arizona State University themed nursery. I patched together my husband and I’s old college t-shirts into a quilt and posted a picture of it online. I then made quilts for my other children, and posted those as well. People took interest and started ordering quilts for their children. After dozens of quilts, my sewing machine stopped working, so my husband surprised me with a new one that did embroidery as well. Read more>>

Gigi Wilborn

My creative journey is actually quite complicated and has been the furthest thing from smooth. For the last twenty years I have been an Emergency Room nurse by trade and a reinvigorated visual artist by passion for four. In 2018, I became the founder and sole artist at GW Harper Designs. In 2021, I opened Essential Wellness 360, an IV Vitamin Hydration company that initially started off as a mobile business but has since transitioned to a brick and mortar location in the heart of the Serenbe community in Chatt Hills, Georgia. While one business deals with creating visual art, the other also speaks to my creative side merging both my trade and my passion. Read more>>

Patricia Castle

In a previous interview I talked about me as a child being able to see things in tree’s the sky…etc. like faces, things I can’t explain and how it is a natural thing for me. As a child when i realized I could see these things I thought everyone could see them too! Then when I asked my friends they said “No we don’t see it” I was shocked then they made fun of me and I told myself I was going to figure out a way to show the world what I see when I’m outside in Nature lol…at the time though I didn’t know it would be when I became an adult, I understand now that the idea came to me when it was suppose to I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures of my friends and I growing up back then there was no smart phones. Read more>>

Lorena Carreño

I am from Oaxaca, I was born and grew up there, with mezcal always present. A distillate that was very little valued until it obtained the Denomination of Origin, the idea of ​​having our brand arose then, our family always had mezcal, but we decided to put our last name on it and create a brand. My parents sent me to Mexico City to study for a university degree and I did it, I also did a master’s degree and a series of leadership, business and marketing courses, I also studied to be a sommelier and got my diploma, this has been a great help now . Read more>>

D’Andre Good

1 Saturday night in 2018, I was sitting around hungry and it was late at night. I only had a taste for “home-styled” food, not anything from a chain type of restaurant but the only thing that the delivery platforms had on them were the chain restaurants. My girlfriend at the time got super upset because I decided to go all the way across town to a food truck that just so happened to be outside of a popular nightclub. I pulled up and see all of these people dressed up, while I’m standing in line with sleeping pants, a muscle shirt, and some house shoes on looking very out of place lol. I ordered my food, and of course got an earful all the way home, but that’s when the idea came into my head because I was thinking that I could have saved myself an argument if I was able to order from this place and have had it delivered. Read more>>

Katia Dragotis

Call it a case of the ultimate FOMO OR maybe it’s never being fully financially secure, but I’ve always had multiple jobs and my hands in a lot of different projects and companies. I always have been on a career journey that’s founded in entrepreneur “big ideas” and hustling to try and make that happen. To make these dreams happen without the financial safety net, I always have had to take up odd jobs here and there. Whether that being bartending after long days of building a media company or acting as a Vampire for a Halloween promotion, I’ve done It. With that, I have stories. Stories that at the moment made me scream, WHAT THE F*** AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE. Read more>>

Lindsey Nguyen

Bare Beauty Spatique was created on the principle that one need not connect with a place, but with an experience. When I set out to develop my unique beauty spa, I envisioned an experience that would make my guests feel transformed, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. My innate ability to feel and see the energy around me, plus my background and upbringing as an Asian-American woman put me in a unique position of constant self-reflection and adaptation from a very young age. I developed my skills as a harnesser of energy, an artist, and as a molder of aesthetics, and began to apply my unique-spirited approach to my work. Read more>>

James Balmer

After my brain injury in 2006 I knew that I wanted to do something different for a living. I had these creative spells and ideas would just come to my head. In the hospital my mother would make and bring in so much wonderful food. Especially these candied pecans. I’d eat them by the big bag full. Years later My Mum’s Nuts was born. Little did I know that it would be My Mum’s Nuts CBD Creations now. Read more>>

Brittany Scales

So when I first decided I wanted to start up a clothing brand, I thought being a graphic designer was all I really needed. A few jobs I had, I was helping people with their apparel needs and started to learn the production side of it. I then started thinking since I knew how to design, design for apparel along with actually conducting the production, I had an idea. I wanted to specifically help people who wanted to start an apparel brand, help them with all designs and getting production done. Pretty much make the process easier and not having to put it all in theirs hands as far as the apparel choices. Use all the information they give in order to present them with a full brand. I started doing that side and I am really enjoying helping people out, giving them advice on where they can start and finding out from them where they want to take it. Read more>>

