Our stories are often hard to understand until folks understand our true motivations, our true drivers and the stories behind why our mission or purpose truly matters to us. We’ve asked some inspiring folks from the community to talk to us about why they do what they do and have shared some of our favorite responses below.

Dannis Winston

At DWP Live Factory, our mission is more than a goal—it’s a heartfelt commitment. We’re here to bring hope and support to the musician community, independent artists, and small business owners who dedicate themselves to the arts. In a time when music education and business programs are harder to come by, we’re passionate about providing a steady, meaningful income for these creators. We aim to inspire and empower them to carve their own path and be their own boss—without chasing fame, but simply by doing what they love. Read more>>

Daphne Caldwell

The only thing I’ve ever known is to work for what you get. I’ve always assumed that translated into going to college, go to lots of interviews, and find the best paying corporate job. It worked for awhile—that is until the year prior to the pandemic arrived. That year I had purchased a makeup kit from a friend to support her small business. I wasn’t really invested, I just wanted a good discount that came with the wholesale account to treat myself while on vacation. I needed it as I always put myself last and I found myself at the age of 34 with three kids, overworking myself, and deeply embroiled in a workplace conflict where a unsatisfied coworker wanted my position. Read more>>

Julie Wernersbach

Hive Mind Books centers books by queer and trans writers as a core tenet of our mission. The other core tenant is offering affordable books. Despite the fact that New York City is home to the largest queer population in the country, until recently, there weren’t enough queer bookstores to serve everyone. Before Hive MInd, there were one and a half queer bookstores in Manhattan, and none in Brooklyn. As a queer writer, and the partner of a trans writer, I was frustrated by how difficult it was to find a quality, in-depth selection of books by queer and trans writers. I didn’t want to just buy a book online, I wanted to walk into a bookstore and be able to browse a wide array of books by my fellow queer writers. That’s what drove me to start popping up with queer book fairs in Brooklyn, and then opening Hive Mind Books as a queer bookstore. Read more>>

Chief Mark Corona

I wear two hats (no, not literally)—each with a mission that’s unique, exciting, and just a bit quirky! First, as a national trivia host, I lead the country’s ONLY game show designed to retain, engage, and electrify audiences. Our trivia game is more than just questions; it’s high-energy, high-impact, and yes, it has customers coming back for more! Second, I’m the Chief Border Agent of Slowjamastan, the world’s newest nation with a noble goal: to unite people worldwide in laughter, satire, and a mutual disdain for Crocs. Together, we’re building a nation that’s equal parts fun and fantastic! Read more>>

Reham Fagiri

AptDeco was born out of our frustration with the chaotic and inefficient process of buying and selling furniture through platforms like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. These methods left us haggling with strangers, coordinating awkward pickups, and even dealing with the hassle of no-shows. We believed there had to be a better way—one that made furniture exchange simple, safe, and sustainable. That’s where AptDeco’s mission began. We envisioned a world where buying secondhand furniture wasn’t just an afterthought but the first choice for consumers. Today, we’re not just reshaping how furniture is bought and sold; we’re also addressing the massive environmental impact of the furniture industry. With over 12 million tons of furniture ending up in landfills each year, our mission to promote circularity and reduce waste drives everything we do. Read more>>

Mallery Jenna Robinson

A Hateful Homicide was created in response to the increasing murders, hate crimes, and hate incidents of Transgender, Nonbinary, Intersex, and Two-Spirit community members in the United States and abroad. The media representation that oftentimes blames the victim for their hateful homicide simply for existing for who they are especially our most marginalized and impacted Black and Brown, AANHPI, Indigenous trans people. Read more>>

Sabine Kay

David Ajao

When I was navigating the corridors of a non-target university, I often felt like an outsider in the competitive world of software engineering. Unlike my peers from prestigious institutions, I faced an uphill battle in the job market, dealing with countless rejections and trying endless search strategies. Determined to break through, I dedicated countless hours to refining my job-seeking techniques, meticulously testing various methods to secure a position in the tech industry. Read more>>

Lee Mcitntosh Helton Iii

As the founder of Swag 100 LLC, my journey began from a deep-seated passion for Hip-Hop culture and a desire to reshape the narrative surrounding it. In observing the current state of our culture, I noticed a troubling trend: mainstream Hip-Hop media is predominantly focused on sensationalizing the lifestyles of artists and entertainment influencers. These portrayals often lead to a spotlight on negative aspects—criminal behavior, personal conflicts, and situations that put individuals at risk. Read more>>

