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.

Jamie Logan

i used to work in a pizzeria so i have always loved whipping up pies, but dough making intimidated me. the few times i tried to make it on my own it it was a pain in the ass to get right, and it was so much easier to grab it from a pizzeria, but when the pandemic hit i moved in with my sister & her family and our meals were the highlight of our days. Read more>>

Shanifah Brothers

I started SaucyVocals Network in 2019 in a college dorm. I started the Saucy Vocals Network to bring awareness to online unappreciated talent. I was inspired by my musical background to create the Saucy Vocals Network. Read more>>

Brittany Ball

In 2022 I was 10+ years into my corporate nursing career & feeling burnt out. We were experiencing a lot of trials in our family at the time, including my dad being terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. Read more>>

Nancy Lamb

When I developed green Horse organics, I was focusing on a natural fly ride to fill a much-needed gap in the market. I very excitedly tried several natural, fly spray on the market and each failed to impress and did nothing to deter flies for my horses. Read more>>

Tracy D. Harrison

One night, I had a dream that was unlike any other. I found myself in my current home, only to discover a whale in my yard, its face at my doorstep. Puzzled by this surreal scene, I stepped outside to investigate. Suddenly, the whale swallowed me whole. Read more>>

Danielle Galligan and Nicole Folino

In March of 2020, like so many others, we realized how fragile our business truly was. When production crews were no longer able to assemble to collaborate and create imagery for advertisers and editorial clients to share with audiences, our professional lives and those of the incredible artists we represent came to a complete standstill. Read more>>

Atiya Lilly-Gassaway

Ethereal X was birthed the moment I realized women were experiencing far less pleasure than men and people were just….okay with that? But were people really okay or did people just put their pleasure on the back burner and convince themselves they didn’t really desire this or that it wasn’t obtainable? Read more>>

Francesca DeCapita

I’d love to share how my business came to be. Living in the vibrant and ever-changing landscape of New York City, I was working for the State of New York, going through the motions but feeling a deep sense of dissatisfaction. Read more>>

Nathalie Nathalie

Nathalie Charlot’s journey into wellness started in the Information Technology (IT) industry, where she excelled as a leader, and wore hard work, disguised as workaholism, as a badge of honor. Read more>>

Erin Joy Araneta

It all started with my amazing cousin. She’s brilliant, creative, and a real diva!, but whenever science, especially chemistry, came up, her eyes would glaze over. “Boring,” she’d declare. That’s when a spark ignited in me. Read more>>

Erick Wessel

Mystic Museum was birthed from my original store Bearded Lady Vintage and Oddities. I specialized in taxidermy, oddities, and mysticism. These were all items I had an interest in and had cultivated a collection of myself. Read more>>

Jarrod Brown

My background is in international business. I was fortunate to have a father who sent me to school all over the world so that I would be more successful than he was. My career started in Houston as a consultant with a large international software company. Read more>>

Anthony J. Resta

while working with Duran Duran in 1994 I discovered a mill building with 300,000 square-foot almost empty space after working in Recording studios all over the world. I decided it was time to build my own. It was a very slow process. Read more>>

Lynnette Holton

My career chose me . I was blessed at a young age to know exactly what I wanted to be. From the days of cutting my cousin’s hair and applying my Grandmothers Avon lipstick to them, I just knew this was my future path. Read more>>

Nathan Hill

Over the years I worked for others, I spent a lot of time really analyzing profits and losses, and listened carefully to my customers, including what they weren’t saying about the services and options. Read more>>

Mohican Name: Tau-Tau-yah-com-no-wan English Name: Dennis Zack

I started to have more issues with dry skin and eczema. A condition that continued to get worse. I witnessed my mother going through the same thing growing up and many times she would have to use medicated lotions to help elevate the dryness. Read more>>

Sharai Wiley

It was 2022. COVID was starting to wane. We were all begining to feel somewhat normal again. My mother had a medical emergency on 1/1/22. Doctors told us she was not going to make it. Thankfully she did! Read more>>

Stephanie J Reese

The idea for my business, well the passion that drives my business had to have been birthed in my teen years. I was always heavy and I always wanted to look different. I never wanted to look or dress like anyone else. Read more>>

Michelle Alamilla

I’ve always loved to cook, I grew up in a home where my mom’s kitchen always smelled amazing! It didn’t matter what she was making it was always good & spicy! Once I had my own home I told myself hey I can really do this & make it a business. Read more>>

Joann Palomo-Amador

I came up with the idea of starting my own photography business back in 2018 when I was asked by a friend who asked me if I could take her little sister’s senior portraits. I was nervous and felt so pressured to make sure they came out great because all I had been photographing at this point was just my kids. Read more>>

Tiffany Wheeler

The origin of Hivehouse Co. unfolded during a time of unexpected challenges. As Austin faced the brutal winter storm Uri in 2021, which brought severe cold, burst pipes, and widespread power outages, I found our home becoming a refuge not only for my immediate family but also for neighbors seeking warmth and shelter. Read more>>

Kimberly Brown

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to access beauty products became challenging. The world became a place of isolation, which meant shopping in a store among other people would be limited and risky. I found myself unable to sustain my normal beauty routine, but I knew that feeling would be temporary. Read more>>