LaShaunda Cole

This is a great question simply because Legacy came into fruition after my Mother passed January 2017. Before then, I had no desire to do anything crafty other than making baby food or diy projects for my then new born son, Christian. I had been a stay at home mom of 3 forever it seemed. Before she passed, my sister and I would go over to our parents house to help take care of her for years. And that took up a lot of time. Time I gladly did. So, when she passed I had nothing to do during the day. The kids went back to school. Loved ones went back to work. And there’s me with a 1 year old looking silly. Crying. Yelling. Screaming. And much much more. I prayed and asked God to help me cope with the loss of my Mom. My Queen. Read more>>

Sheila Segnalini

In early 2019, I was between jobs. Not in a rush to find the next one, but determined to do something I really enjoyed and loved. I spent days and weeks reflecting and brainstorming ideas trying to figure out what my next great business would be. I went from wanting to be the next JK Rowling to wanting to be the female version of Jeff Bezos. However, little by little my ideas became less grandiose and more down to earth. Read more>>

Angela Walsh

Creatively Networking was established during the pandemic. As an author, author coach, and manager of my daughter’s modeling career, I realized that creative artists were hit hard when we had to stay in our homes. Networking is a huge part of being noticed. We had no runway shows, music events, or anywhere to showcase our talents. I first bought the domain and made sure no one else had come up with the same idea. After that, I went to social platforms and created pages. Then I used messaging and talking to friends to gain interest and find creative people to feature on my pages. Read more>>

Christian Zimmerman

Qoins was a name I came up with after the first original name “Consolidebt”. After doing a few pitch practices I knew I had to come up with a better name. When thinking about what I could call the business I wanted to incorporate the idea of coins or money being saved in a penny jar or piggy bank. So after playing around with multiple fonts, I. found Avenir to be a winner. With this font, the Q in Qoins looked as if the stem of the Q was actually a slot in a penny jar and the O part of the letter was a coin. Its simplicity was what ultimately drove us to the name and we ultimately redesigned the capital “Q” with a shorter stem for a more modern look. Read more>>

Mei-Ling Mirow

The name MIO has two meanings, the company itself is named Multimedia In Orbit (MIO) whereas another extension of that also plays off of how we are creatives Making It On Our Own (with some helps here and there) but it is basically giving appreciation for the start of something great. Touching on the name Multimedia In Orbit, I chose this name because I am a multidisciplinary artist and creative. I offer a wide range of services so I picked multimedia to emphasize that. Read more>>

Juan Sandoval

When I first started thinking about starting my own business I was think of a name that would be short and simple. My middle name is Edward, which I decided to use the first 2 letter of my middle name Ed. At the same time it has a little bit more meaning to me as I am also paying homage to my grandparents. My grandpas name was Eddie and my grandma’s name was Dolores. When combined their first letter of their name it makes Ed. Read more>>

Amanda Rabon

Gypsy Belle Photo Bus name was inspired by travel and roots. Gypsy for us means to travel from place to place, and to go wherever your event is taking place. I wanted to use Belle as a reminder that even though we travel our roots are based in the south. Read more>>

Julie Solomon

I started my business with one product in mind: candles made in vintage and secondhand containers that can be reused. But I knew that more broadly, my goal with the business would be to reuse recycled materials in many ways, so I needed a name that wasn’t candle specific and left space for me to grow. I landed on the name Solly Sundries – Solly comes from my last name, Solomon, and I added on the alliterative “Sundries” to reflect the fact that business may include a myriad of things! In addition to selling candles, I am now also making clothes out of vintage and secondhand fabrics. I can’t wait to continue adding sundry sustainable projects to my shop! Read more>>

Jessica Dory

So my business is named Rabbit & Fox Photography. As long as I can remember I have had an affinity for rabbits in stories – not domesticated rabbits but wild and wily survivor types of rabbits. When I met my husband I discovered he had an affinity for foxes. We got married when my oldest child was 4 and we had a wedding that was themed around woodland animals – including a rabbit & a fox! Since that time 11 years ago we have accumulated rabbits and foxes from friends and family and our two younger children have also embraced the rabbits and foxes. Read more>>

Jamie Phillips

I think it’s important to know how my designs and ideas came to be. The name, Herice, is my middle name, which is after my grandmother because we were born on the same day. Henderson comes from a small town in Texas where my grandmother grew up and my mother was born. I was extremely close to my grandmother and she passed away in 2017. Growing up, I never liked my middle name because I would always get questions about it and no one ever heard the name before. Read more>>

Claudia Campbell.

