One of the challenges we’ve seen to true equality of opportunity is that schools and books often can’t (or choose not) offer access to one of the most equalizing resources – first hand stories of how successful entrepreneurs made their ideas a reality. If you grew up in a family or community that had many successful entrepreneurs you may have been lucky to hear many conversations and stories about starting and executing on an idea, but there are millions of people across the country who haven’t had the same advantage and so our hope here is to create a space where those stories can be told in a more public forum for the benefit of any and every aspiring entrepreneur.

William Almendarez

My beginnings were simple – I always felt an attraction to tell a story via a lens. I started at a young age and honestly I stopped – it wasn’t until I moved here to Arizona that someone let me use their camera that I reconnected with that part of me. After that day, I went and started doing some research on equipment and there was a lot of trial and error – but what never changed was my idea and execution. I idea and concept has always been the same – to communicate without words a story, a moment in time and vision through my lens. Read more>>

Maggie & Adam

Terrible Gerald’s Pizza could be described as a weirdly successful experiment in bringing the front of house to the back of house. In its entirety, it was a complete accident. It just happened to turn out, we’re pretty good at making pies so we stuck with it. We began in earnest. We began with a homemade pizza oven in our backyard and dry dough mix packets. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing, but it was fun. Over the next few weeks, Adam began becoming familiar yeast, learning the intricacies of working with a living culture. Pizza parties with friends in the backyard began happening at more frequent intervals, and everyone seemed to have something nice to say. Strange comments like, “you should turn this into a business” danced in our heads. So we gave it a name, formed an LLC, and our artist gave us Gerald. Read more>>

Ken Jackson

The initial idea for Firelite came from our desire to provide an affordable yet just-as-high-quality alternative to traditional photography and videography businesses. We looked around and saw a lot of companies charging exorbitant prices for photo and video services, which we knew from our experience in the film industry were too high. We wanted to become the premier service where someone can fulfill all of their photo and video needs. From commercials to headshots to branding photos and much more. Anything a business or person could need, we can provide it. In launching the business, we knew there was a lot to learn and saw a mountain in front of us, but put the first foot forward and started building the structure from the ground up. We started offering services to those in our network and used these opportunities to build on the next. Read more>>

Herb Shells

What started off as just me loving food and telling various people I would come in contact with about my experiences. Shifted to social media when I saw another foodie do a review in their vehicle. I thought to myself. Hey I could do that non my lunch break. I did my first video and received great feedback. I been doing it every since. Almost 2 years now! Read more>>

Teonna Daniels

I always knew I wanted to be a business owner, just never knew what kind of business I wanted to own. I had a love for photography since high school, but it took me a couple years to realize my true passion for photography. After completing my very first photoshoot, I knew then that I wanted to dive deeper into the photography world. Crazy thing is, I couldn’t understand how I even got put into the position to take someone’s professional pictures when I had never done that before. I really just used my camera for fun, but what I didn’t realize at the time was that my family already seen the potential in me and my work that I didn’t know existed. My next steps were to find someone I could learn from and help with preparing me for my official business launch. Read more>>

Kira Ayla Friedman

Making this movement and standing up against injustice was something I had always wanted to do throughout my life, but I couldn’t. I was in circumstances that never would have allowed for that to have happened. However, things changed when I was finally out of the toxic situations that had once overtaken both mine and my mother’s lives. Read more>>

Melissa Misgen

Growing up in Minnesota, I started catering with my grandmother and I loved it. I worked in catering during the summers and on the weekends while in high school and through college, and I became more and more enthralled with hospitality and the food business. . By time I was 25 I had 10 years of catering experience and I decided to make a big change and moved to Tampa with the hopeful idea of opening a restaurant. During my first year here in Tampa, I worked in a fine dining restaurant and during that time I realized that I much preferred catering. So I started by making my own home-made business cards and telling people I met that I could help with small dinner parties. Read more>>

Lisa Frick

Infinite Wishes Foundation is in memory of my best friend, (Lisa, Executive Director) Donna’s (President) sister-in-law, and Al’s (Vice President & Treasurer) sister, Joan, who developed stage IV lung cancer at the age of 53. Since she was a young girl, it was Joan’s dream to swim with the dolphins. She loved dolphins and anyone that knew her, knew that, too! Joan’s dream came true on April 17, 2013. Sadly, we lost Joan eight months later, on December 20, 2013. In honor of her life and her commitment to helping others, we founded Infinite Wishes Foundation to help other adults with life-threatening illnesses have their wishes fulfilled. Read more>>

Dale & Monique Golding

Dale always wanted to own a food truck, but narrowing down to a single idea was harder than expected. Finally, during a trip to the northwest, we were by a crazy chain of events, introduced to real fruit ice cream. Once we both tried it we knew this was the idea we wanted to pursue. It was after this revelation of what we wanted our food truck to be that we started working to make it a reality. Monique found an old trailer for cheap on the internet. We bought it a few days later. After buying it, Dale researched how to turn it in to a commercial kitchen while Monique researched the business part of things. Many a midnight oil was burned by Dale to build the trailer in to what it is today. He googled and youtubed everything from flooring to plumbing to electrical – it was hours and hours of hard work to rebuild. After sorting out all of the licensing and health department requirements we were finally a legitimate business. We launched in June of 2024.  Read more>>