Joelle Everett

Between whitewashing, commercialization, and reselling, streetwear has become less about authenticity and expression and more about profit. The industry has lost sight of its roots, and the Black and Brown people who created and inspired this space have been priced out and are underrepresented. Read more>>

Anïsa Lewis

I tell people I made this job up for myself, but in reality, this is the job I concocted for my mother, Michelle Lewis, who is no longer with us. She was a master gardener, she taught cooking classes and was very active in my hometown community. Read more>>

Anna Hartzog

I was working for a publishing company as the editorial director of the book imprint. I had started as an editor and project manager but over the course of several years grew to lead large-scale projects from conception to final product and overseeing the book production team. Read more>>

Alexandra (Allie) Gerstel

I originally named the company Preciosa Clay Earring Co. because I strictly made clay earrings. It all started on a whim during a weekend in August 2022. I decided to create a website, bought some clay, and jumped in, pretending like I knew what I was doing. Read more>>

KETHIA BEAUSEJOUR

My journey has led me to the development of Glowin Forever. As someone who was always terrified of public speaking, I enrolled in a public speaking course to confront my fears. Although I did not complete the course, it prepared me for a moment I never anticipated: Read more>>

Brady Leffler

I’ve always been obsessed with brands. Early me would draw the Lakers logo, Tommy Hilfiger, and KISS all over my school notebooks. Among my other many obsessions are food/bev, and music. Those are the three big pillars of my life and career. Read more>>

Diana Muniz

The idea for my business was born out of a combination of personal experience and a deep-seated desire to address a pervasive issue in the corporate world. Working in a male-dominated environment, I constantly faced challenges that many women encounter – less respect, lower pay, and limited opportunities for advancement. Read more>>

Judy Estiverne

I came up with the idea of starting my skincare line after I became curious of how to make my own soap after making a soap purchase in 2019. I started researching the soap making process and different techniques on how to make products with the cleanest ingredients. Read more>>

Etho Pugh

Before starting my business I was employed by Dallas County as the Jail Population Coordinator. In that role my focus was to ensure that all individuals that were arrested and housed in the Dallas County jail did not get hung up in the system and that they were moved through the system as quickly as possible. Read more>>

Bevin

I’ve been writing, speaking and performing about body liberation since 2002. I didn’t understand there were fat people who loved their bodies and didn’t learn about Health at Every Size until I met people who lived like that. Read more>>

Mehru Sheikh

I moved to NYC during the peak of the pandemic in 2020 after getting married. Being away from my family and friends for the first time in my life, in a big city during a global crisis, was absolutely terrifying. People often say it’s hard to make friends after college, and they’re right. Read more>>

Caitlin Maldonado

I’ve always been interested in plants and how humans can live more harmoniously with the land around us. After years of collecting herbal books, I started learning more about herbs. I’m a student of The Herbal Academy. One of the first herbal things a budding herbalist creates is a tea. Read more>>

Lauren Seivert Brown

The creation of my company, Art Vandelet Bag Tags, came from a love of a lot of things. Handbags mainly! But the entire brand was really letting my imagination run wild to create a company, run by this fictional character Art Vandelet, that can be more sartorially appointed than I am in real life and get away with saying and being far wilder and more cheekier than I could ever be. Read more>>

Ashley Smith

I’m an artist first and foremost, and selling my artwork is my main business. Before I was working for myself full time, in 2018 I had drawn fanart for a well-known true crime podcast. It was their very first piece of fanart, and they were so excited about it that they reached out to me asking if they could use it to make stickers. Read more>>

Kirsten McCormick

3.5 years ago, I moved to Mexico with my family. It was Dec of 2020 and the world was still shut down. Majority of social interactions were still online and I was watching my own teens and hearing from my friends that their teens were spiraling into the dark caves of endless screen time, which we suddenly allowed because it was the only way to connect with the world and people around us. Read more>>

Trixie Neal

After writing three books (the last one with a pen name) I realized more so that staying Tethered to Christ gave me strength to endure difficult challenges in my life. Having a blended family, with sometimes challenging situations that we lived through, helps me to have empathy for others facing similar circumstances now. Read more>>

Rochdi Elhafiane

The idea for my fashion brand emerged from a deep reflection on my life experiences and travels. As I journeyed through different places and met diverse people, I found inspiration not only for my clothing designs but also for my paintings. Read more>>

King Muhammad

Unlike most people who want to start a YouTube channel I needed an original concept that nobody was doing. Most channels run with narratives that are already circulating online. But I wanted a channel that re-create those narratives, and in some cases create my own. Read more>>

DeAndre Little

I came up with the idea of my production company DJL Concept Creations LLC by learning the format of how to be a screenwriter and producer. I learned of my talent at five years of age and started writing professionally at 19 years old. I have always had a love for films since I can remember. Read more>>

Hetal Nagaraj

The business, process of business ideas and execution, policy making, production to manufacuturing, education and professional paths runs in family itself. I have several role models of my own father, mother, aunts, uncles or ancestors such as grand parents as well that have followed all the 3 paths of success at a time in their life. Read more>>