Mozhgan Asadi Estalkhjani

My mission is to empower individuals through authentic, accessible beauty. I focus on classic eyelash extensions and Lash lift, natural enhancements that subtly boost confidence while fitting seamlessly into the lives of busy professionals—doctors, lawyers, educators, and others—who value a polished yet professional look. Beauty, to me, should enhance who we truly are without masking it, and after 16 years in this field, I find it deeply rewarding to help women feel seen and confident. Read more>>

Margarita Breton

At MBites, our mission is deeply personal and meaningful because it comes from a desire to create a positive change in the way people consume food. The idea of offering healthy frozen fast food emerged from recognizing the opportunity to provide convenient, nutritious options that weren’t widely available in the market. We saw that many “fast” or “convenient” foods lacked health benefits, so we were inspired to develop a better alternative—one that prioritizes both health and flavor. Read more>>

Kelly Dibble Kerner

My past experience as a public school teacher has shaped the overall mission of my small educational business immensely. In teaching many young faces year after year, it’s clear there is no mold for the “typical” student. Each comes with unique strengths and weaknesses, internal motivations, and past experiences that shape their mindset for learning. Read more>>

Demark Williams

our mission is to empower individuals to overcome the pain of grief and anger by providing the tools and guidance needed to build resilience, heal emotionally, and transform adversity into purpose. Through personal growth, faith, and practical strategies, we help individuals embrace their journey and create lasting results for change, while recognizing that pain is temporary, and PURPOSE is forever. Read more>>

Keith Harris

Keyz Investments has taken on the mission to provide affordable, available, quality homes for military families while in transition to their local or distant assignment(s). The experience(s) that ignited this passion began when my family and I transitioned to Korea several years ago. Despite trying to arrange some type of housing numerous months ahead of time, the availability was not there when we arrived in the country. My wife and I did lots of praying and brainstorming over the next several days. After speaking with the military housing office, they placed in a nice place-and my family was comfortable. That’s what mattered most to me. Read more>>

Kiran Nahar

At Incloosiv Foods, we’re on a mission to blur the line between nutritious and delicious. We believe that the food that nourishes and fuels our bodies deserves to be the convenient, easy, and tasty choice! We proudly use only wholesome and recognizable ingredients, ensuring transparency and goodness with every bite. Rooted in our beginnings at local farmers markets, we’re dedicated to growing our business with the same community feel, connection, and responsibility that inspired the start of our story. Read more>>

Denise Higdon

WorkSite CARE Clinic’s mission is to take care of employees. How we do this depends on the unique needs and goals of each client. Everything we do is customized. On-site training and employee wellness programs are interactive, memorable, personalized, and improve life quality at work and home. We’ve seen the results of their commitment: she lost 30#, he can squat again, we created an ergonomic solution to help relieve shoulder pain, and employees are stretching as a team. New hire physicals at WorkSite CARE Clinic are position specific and ensure employees can physically do their work. Our assessments and insights change lives and help companies make informed decisions. Sometimes we find conditions that employees don’t even know exist. They go to their doctor, get it taken care of, and come back to complete their testing. Any time we see an employee, we are making their lives better. Our testing tells the employer and the employee they can safely do the job. Read more>>

Hannah Jackovich

Charmed’s mission is to provide an outstanding custom jewelry experience that brings joy to our customers. Coming out of college with a degree in psychology and a desire to uplift others, I set out to create a business where every individual leaves feeling happier than when they arrived. I frequently have the privilege of helping customers select pieces that honor loved ones, celebrate milestones, or symbolize special connections. I am grateful to be part of the meaningful stories we create together, which serve as a constant reminder of Charmed’s mission. Read more>>

Daniel Langer

Our mission is to create extreme value for our clients. This is critical in my point of view. Luxury is often confused with opulence, rarity, or other rather descriptive attributes. However, after years of research I came to the conclusion that luxury, fundamentally is about the perception of extreme value through the eyes of clients. Extreme value means that there is emotion and desirability. Hence, I am obsessed with creating opportunities for my clients to create extreme value for their clients. The more value is created, the more successful will the brands be. Read more>>

Mychal Spriggs

as a chef and owner my mission is to create exceptional culinary experiences that bring people together, celebrating Oklahoma’s rich flavors and traditions while adding a creative, personal touch that makes each event unforgettable. Read more>>

Stacey Prescott

My mission is based on a life of constantly being told I’m not enough and I have to be different to my authenticity to be of value. I spent a good portion of my life chasing everyone else’s concepts of success and straying further and further from my authenticity; where my passion and mission meet. It wasn’t until I learned that my worth is intrinsic to the fact that I exist and cannot in anyway be diminished that I found the courage to step out in faith and watch my life and career change COMPLETELY. Read more>>