Jakia Lowe

Cooking has always been a passion for me I used to make dinners in my apartment kitchen then decided to make it a career. I started participating in different pop up events to get my name out there and then created different social media platforms. Next I had to do some research to legalize everything and thats when I filed for my llc, insurance, business account info ect. Through word of mouth and social media referrals started to come in Read more>>

Valerie Desautel

My need for starting my own personal studio came from the previous tattoo shop unexpectedly closing. I was faced with finding somewhere to work that would allow me to work my preferred schedule and it didn’t really seem that many businesses where willing to do that. I had previously owned a walk in tattoo shop that had employees and I knew for seven years. I didn’t really feel like I wanted to manage artists again and deal with a large over head. So thinking about my options I felt moving forward as a private studio and just having to worried about my own clients was the way to go. Once I knew that was the direction finding the perfect location was next. I couldn’t be happier with the building I found, Agua salon suites in Fort Lauderdale, and the landlord and manager was so sweet and very attentive to all renters needs. The location was great, the rent was affordable and there are many other business in the same area so perfect place to network and share clients with other professionals. It only took a month of planning and another month to set up and have all the licenses needed to start working. I’ve been there for about a year now and things have been great! Read more>>

Payton Mullinax

Pretty Stoned Art is a fine art brand centering cannabis as the subject matter to infuse a feeling of luxury into the glamorous stoner’s lifted lifestyle. Pretty Stoned Art was born from dreaming, playing and disregarding the rules of how society tells us we’re “supposed” to live. It has taken five years for the idea to develop into the physical manifestation, and it’s really just getting started. Along with the art, I’m also creating a sober support program to offer guidance, insight and encouragement to people that are alcohol-free and still use cannabis as part of their wellness routine. Read more>>

Jade Droese

I was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to choosing a vessel to embody my creativity, but I always knew that I loved watching my favorite artists’ and bands’ music videos. It never occurred me that it was actually something within arms reach to pursue until I met my current group of friends. When it comes to videography and photography, or really any creative ambition, a really big part of takeoff is about who you know. It was a beautiful blend of friendship and passion that kickstarted my love for cinematography; my desire to edit quickly came after. I specialize in concert videography, so it really helps being friends with a lot of people in that respective industry. I only started shooting about a little less than a year ago, so a huge part of continuing to only grow is buying and learning all the different equipment that goes into the art. Cameras, computers, SD cards, lenses, I can go on for hours! Choosing videography is something I quickly realized to be quite the investment, but the payoff is knowing I am doing it to shake hands with a future music video creator. Read more>>

Angel Wagner

When I first went to college, I pursued a career as an artist. This was before social media. I was enrolled in a private art college but I struggled to find mentorship. Almost all my teachers were men. There was no education on the business of being an artist. I felt like I was spinning my wheels and not getting what I signed up for so I left school. I was still making art but pursuing other ways to make money. Eventually, my therapist kept saying I should be a therapist. I decided to go back to school and get a degree in counseling. My counseling work had me developing a creative curriculum which led me back to making art. When I returned to my painting mid-life I had so much to say, and I felt more settled and committed to the discipline. With social media and the internet the art world has become accessible, supportive and fun. I’m grateful every day that I decided to paint again, Art making is the greatest joy I’ve ever experienced. Read more>>

Sonia Calderon

I got into abstract painting as a career when I decided I didn’t want to pursue digital arts during the first few years of university. I remembered that I was an artist at a very young age, and that I had the ability to channel spirit into my art pieces by expressing my thoughts and emotions with paint. I like the wetness and the forgiving and unforgiving aspects of painting—working with impermanent shapes that can be physically altered and taken away. From 2012-2013 I studied pictorial arts, design and European history in Darmstadt, Germany, which inspired me further, and upon returning to California, I began painting prolifically, full time. At that time, my nextdoor neighbor in Rio del Mar was a sculptor who participated in fine art juried art shows and festivals. He encouraged me to apply to some, so I started with my first show being Open Studios Art Tour in Santa Cruz. I was 27 years old, and my work received a great response. I applied for art shows, and at that time I had the confidence to walk into galleries that I thought would be a good fit for my work. So, a combination of serendipitous mentors and confidence to pursue what I like doing most are what helped me over the threshold of launching my career as an artist.  Read more>>

Marcus Wicks

Transitioning from concept to execution is one of the most challenging—and crucial—steps in starting a business. For me, the first step involved conducting thorough market research to ensure my brand would stand out in the fitness apparel industry. I dedicated about 3 to 4 days, investing a few hours each day alongside my full-time job, to analyze competitors and identify unique selling points. The next, and perhaps most difficult, step was bringing my business name to life. As someone who tends to overthink, this process proved challenging, but I was fortunate to receive valuable support along the way. The final phase was execution, where I focused on creating clothing designs and collaborating with a supplier to develop the ideal blend of materials. My primary objective was to design apparel that balances a fitted silhouette with comfort, ensuring that it meets the needs of active individuals. Read more>>