The name of my blog is: “Waiting on Peonies” After years of infertility and multiple IVF cycles, we were pregnant with triplet boys. Unfortunately, as we approached 23 weeks, I went into premature labor and our sons died in my arms after spending just minutes with them here on earth. The year we lost our sons. my husband planted my favorite flower, peonies, in honor of them. It took 3 years for us to get the first bloom and that year we got 3 flowers, one for each of our sons. Read more>>

Kailee Nauman

When I was in college, we were assigned to brand ourselves for our graduation portfolio. I ended up putting out a questionnaire asking those who knew me best to describe me; to my surprise, the word eclectic came up numerous times. I had never even heard of the word! But the description fit me well. I ended up filing “eclectic” into the back of my brain and used only my name for graduation; but when it came to starting my studio, the word “eclectic” just kept coming back to me. I embraced the name and in 2019 rebranded to Eclectic Designs .CO. It’s been a really special evolution of the name, as it captures not just who I am, but also all the clients I work with as well. Read more>>

Anastasia Thompson

In 2014, I became a mother and I knew I wanted to give her everything & thereafter in life. With that type of desire working for a company wasn’t going to cut it. I came up with the idea of Southern Comfort Meals in 2018, after a friend suggested that I should make what I love into something more, from that moment I have been building my dream/vision. I truly enjoy cooking. It’s a stress relief and a special kind of pleasure when someone enjoys it. Being an Entrepreneur is hard work and takes dedication, but doing what you love takes drive, consistency, purpose and passion to keep it going. The reward when done properly you will have a legacy and wealth in all areas which makes all worth it. Read more>>

Amanda Drews

Two words: Uncontrollable Circumstances. 6 years ago I unexpectedly lost my son Hudson he was 13 months old. We recieved a lot of family support and I couldn’t imagine any family going through the loss of a child with even a fraction of the support. Thus, Buzzy’s Bees was born we started out giving low barrier unrestricted financial gifts. Other foundations money to bury a child out financial gifts could be used for anything quick cash in hand for counseling, groceries, and of course if needed funeral expenses. Through this program I began talking to many bereaved parents who didn’t need financial support but wanted to talk about their child and longed for a new memory. Read more>>

Dane Rauschenberg

Being involved in the running and exercise world from almost ever aspect (participant, race director, expo vendor, spectator) I found myself listening to what many people were needing to meet their fitness goals. The two major desires were safety and companionship. I knew that the thing keeping many from exercising when they could was not only the accountability of having someone waiting for them but the feeling of being safe when they went. So it was a no-brainer to combine the two in order to help get as many people exercising as possible Read more>>

Kajsa Rossetto

Dough Play Dream Sensory Kits came about because I wanted to encourage children to use their imaginations and let creativity come to life. Play dough is a great sensory base for open ended play. In other words, play without limitations or pre-determined expectations. There is no right or wrong with open ended play. The kits that I create facilitate open ended play and encourage children to imagine new worlds through play. In naming my business, I wanted to suggest that play should be a welcome place for children to dream and bring their creativity to life. Read more>>

Jossycar Bravo

That’s a pretty easy question! My family always said your name sounds like a famous name “jossycar bravo” imagine reading this name on a magazine “wow” so i decided to call my beauty salon by name just because during my childhood everyone used to say that name is unique! Since then nobody else has my name even on IG! Read more>>

Ashia Greere

I didn’t came up with Ashia flava’s right away. It took me over a year. I wanted something that stood out and represented me well. I always knew my flavors were bold and different. I always get great feedback on my flavoring. That’s when the name came to me. Read more>>

Erica Joyce

Every good story starts with a glass of wine, right?! Well, I got tired of handwashing my wine glasses, especially when the pandemic hit and I was spending a lot more time at home (even now, like many, I’m doing more entertaining at home). Even though my stemware was dishwasher safe, I was afraid to put it in my dishwasher. The fold down “wine glass holder” in my dishwasher wasn’t cutting it for my tall stemware – and I couldn’t find an existing solution that actually worked. And a really nice glass of wine just tastes better in a glass with a stem, so I wasn’t swapping to stemless. Read more>>

BRUNA Piaui Graf

In Brazil,Pão de Queijo or Cheese bread, is very popular. When I was growing up in Bauru, Brazil, my favorite place to go with my family and friends was a restaurant which served delicious sandwiches on Cheese bread. When I moved to the U.S., I desperately missed my cheese bread, and I had a hard time finding it in the grocery’s stores. In 2017 I started working in a Brazilian steak house as a server where they serve Brazilian cheese bread as an appetizer. I noticed that customers would go crazy for cheese bread. Most of the time they would ask me for cheese bread TO-GO. Read more>>