Kelly Choi

When Maggie and I came together to create The Moonlight Collective, it felt like the natural next step for both of us. My journey began in Taiwan with Moonpark, a marketplace I launched in 2021, hoping to bring people together through shared passions. I wanted to create a real-life space where people could connect meaningfully, open up, learn from each other, and feel a genuine sense of belonging. Soon, Moonpark became a platform where locals could host classes in their neighborhoods—whether an art workshop, a baking class, or even something as unique as aerial yoga! Read more>>

Crystal Agramonte

I love creating content and showing people a behind the scenes of my life. I like to put my followers on to the latest trends or show them places to visit when traveling. I want people to feel as if they can relate to me. Read more>>

Amber Bowie

My business, Mackenzie Madison of Philadelphia, was inspired by one of the most challenging experiences of my life. When my youngest daughter, Mackenzie, was born with a congenital heart defect, our world changed. She went through open-heart surgery as a baby, and I spent endless days by her side in the hospital. To bring a little joy into those long, difficult days, I started sewing matching headbands for Mackenzie and her big sister, Madison. It was a small way to feel connected as a family, and it brought a bit of light to everyone around us. Read more>>

Josh Anderson

The mission of JJ’s Hello Foundation is to prevent youth suicide, promote mental health awareness, and create a message of hope for pre-teens, teens, and young adults in our community. JJ’s Hello Foundation is a national foundation that will assist schools and community organizations in developing, facilitating, funding, and executing programs, activities, workshops, and events designed to help educate parents, children, teachers, school administrators, and other members of the community about the causes, signs, and prevention of youth suicide. Through our website and other community activities, JJ’s Hello Foundation will provide information about suicide prevention resources from local, state, and national organizations. Read more>>

Shane Hart

Our mission is pretty straightforward–it’s to help folks be healthier and happier. My background is in natural products and my partner Andy, in addition to being a master carpenter, worked as a scientist on preclinical therapies for pediatric cancers. We have decades of experience in the wellness space, and both of us have experienced extraordinary health challenges in our family’s lives–these difficulties fueled a calling to help others. Thermotherapy, or Sauna, is a powerful wellness tool. From a historical, and medical perspective, sauna therapy can be a useful part of an overall wellness regimen. Modern research indicates benefits such as: Read more>>

Darby Baham

As an author, I feel like I have two missions. The first is to be a great storyteller; to craft a universe that you as the reader want to immerse yourself in because you feel like I’ve given you all the tools to be able to do so. I want all your senses to be engaged when you’re reading one of my books. So, if the main character has a chill run down her spine when she’s next to her potential partner, for example, I want my reader to have that very same experience, almost as if they’ve plugged themselves into the storyline. If my hero is listening to music on his headphones, I want my reader to be able to recall what that song sounds like and immediately know why it would be important in this scene. These are the kinds of things that ground me in my writing and are universal to what I want anyone who picks up one of my books to feel. Read more>>

Alexander Alamo

My mission is to create a generational business for my children. I grew up in a town where I wasn’t meant to be successful, a town ridden with drugs and crime and a low success rate among my peers. After high school I was trending down that same statistic. But I knew I was worth more than the statistic implied. It did take a while to get to where I am now, and many times my mission failed. But my perseverance didn’t allow me to quit, my children didn’t allow me to quit, and most importantly my faith didn’t allow me to quit Read more>>

Micheal Daniels

My mission is to show, regardless to your circumstance. I choose music more for the feeling it brings me and because of my motivation and desire for success hustled different jobs and hobbies to fund my lifestyle. The music business has proven to be interesting more because it is expensive. I have managed groups and to be honest people seem to believe talent alone will walk them into the door when it comes to success musically. Most of the humans that I have met want to be rich and see music as I way to get to the bag. I have always allowed music to be a place to bring me peace and happiness. Money has come easier because of the many ways you can get paid in the music industry. I opened a recording studio for myself but because I am a DJ, producer and audio engineer I find it easy to make money. Read more>>

Charles Barber

The story behind your mission Metro Elite was founded in 2023 by Charles Barber and James Robinson. We worked together for a well-known general contractor in Detroit early in our careers. We had a passion for construction and were eager to make an impact. Even though we were just starting, we saw gaps in the industry that were in dire need to be filled. The most obvious gap was a void of construction companies that focus on quality rather than profit. Fast forward over a decade later, we decided to do something about those voids and start our own construction company. Our mission is to bring invaluable quality and a collaborative experience to the construction industry in a way that our customers feel their investment in us is the best choice they’ve ever made. Read more>>