Sinyu Deng

I started my photography journey as a hobby. Over time, through constant practice and taking on various projects, I developed a deeper passion for it and realized that it could evolve into a business. Initially, I was someone who wanted everything to be perfectly prepared before launching, but I quickly learned that you don’t really know what works until you actually dive in and start doing it. It’s easy to have big dreams but feel stuck on the first step. While having professional cameras, lenses, and lighting equipment is important, I also learned that creativity and resourcefulness go a long way. I didn’t begin with top-tier equipment; I used the camera I had and, when I needed lighting, I would improvise with flashlights or borrow equipment from friends. For backgrounds, I repurposed household items like bedsheets. Slowly, I built up my experience and gathered the necessary props and equipment, which eventually led to me owning my own photography studio. Read more>>

Jackie Mccool

With over 25 years of experience as a professional photographer specializing in weddings, high school seniors, families, and pets, I had an unexpected spark of inspiration while sitting at a brewery with my family. Surrounded by people enjoying the day with their dogs, I realized how breweries are more than just places for a pint—they’re community hubs. Watching dog owners try to capture those “cute” moments, I suddenly had an idea for a photography project: Beer Dogs Virginia. As the concept took shape, I realized there was much more to do than just snapping photos. I dove into research, scouting the right breweries, and curating the perfect look for each session. Along the way, I also had to learn InDesign, figure out how to format a book, and find an editor to bring this vision to life. With a goal to publish by the end of 2024, I was determined to make Beer Dogs Virginia an authentic, creative representation of both the brewery culture and my brand.  Read more>>

Elizabeth Preble

I started my website in 2017 with a beginner blogging course. I spent many evenings in my dining room, struggling with website design, social media posts, photo editing, and writing. This was not an easy process, as I had my third child in 2017 and was caring for a newborn. I struggled a lot as no one in my circle believed I would make any real income from it. Discouraged, I almost quit a number of times thinking I was wasting my time on the computer when I could have been spending time with my family. I took on many unpaid sponsored posts and writing jobs to get my name out there, I did work on the side to pay for expensive courses but in the end it all paid off. Read more>>

Lauren Marie

Going to college to become a math teacher was my plan… getting pregnant in college was not part of that plan! When I found out I was pregnant the world stopped. Everything got quiet, and I turned to prayer. I was not feeling as excited about teaching as I had in the beginning and prayed for God to show me what career path that I could take where I would be able to work from home, have a flexible schedule to be present for my boys, and something that would bring me joy and passion!  Photography was placed on my heart. I already loved to edit pictures but really didn’t know anything about big, fancy cameras! God placed one little word on my heart.  “YouTube”  Read more>>

Alexandra Hale

I’ve always loved creative writing but it was something I only did for myself. In 2021, we moved out of state and into our dream home. My husband and I agreed that I’d stay home with our two young children instead of going back to a formal job. I’d been toying with the idea of publishing but when we got settled it seemed like the perfect time to really explore the process. My passion has always been in writing romance and I dove deep into finding authors and stories that resonated with me. I made lists of things that I liked about the pacing, characters and their time on the page, different kinds of series, the kind of feelings I’d like to provoke and so many more. I asked authors questions about their process, advice they had and things to keep in mind as I started my own writing. Read more>>

Joyce Bacon

As a young mother, I faced countless challenges, not least of which was navigating a world where societal stigmas suggested that I would not succeed and that my children would inevitably suffer as a result. Despite the doubt and criticism that surrounded me, I was determined to rise above the negativity and build a better future for my family. The truth was, I wasn’t sure what I was skilled at beyond taking care of my family. Yet even in those uncertain moments, I knew one thing for certain: I had a natural gift for nurturing, encouraging others, and motivating them to strive for their best. Read more>>

Christina Archuleta

The process for me to go from idea to execution was actually by necessity. I had to leave a very difficult relationship and move to another state. I had lived in my home state of Colorado and had a business with my then husband and had kept in contact with my former clients. They were excited that I had returned to my home state and became my own personal clients. Since I didn’t have a building to train clients out of, I decided that I should do house calls that was I could work off my client’s schedule. So I purchased enough equipment to be able to train them to the best of my ability. This turned out to be a very good decision because since then, I’m getting referrals and new clients monthly Read more>>

Ashanta Sims

v I took a leap of faith and that decision was between God and I! I starting working for the Airlines straight out of Highschool. I just knew that Customer service was where Id be for my life long career! I truly enjoyed working as a customer service agent but that was not Gods plan! 2020 we were all heavily impacted by the pandemic! Our lives changed everyday and so many decisions had to be made! I was forced to stay home with my child as schools were closed and I just had to get into something productive! I started selling plates to my friends for fun and extra money! I never had a prior passion for cooking but I knew that I was great at it! I was so taken back and excited about the reviews that I was receiving! Read more>>